Great dev-recommended books, blogs, and podcast about software, technology, and more – for 2022 and beyond

Do you want to stay up-to-date on the latest news in software, technology, databases, IT management, or medtech regulations? If so, be sure to check out this list of books, blogs, and podcasts recommended by the people of Revolve Healthcare!

Books worth reading – for software developers, IT people, and tech enthusiasts

Artur Wojnar, our Lead Full Stack Senior Software Developer and Solutions Architect is not only an amazing tech guy but also an avid reader and an evangelist of Domain-Driven Design and better communication. He’s also the one who recommended most of the books on the list below. Bartosz Chałupka, our Software Developer experienced in medtech projects, also put in his two cents’ worth.

Database Internals ‒ Alex Petrov

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/database-internals/9781492040330/

If you want to know the details of how distributed databases work, this book will help you. It’s more theoretical than practical,but it’s always good to know, right? It will help you understand the principles that are essential when selecting, using, and maintaining a database. With so many distributed databases and tools available today, it’s often difficult to grasp what each one offers and how they differ. In “Database Internals”, Alex Petrov walks developers through the concepts behind modern database and storage internals. This practical-theoretical guide should be read by anyone passionate about databases. Is it worth it? Definitely! The book already has 169 reviews on Amazon and has received 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Learning Domain-Driven Design ‒ Vlad Khononov

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/learning-domain-driven-design/9781098100124/

Next on the list of books worth reading is a new book by Vlad Khononov entitled “Learning Domain-Driven Design”. The book presents a neat, condensed discussion on DDD and EventStorming from a practitioner’s perspective. Importantly, it also emphasizes the business aspect of software design customization. This is an absolute must-have on your to-read list. We’re already implementing many of its principles in our work and we totally recommend you to do it too!

Strategic Monoliths and Microservices: Driving Innovation Using Purposeful Architecture ‒ Vaughn Vernon, Tomasz Jaskula

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/strategic-monoliths-and/9780137355600/

Another noteworthy publication is the October 2021 release. The book describes a practical and common-sense approach to designing monolithic and microservices architectures in the context of business needs and requirements. It’s definitely worth reading to gain valuable knowledge ready to be used in everyday work.

Enterprise Patterns and MDA: Building Better Software with Archetype Patterns and UML ‒ Jim Arlow, Ila Neustadt

https://www.amazon.pl/Arlow-Enterprise-Patterns-Building-Archetype/dp/032111230X

A software engineer’s job often involves the use of existing blocks. Reinventing the wheel might be a waste of client funds. “Enterprise Patterns and MDA: Building Better Software with Archetype Patterns and UML” is one of the books describing business/domain archetypes that presents a proven method to effectively deal with the severe challenges of developing applications for the business world. It provides the reader with a practical approach to business application development ready for immediate implementation in an enterprise environment.

Microservices Patterns ‒ Chris Richardson

https://www.manning.com/books/microservices-patterns

A classic of books on microservices. Artur says he found it “very helpful, despite the Java examples”! In this book, microservices architecture pioneer and experienced Java programmer Chris Richardson collects, catalogues, and explains 44 patterns that solve problems such as service decomposition, transaction management, queries, and communication between services. This book is one of three included in “Mastering Microservices” book bundle.

Patterns, Principles, and Practices of Domain-Driven Design ‒ Scott Millett, Nick Tune

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/patterns-principles-and/9781118714706/

Another classic book. Unlike “Learning Domain-Driven Design”, which reads a bit like fiction, this one goes into significantly more detail. It presents the topic of Domain-Driven Design in a very practical way. It’s primarily dedicated to experienced software developers and includes examples in C#. The emphasis is on the principles and practices of decomposing a complex problem space, implementation patterns, and best practices.

Kubernetes Patterns ‒ Bilgin Ibryam, Roland Huß

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/kubernetes-patterns/9781492050278/

This book is a must-have for any software engineer with DevOps savvy and an interest in working in Kubernetes. The authors outline the evolution of how developers to design, build, and run the software and show how the entire process has changed with the advent of microservices and containers. This book is ideal for developers already familiar with basic Kubernetes concepts and who want to learn the typical cloud-native patterns.

Wiek paradoksów. Czy technologia nas ocali? ‒ Natalia Hatalska

https://lubimyczytac.pl/ksiazka/4975732/wiek-paradoksow-czy-technologia-nas-ocali

This is the only book in Polish on the list, and – unlike the previous positions – it’s a recommended reading for both people in tech and those who don’t have any experience in the area (although it is easier to follow if you do have an interest in new technologies). The author talks about the opportunities and challenges of technological development and innovation, as well as other issues that touch our everyday lives, such as loneliness or disinformation. It leaves the reader with a lot to think about and a broadened perspective on the modern world.

Blogs, podcasts and more

Some of these positions are recommended by Artur Wojnar, and others by Wojciech Ryczko, our Lead Software Developer, who loves sharing his know-how and optimising... pretty much everything.

How to Think Like the SQL Server Engine

https://www.brentozar.com/training/think-like-sql-server-engine/

Wojciech recommends all of Brent Ozar’s articles and video courses, but particularly this block,in which the author explains how the relational database engine works from absolute scratch, which many may consider a step backwards. Still, because of this, he can explain how every component of a SQL query works under the hood and explains the most common developer mistakes. After watching this series of videos, you will be designing more optimal database structures and writing more efficient queries.

Better Software Design

https://bettersoftwaredesign.pl/

“Best Software Design” is a great podcast hosted by Mariusz Gil (in Polish), one of the people developing the work on EventStorming. The podcast is mainly dedicated to DDD, with some great interviews, such as the ones with Brandolini. It’s definitely worth regularly following, as it conveys a lot of valuable knowledge in an accessible way.

DevOps Online

https://www.devopsonline.co.uk/

DevOps Online is also highly recommended. In there, you can find helpful information on industry news,software product news, security or the use of new technologies in the public sector. DevOps Online has built a robust and interactive community of software development and operations professionals over a decade. The service spans the globe and provides access to the knowledge of thousands of high-level DevOps professionals from all industry sectors. So, keep an eye on the latest news to learn about technological innovations and develop your skills.

Greenlight Guru

https://www.greenlight.guru/podcast

The Greenlight Guru’s “Global Medical Device Podcast” is an invaluable source of information on MDR and the healthcare industry. Here you can find many attractive technological solutions and presentations of new technologies in the medical sector. Their blog is also worth mentioning. In both channels, practitioners share knowledge, so there is no question of fake news or outdated data.

The secure Developer

https://linearb.io/blog/best-software-podcasts/

Last on the list, though not because of content, is the podcast“The Secure Developer” hosted by Guy Podjarny, the CEO of Snyk. It provides listeners with a lot of information on software security best practices. Many episodes also feature interviews with security executives from well-known and respected companies – from security engineers at InVision to Pinterest’s Chief Security Officer.

The idea of lifelong learning applies to every sector of science. However, it acquires particular importance in relation to software development and other IT branches.The fast-paced changes in new technologies mean that anyone who doesn’t keep their eye on the newest developments and practices, while acquiring new knowledge and skills, will fall behind. We hope that the books, blogs and podcasts presented here will help you stay up-to-date with and be helpful in your daily work!