Three Rewrites, One Startup - An Architect’s Journey

Embark on an architect's journey through three startup rewrites in this insightful conference talk. Discover how a senior engineer transitioned into the architect role, facing challenges such as distinguishing between microservices and service buses, and designing scalable systems without overengineering. Learn to balance architectural responsibilities with code reviews, development, and junior dev coaching. Follow Spencer's growth as he navigates critical decision points, implements architectural changes, and guides the business through multiple rewrites in just four years. Gain valuable insights on topics including message queues, fragile deployments, integration challenges, cloud services, DevOps practices, data caching, stored procedures, developer tools, pair programming, and embracing imperfect code. Explore the evolution of the architecture, including the shift to Cosmos DB, decoupling strategies, and record-based processing. Understand the importance of balancing business and technology needs, dealing with legacy systems, and recognizing when change is necessary. This talk offers practical advice for aspiring architects and experienced professionals alike, emphasizing the continuous nature of architectural evolution in the fast-paced startup environment.