Stay ConnectedCockroach Lab’s Big Ideas in App Architecture is a podcast for architects and engineers building modern data-intensive applications and systems. In every weekly episode, an innovator joins the show to share useful insights from their experiences building reliable, scalable, maintainable systems.
Welcome to Big Ideas in App Architecture!
Copyright: © Copyright Cockroach Labs
“Aside from math and physics, there are no laws in software engineering.”
In this episode, Joe Lynch, a technical leader with decades of experience (Google, Twilio…), discusses the fundamental principles of building software efficiently; and the human obstacles that get in our way. Joe explains the difference between "laws" and tendencies in software engineering and how understanding Conway's law can lead to better organizational structure, better peer review practices, and better software design.
We also address pressure on engineers to get things right and the danger of striving for perfection, which can be the enemy of good. He stresses the importance of setting up a "problem space" to identify problems before you start “solutioning”.
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In today's episode, we're joined by Yolanda Davis, Principal Software Engineer at Cloudera, to talk about Apache NiFi and its role in streamlining data transfers.
Yolanda explains the architecture of Cloudera’s Apache NiFi and the UI developers use of the tool to design and manage dataflows. She also shares how Kubernetes has changed the game in terms of efficiency and scalability (while acknowledging the occasionally immense challenge of growing K8s).
We delve into the challenges of observability and monitoring in the cloud. And how Cloudera is using the insights gathered from monitoring. Yolanda also shares some unique observations about the way she sees the public cloud being leveraged for scaling efficiently for performance and cost savings.
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“I guarantee you no CIO will ever write a check to Cockroach Labs. You have to change the name.”
Peter Mattis, Co-founder and CTO at Cockroach Labs, was given that unsolicited advice from an audience member at a conference in 2018. Five years later Cockroach Labs has cashed plenty of checks signed by CIOs from some of the biggest companies on the planet. In this conversation, Peter goes way under the hood to talk about how CockroachDB is architected, how that architecture has evolved, and how the architecture will continue to evolve to make developers’ lives easier.
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This week, we’re with one of those masters of database building, Andy Pavlo, an Associate Professor with indefinite tenure of databaseology in the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University and the Co-Founder of OtterTune.
Andy discusses how his introduction to “databaseology” changed the way databases are not only built but also studied for more efficiency at companies. From optimizing databases for efficient testing and usage to building effective databases using the right knobs and building blocks, Andy shares his insights and expertise on how to improve the performance and reliability of your applications.
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Database architecture can be a vital part of enhancing and maintaining customer success!
In this episode of "Big Ideas in App Architecture," we explore several crucial aspects of backend engineering including stateless systems architected for resilience and how to do observability well. Our guest, Dan Goldin, Chief Architect at TripleLift, shares his expertise, drawing from his years of experience at startups and in the ad-technology industry. For those interested in customer experience, Dan discusses the power of data and how to leverage it to optimize app interactions. For those interested in application architecture, he talks about building resilience into different systems at TripleLift.
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AI is expanding in our lives like never before. How is it changing the way we approach software development for the future?
In short, a ton!
This week, Stephen Blum, CTO and Founder of PubNub, joins to discuss how specific tech roles will likely change as AI becomes more ingrained in the work of tech companies. Moreover, he theorizes that innovative companies won’t view AI as merely a means of shaving headcount, but will instead turn AI into a competitive edge — using real-time testing to develop applications quickly and efficiently.
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You are effectively scaling your software teams to their maximum efficiency. When is the right time to automate specific features to accommodate your growing team?
This week we’re joined by Matt Ranney, Principal Engineer at DoorDash who emphasizes the importance of finding productivity angels in smaller teams with more automation, and how understanding that unit testing isn't the only valuable metric can lead to building more efficient infrastructure systems.
Matt also discusses the pros and cons of Kubernetes and microsystems, and provides call-to-actions when Doordash experiences failures or downtimes on microservices. He stresses the importance of acknowledging that partial failure is still complete failure, and how taking steps to prevent and mitigate these failures can greatly improve overall system reliability.Join as we discuss:
Get fit in real time with tech’s advancements in the fitness industry!
This week, we’re joined by Paul Lawler, Head of Software at Wahoo Fitness as he discusses how athletes everywhere are using technology to understand and grow their physical health in real-time. In this conversation Paul explains his experiences building highly available apps and services for a decade in Ed-Tech before moving into the fitness industry. While he shares a ton of interesting technical choices, his thoughts on the importance of hiring collaborative personalities might be the most compelling takeaway.
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Step into the future of app architecture with Gregg Mojica, Co-Founder and CTO of Alloy Automation, as we uncover the magic of multi-region architecture, serverless tools, scaling up and down with Kubernetes, and solving problems for merchants all over the world.
Gregg will share his insights on how to build an efficient tech stack that solves problems for ecommerce companies by helping them integrate apps and platforms. We'll dive into technical decisions that Gregg and his team have made related to AWS, DynamoDB, Kubernetes, EKS, and more. Serverless architecture comes up often in the context of serving a global audience, dealing with bursts of traffic and trying to be cost efficient (and operationally efficient) at all times.
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Get ready to dive into the big ideas shaping the future of hiring software for SaaS companies! This week, Mike Boufford, CTO at Greenhouse Software shares his insights on the creation of Greenhouse's hiring software. Mike was the first engineering hire at Greenhouse and has watched the department grow to over 120 engineers. In this conversation he highlights the challenges they faced when building the product, such as: how to add customers indefinitely, and how to survive failures without impacting end user experiences. Join as we discuss:
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