Collection: Architect References

September 2nd, 2015

Experience is the best teacher and becoming an IT architect makes you a teacher. Today, I provide a list of valuable architect and architecture links that I hold on to for reference purposes.

The title architect has many meanings in the world of IT. There are Web Architects, Enterprise Architects, Technical Architects, and Information Architects.

In my opinion, I have always considered the process of becoming an IT Architect the culmination of everything you have learned in your career as an individual. You start out as a junior web developer, then promoted to application web developer, then senior web developer, and finally, become a web architect.

However, don't think that because you become an architect doesn't mean that you won't be doing anything. Oh no, you need to focus on the pulse of the industry. What's the next big thing? What should you study now and pray it doesn't become obsolete?

What do your tea leaves and crystal ball say? 

As I tell everyone, you are still always learning something every day. But the key is that you don't stop learning. People want to know if you have the answers. If you don't, you know where to go or who to ask.

This particular bookmark collection stood the test of time and I always look back on one link in particular to give me perspective of what I am and what I should be doing (A Software Architect...the first link in the list).

I hope these links provide guidance and show you how to become a truly gifted architect.

A Software Architect 
If I could put this on a shirt, I would. This is what I reference when I have doubts of being a qualified software architect or what are my qualifications.

How to become a Software Architect
Another great post that focuses on reading material and other links to guide developers into an architect position.

Ten 2012 Software Architect Videos to Watch
Even though these are 3 years old, I still watch them to find inspiration and perspective.

Techniques, Strategies, And Patterns for Structured JavaScript Code
Being an architect also means learning new and better ways to write code, even if it is code other than C#. Dan Wahlin provides a great post on efficient JavaScript code.

"Architect"
Robert Maclean over at DZone discusses what an architect title implies and what should an architect do. The post is small, but still educational.

Programming Best Practices Tidbits from around the web
It seems fitting that these are located in a GitHub Repository.

The Role Of Software Architecture: Taming the Monster
A thorough discussion talks about what characteristics an architect should understand when building a system. 

Why is Software Architecture important?
Alexandre Brisebois talks about never losing sight of the big picture while planning systems. A great post.

ASP.NET Scalability: The Good, The Bad, and the Hype
One of my favorite authors, Dino Esposito, writes about how scalability can affect architecture...and vice-versa.

Screaming Architecture
I couldn't have a list of architect links without having Uncle Bob on here. 

Are you an Enterprise Architect?
Mariusz Brylant mentions in this LinkedIn post that if you aren't reporting directly to a CxO, then you may not be considered an Enterprise Architect.

What does a Software Architect do?
According to Yegor, an architect is the one who takes the blame for the quality of the software. Fair enough. They should be accountable for the way the system executes.

How to become a web developer Part 5: Web Application Architecture
This DZone post covers the various types of Application architecture for web environments. Very good reference material for new architects.

(UPDATE: 2021-May-28) .NET Architecture Guides
Microsoft built a fantastic site to show how application architectures are built with .NET. They provide examples from six categories ranging from Microservices and Docker implementations to how to create a Xamarin native app for Android and iOS phones. It's always up-to-date and provides a great resource for application architectures in the real-world.

All of these architect links are valuable to me since I've accumulated them over a number of years and they are still relevant today.

I hope these help you in your career.

Do you have additional architect links? Are they inspirational? Post them in the comments below.

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