Compiled Conversations

Vlad Khononov, a software architect and author of 'Learning Domain-Driven Design', dives into advanced DDD concepts. He discusses real-world implementations like CQRS and context mapping patterns. Vlad emphasizes the importance of collaborative modeling techniques, drawing lessons from Formula One racing about accuracy in software models. He also explores the intersection of DDD and team dynamics, and how AI can enhance software architecture. Listeners will gain valuable insights into managing team ownership and practical strategies for adopting DDD without overwhelm.

In this enlightening discussion, Vlad Khononov, a seasoned software engineer and author, unravels the complexities of Domain-Driven Design (DDD). He emphasizes the importance of aligning software with business strategies rather than just focusing on code. Vlad explains the roles of subdomains and bounded contexts, helping teams navigate the intricacies of architecture. He also debunks common myths, shares insights on effective communication with domain experts, and discusses prioritizing core business challenges—all while encouraging flexibility in design.

Matthieu Napoli, creator of Bref, joins us to explore the journey of bringing PHP to AWS Lambda - and making serverless a reality for everyday PHP developers. From hacking runtimes to building a mature ecosystem, Matthieu unpacks what “serverless” really means in practice - beyond the hype. We dig into Bref’s architecture, its integration with Laravel and Symfony, why PHP fits so naturally into Lambda’s execution model, and what it takes to run scalable, queue-driven applications without managing infrastructure. Matthieu also shares the story behind Bref Cloud - a new deployment and monitoring platform built to simplify the AWS experience for teams of all sizes, while staying open, secure, and extensible. Along the way, we dive into the trade-offs between serverless and Kubernetes, the importance of developer experience in platform design, and how Bref stays flexible - whether you’re shipping a side project or scaling production workloads. This conversation is packed with practical insight into the past, present, and future of serverless PHP - from cold starts and containers to deployment patterns, open source sustainability, and what it takes to keep PHP evolving in the cloud era. Show Links Bref (Official Site) Bref Cloud Matthieu Napoli’s Website Matthieu Napoli on X/Twitter Matthieu Napoli on BlueSky Bref GitHub Repo Serverless PHP: how does it really work? Bref Cloud Security & IAM Docs Laravel Vapor (for comparison) AWS Lambda Symfony Laravel Serverless Framework Lift Plugin for Serverless Framework

James Eastham, a software developer and expert in event-driven architecture, dives into the nitty-gritty of building and maintaining event-driven systems. He distinguishes between choreography and orchestration with engaging analogies, reveals strategies for failure recovery, and discusses the nuances of handling sensitive data. James also explores observability with OpenTelemetry, practical migration from monoliths, and the importance of structured learning through teaching. His insights shed light on overcoming challenges in implementing EDA while emphasizing hands-on experiences.

James Eastham, a developer advocate at Datadog and former AWS expert, dives into the essentials of event-driven architecture. He unpacks how communication shapes software design and discusses the pros and cons of different architectures like microservices. Key topics include the importance of semantically meaningful events, managing idempotency, and employing standards like CloudEvents. With vivid pizza metaphors, James illustrates concepts such as eventual consistency and balancing loose and strong coupling, making complex ideas accessible and engaging.