Essential Reading: 2023's Top 6 Books on Distributed Systems
Written on
Understanding Distributed Systems
In the realm of distributed systems, several books stand out as essential reads for mastering both architecture and implementation. Here’s a curated list of the top six titles that can enhance your knowledge in this critical field.
Bonus offer: If this article receives over 500 applauds, I'll provide a GitHub link for downloading all the books mentioned!
“Distributed Systems” by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Maarten van Steen
This comprehensive text delves into the foundational principles and paradigms of distributed systems, addressing topics like communication, naming conventions, synchronization, and consistency. The latest, fourth edition released in 2023 explores various architectures, including client-server and peer-to-peer models. Key subjects encompass distributed file systems, transactions, and shared memory, alongside contemporary trends such as blockchain and cloud computing. This book serves as an invaluable resource for both students and industry professionals.
“Designing Data-Intensive Applications” by Martin Kleppmann
Serving as a practical guide for constructing large-scale, data-centric applications, this book was initially published in 2017 and updated with a second edition in 2020. It covers essential topics including data modeling, storage solutions, processing, and data transport. The text discusses the selection of appropriate tools and techniques, exploring consistency models, fault tolerance, and stream processing. This work is a must-read for developers and architects engaged in modern data-intensive systems.
“Cloud Native Infrastructure: Patterns for Scalable Infrastructure and Applications in a Dynamic Environment” by Justin Garrison and Kris Nova
While not exclusively focused on distributed systems, this book addresses relevant topics like microservices, containers, and service meshes essential for building distributed architectures. Published in 2017, the authors leverage their extensive experience in the cloud-native domain to provide actionable insights for creating scalable and dependable systems.
“Reactive Microservices Architecture” by Jonas Bonér
Released in 2018, this book explores the principles and patterns of reactive systems, which prioritize responsiveness, resilience, and scalability amid failures. Authored by Jonas Bonér, a recognized authority in reactive programming and the founder of the Akka project, this text is invaluable for understanding modern system architectures.