Microsoft .NET - Architecting Applications for the Enterprise

by Dino Esposito, Andrea Saltarello

A software architect’s digest of core practices, pragmatically applied

Designing effective architecture is your best strategy for managing project complexity–and improving your results. But the principles and practices of software architecting–what the authors call the “science of hard decisions”–have been evolving for cloud, mobile, and other shifts. Now fully revised and updated, this book shares the knowledge and real-world perspectives that enable you to design for success–and deliver more successful solutions.

In this fully updated Second Edition, you

Learn how only a deep understanding of domain can lead to appropriate architecture Examine domain-driven design in both theory and implementation Shift your approach to code first, model later–including multilayer architecture Capture the benefits of prioritizing software maintainability See how readability, testability, and extensibility lead to code quality Take a user experience (UX) first approach, rather than designing for data Review patterns for organizing business logic Use event sourcing and CQRS together to model complex business domains more effectively Delve inside the persistence layer, including patterns and implementation.

Genres: Programming, Technology, Software, Technical, Computer Science

981 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2014

About the author

Dino Esposito is one of the world’s authorities on web technology and software architecture. Over years, Dino developed hands-on experience and skills in architecting and building distributed systems for banking and insurance companies and, in general, in industry contexts where the demand for security, optimization, performance, scalability, interoperability is dramatically high. Dino is also a prolific author, Every month, at least five different magazines and Web sites throughout the world publish Dino's articles covering topics ranging from Web development to AJAX architectures and from data access to Silverlight and design patterns. Dino published an array of books, most of which are considered state-of-the-art in their respective areas. His recent books are Programming ASP.NET 3.5—Core Reference, Introducing Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX, and Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Applications—Advanced Topics. Dino speaks regularly at industry conferences all over the world, including Microsoft TechEd, DevConnections, and premiere European conferences such as DevWeek and Basta.

Reviews

[Sebastian Gebski · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, a little confession: I never liked D. Esposito's books. I was always finding them dry, boring & detached from reality - typical tutorial style, that doesn't really correspond to code you'll write in practical scenarios. I couldn't even imagine reading DE's book straight from the beginning to the end: they all looks more like manual to skim through & jump directly to relevant section if needed.

But anyway I've decided to check the refreshed "Architecting Applications for the Enterprise". 1st Edition didn't get many good opinions, but I was told that 2nd Edition is something truly different. It doesn't focus on finding any use for various elements of Microsoft stack :) - suprisingly it's far more about the architecture in general than .NET.

If I had to give my judgement based on the initial 50% of the book, I'd say that this is a PERFECT book for an ambitious, but unexperienced programmer who'd like to understand the different between amateur / academic / for-fun coding & the reality of professional ("enterprise" ;P) development. Seriously, this book DELIVERS - it does't assume much about what reader already knows, but it introduces him quite gently into: application structuring, coupling vs cohesion, dilemmas of layering / tiering, SOLID, DDD, CQRS, event sourcing, etc. Perfect read for a greenhorn, who'd like a starter to get digging deeper: in the past I had plenty of people who were asking me for a reference like that.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't keep the high quality under the very end - chapters used for practical demonstration of described architecture patterns are more like a "typical Dino Esposito style". It's not only about being boring - sometimes authors' considerations drift towards some "more advanced" problems that may look totally abstract for someone who doesn't have the relevant experience. Is it bad? Well, yes ... Because it makes me wondering, who's this book addressed for? Beginners? Seniors?

But in the end, it's not a bad book. I think I will still recommend it for a greenhorns joining my teams. Don't get me wrong, it's not "one-stop-shop", but it's a nice introduction just to make sure that we're all talking the same language ;D

[Mujibur Rahman]

Its a nice book for .net professional

[Diogo Machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a good summary of some of the most relevant subjects regarding software architecture, backed by examples using .net technologies.
The book addresses general principles of software design and explains several industry jargons like DDD, TDD, BDD, CQRS, Event Sourcing, etc.

Part I and II are about the software architecture foundation and general principles of software design.
Part III Starts with the main concepts of Domain Driven Design and ends with CQRS and Event Sourcing.
Part IV contains a very brief reference to the persistence layer.

The book does not contain a very detailed explanation of any subject in particular. The information is digested in a very accessible writing that provides a good overview of each subject.

I would recommend this book to aspiring lead developers or software architects. It would give a good general overview about most of the software architecture concerns.

Nevertheless, i would for sure, start with the Eric Evan´s Domain-Driven Design before spending time with any other book regarding this matters.

[Pawel Wujczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have experience in couple big projects, and have to say that concepts described in the book are aligned with the reality I met. So I am recommending lecture to all .NET professionals who want do become architects. Topics are described from different angle, never one concept is the right one, but it depends on different factors. But Dino described all factors and different configurations which are possible. Because of that we are reading book which tries to show us good way of doing things, but still encourage us to thinking and maybe discard everything what was written.

[Сергей Рыков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read!

[Luis Felipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book.

[Rene Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lepší než první edice, ale kapitoly o CQRS a ES jsou jen parafrází toho, co je v CQRS Journey (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...).

Kapitola o DDD zase s náboženskou úctu papouškuje všechna dogmata od Evanse, a to i ta zastaralá nebo papežem DDD, který určitě není neomylný, nezdůvodňovaná, ale věřícími v DDD, kteří svatým ohněm spalují architekturu vlastní aplikace na popel, bezmyšlenkovitým perem v blogpostech a twítech s odérem nezaměnitelné aury provinční konferenční blbosti šířená (viz třeba aggregate roots).(https://www.amazon.com/Domain-Driven-...)

Líbil se mi pragmatický přístup k použití IQueryable napříč aplikací místo vymýšlení nebo mechanického přebírání důvodů, proč je IQueryable "leaking abstraction" a absolutní zlo.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating: 3.5

Part I (chapters 1 to 4) is very general and less interesting to the seasoned architect.
Part II is ok and introduces different possible architectures
Part III describes the Domain Model, CQRS and Event Sourcing. This is the most interesting part as it covers patterns that have emerged since the first edition of this book.
Part IV glosses quickly over the persistence layer

This book stays at the surface. I see it as a catalog of things to be investigated into more details.

Some parts look like a patchwork of wiki articles given in the wrong order. This is especially true for the chapter "Inside the domain layer" which refers to Evan's book on DDD. I advise to read Evan's book directly.

[Arun Mahendrakar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for senior developers and architects.

The book is well structured into four core sections / parts. I found the third part, Supporting Architectures, to the be most interesting and one that provides most bang for the buck for this book. It talks about Domain Model, CQRS and Event Sourcing and provides examples on the implementation of these patterns.

The insights on why to use a particular technology over another is highly valuable. Concepts like Information Hiding, SoC, Cohesion and Coupling and SOLID principles are explained very well.

Each chapter ends with Murphy's computer laws that really finishes the chapter with a smile.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some chapters were great, some didn't provide much value for me, but overall the book was well worth reading. I got lots of new ideas, but it also help confirm & solidify some of my own architecture thoughts.

[Amit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great update from the previous edition. Apart from the first 3 chapters, the rest of the book is a rewrite. I think CQRS is definitely an improvement.