Systems Architecture — Learning Roadmap¶

This roadmap is your study plan. Work through the phases in order. Each phase builds directly on the previous one. Mark your current position with ← You Are Here and update it as you progress.

Prerequisites Map¶

Confirm you have working knowledge of these before entering Phase 1:

[[networks]]                    ──┐
[[postgresql]]                  ──┼──► Systems Architecture  (start here)
[[devops-platform-engineering]] ──┘

If any prerequisite is missing, complete it first and return here.

Learning Path Visualization¶

flowchart TD
    A([Prerequisites Met]) --> B

    subgraph P1["Phase 1: Foundation  •  Weeks 1–3"]
        B["Module 01: Introduction to Distributed Systems"]
        B --> C["Module 02: Messaging and Queues"]
        C --> D["Module 03: Async Patterns"]
    end

    subgraph P2["Phase 2: Microservices Core  •  Weeks 4–7"]
        E["Module 04: Microservices Fundamentals"]
        E --> F["Module 05: Microservices Patterns"]
        F --> G["Module 06: Data Consistency"]
    end

    subgraph P3["Phase 3: Applied Skills  •  Weeks 8–11"]
        H["Module 07: API Design for Services"]
        H --> I["Module 08: Observability in Distributed Systems"]
        I --> J["Module 09: Resilience and Chaos Engineering"]
        J --> K["Module 10: Scaling Patterns"]
    end

    subgraph P4["Phase 4: Mastery  •  Weeks 12–16"]
        L["Module 11: Architecture Decision-Making"]
        L --> M["Module 12: Capstone Project"]
        M --> N([Topic Complete])
    end

    D --> E
    G --> H
    K --> L

    style A fill:#2a9d8f,color:#fff,stroke:none
    style N fill:#2a9d8f,color:#fff,stroke:none
    style P1 fill:#edf2fb,stroke:#8d99ae
    style P2 fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#d97706
    style P3 fill:#fee2e2,stroke:#dc2626
    style P4 fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#16a34a

Phase Breakdown¶

Phase 1: Foundation¶

Goal: Understand why distributed systems are hard, build a vocabulary for the rest of the topic, and get comfortable with the fundamental patterns of async communication.

Phase 1 Exit Criteria:

• Can explain the 8 Fallacies of Distributed Computing from memory
• Can place PostgreSQL, Cassandra, and MongoDB correctly on the CAP triangle and justify each
• Can design a simple Saga for a 3-step distributed transaction
• Scored ≥ 70% on all Phase 1 module tests
• GLOSSARY.md has at least 10 entries filled in

Milestone unlocked: Foundation Built

Phase 2: Microservices Core¶

Goal: Develop genuine fluency in service decomposition, resilience patterns, and distributed data management.

Phase 2 Exit Criteria:

• Can decompose a given monolith into services with justified boundaries
• Can implement a circuit breaker from scratch (or configure one correctly)
• Can explain the dual-write problem and at least two solutions
• Scored ≥ 75% on all Phase 2 module tests
• Completed at least one architecture design exercise from PROJECTS.md

Milestone unlocked: Microservices Practitioner

Phase 3: Applied Skills¶

Goal: Apply knowledge to realistic, cross-cutting concerns. Build systems that are observable, resilient, and scalable.

Phase 3 Exit Criteria:

• Can instrument a multi-service system with distributed tracing
• Can design a chaos engineering experiment with a clear hypothesis
• Can explain three database sharding strategies with trade-offs
• Scored ≥ 80% on all Phase 3 module tests

Milestone unlocked: Applied Architect

Phase 4: Mastery¶

Goal: Synthesize everything. Make real architectural decisions. Build and document a complete system design.

Phase 4 Exit Criteria:

• Capstone system design complete with ADRs, service decomposition diagram, and failure mode analysis
• Overall topic score ≥ 80%
• CHEATSHEET.md is complete and usable as a real reference
• GLOSSARY.md has definitions for every term encountered throughout the topic

Milestone unlocked: Systems Architect

Time Estimates Summary¶

[!NOTE] These estimates assume roughly 6–8 focused hours per week. If you're studying part-time, the calendar weeks will stretch accordingly. Adjust the schedule to fit your life — consistency matters more than pace.

Milestone Definitions¶

Alternative Paths¶

Fast Track (If You Have Prior Distributed Systems Experience)¶

If you already understand CAP theorem and have worked with message queues:

Skim Module 01 → Test Module 01 (if ≥ 85%, skip) → Start at Module 03 → Continue normally

Take the Module 01 test first. If you score ≥ 85%, skip to Module 03.

Deep Dive Path (Maximum Understanding)¶

For maximum depth, add these supplementary activities between phases:

• After Phase 1: Read Chapters 1–5 of "Designing Data-Intensive Applications" by Martin Kleppmann
• After Phase 2: Read "Building Microservices" by Sam Newman (2^nd edition), Parts I and II
• After Phase 3: Read the Amazon Dynamo paper and the Google Spanner paper (see RESOURCES.md)

Project-First Path (Learn by Building)¶

If you learn best by doing rather than reading:

Module 01 → Design a simple 2-service system → Module 02 → Build a producer/consumer → ...

Alternate one module of theory with one hands-on architecture design or implementation project.

You Are Here¶

Current Phase: Not started

Current Module: None — begin at Module 01

Last Completed Module: None

Next Action: Open Module 01 and read the Overview section.

Update this section each time you advance to a new module or phase.