Exploring the building blocks of distributed systems
Feb 22, 2024
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Join hosts Scott Shaw and Rebecca Parsons as they discuss the challenges and patterns of distributed systems with author Unmesh Joshi. Explore coding miniature versions of Kafka and Cassandra, transitioning from code to English, understanding replication mechanisms, and the evolution of writing topics in this insightful episode.
Understanding the patterns of distributed systems is crucial for developers to navigate unpredictable interactions.
Bridging theory with practical implementations through coding miniature systems promotes a deeper comprehension of complex distributed systems.
Deep dives
Origins of the Book - Patterns of Distributed Systems
The podcast episode delves into the genesis of the book 'Patterns of Distributed Systems' authored by Uneesh and discussed by the hosts. Uneesh's journey to writing the book started in 2015-16, sparked by questions arising from digital transformation projects involving cloud services and distributed databases like Kafka and Cassandra. He encountered challenges and gaps in existing theoretical books that lacked practical implementations. Uneesh tackled this by delving into open-source code bases of systems like Kafka and Cassandra, enabling him to understand and connect theoretical concepts to practical implementations.
Implementation of Patterns and Codebase Exploration
Uneesh's approach involved coding miniature versions of systems like Kafka and Cassandra to bridge the gap between theory and practice. By creating real code resembling production-level systems, he facilitated a deeper understanding for himself and others. His workshops focused on building these systems step by step, emphasizing the importance of tackling one problem at a time before integrating multiple components. This hands-on method helped participants comprehend complex systems incrementally.
Critical Examination of Distributed Systems Patterns
The podcast conversation highlights the significance of exploring and documenting patterns within distributed systems to unveil the realities beyond superficial abstractions. Uneesh's endeavor to provide concrete details about implementations, such as replication mechanisms like Paxos and Raft, exposes crucial yet often omitted aspects. By addressing practical challenges like consensus and data replication completion, Uneesh's book aims to enhance readers' understanding of fundamental constructs and potential pitfalls in distributed computing.
Distributed systems are ubiquitous yet complex. They can be particularly demanding for software developers and architects tasked with dealing with the sometimes unpredictable nature of the interactions between their various parts.
That's why Thoughtworker Unmesh Joshi wrote Patterns of Distributed Systems. Published at the end of 2023, the book explores a number of patterns that characterize distributed systems, and uses them to not only help readers better understand how such systems work but also to solve problems and challenges that often arise.
On this episode of the Technology Podcast, Unmesh joins hosts Scott Shaw and Rebecca Parsons to talk about his book, explaining where the idea came from, how he put it together and why it's important to get beneath neat abstractions to really get to grips with the inner workings of distributed systems.
Learn more about Patterns of Distributed Systems: https://www.pearson.com/subject-catalog/p/patterns-of-distributed-systems/P200000011305/9780138221980
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