Making architectures evolvable

Self-similar patterns

As architects, we tend to gravitate towards patterns that work well at multiple scales. The same shape that reads as a simple queue in object-oriented design will read as a message queue between services. An eventbus has the same shape as an observer.

Using these associations consciously allows us to explore and test what will become larger-scale architectures with minimum investment and the shortest possible feedback loop: we can observe the system's behavior and predict shortcomings and limitations. We can explore different implementations without the overhead and cost of full-scale engineering. By the time we need to scale out, we already know the business mechanisms and boundaries of the system, and all that's left to do is to add the technological plumbing on top.