dev

Development Fundamentals

Overview

This skill covers the foundational knowledge every software developer should command — drawn from canonical published works and industry-proven practices. It spans from low-level algorithms through code craftsmanship to system-level architecture.

Knowledge Map

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Architecture                                           │
│  Microservices, Monoliths, DDD, Event-Driven,          │
│  Hexagonal, Well-Architected Frameworks                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Frontend                    │  Backend                 │
│  SPA, PWA, Micro-frontends, │  Data Modeling, API      │
│  SSR, Islands Architecture  │  Design, Caching, Auth   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Integration Patterns        │  Design Patterns         │
│  EIP: Messaging, Routing,   │  GoF: Creational,        │
│  Transformation, Endpoints  │  Structural, Behavioral  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Algorithms & Data Structures                           │
│  Sorting, Searching, Graphs, DP, Combinatorial          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Craftsmanship                                          │
│  Clean Code, Clean Architecture, SOLID, 12-Factor,     │
│  Refactoring, Boy Scout Rule                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Canonical Works

Book	Author	Covers
Design Patterns	Gamma, Helm, Johnson, Vlissides (GoF)	23 object-oriented patterns
Enterprise Integration Patterns	Hohpe & Woolf	Messaging, routing, transformation
The Art of Computer Programming	Donald Knuth	Algorithms, data structures, combinatorics
Clean Code	Robert C. Martin	Naming, functions, formatting, comments
Clean Architecture	Robert C. Martin	Dependency rule, boundaries, layers
Refactoring	Martin Fowler	Code smells, refactoring catalog
Domain-Driven Design	Eric Evans	Bounded contexts, aggregates, ubiquitous language
Building Microservices	Sam Newman	Service decomposition, communication, deployment
The Pragmatic Programmer	Hunt & Thomas	Career, approach, tools, pragmatic philosophy
The Twelve-Factor App	Adam Wiggins (Heroku)	Cloud-native application methodology
Release It!	Michael Nygard	Stability patterns, capacity, deployment
Fundamentals of Software Architecture	Richards & Ford	Architecture styles, characteristics, decisions

Choosing the Right Pattern Category

Problem	Look In
Object creation complexity	Design Patterns → Creational
Composing objects / adapting interfaces	Design Patterns → Structural
Object communication / state management	Design Patterns → Behavioral
Service-to-service messaging	Integration Patterns
Algorithm selection / optimization	Algorithms
Code readability and maintainability	Craftsmanship
System decomposition and boundaries	Architecture
Client-side application structure	Frontend
Server-side data and API structure	Backend

Best Practices

• Learn patterns as a vocabulary, not a checklist — apply them when the problem calls for it, not preemptively.
• Start with the simplest architecture that works (monolith), evolve toward complexity (microservices) only when you have evidence you need it.
• Apply the Boy Scout Rule: leave code better than you found it, every time you touch it.
• Use SOLID principles as guardrails for daily decisions, not just for greenfield design.
• Prefer composition over inheritance — most GoF patterns are variations of this principle.
• Study algorithms for problem-solving intuition, not memorization — know when to reach for a graph algorithm vs. dynamic programming.
• Keep integration patterns in mind whenever systems need to communicate — messaging solves problems that synchronous calls create.