system-design

To decide between a monolith and microservices, use a decision framework that prioritizes the simplest viable architecture meeting your current requirements. This approach prevents premature complexity by starting with a monolith unless specific service boundaries are explicitly justified.

The best way to approach database selection and API design is through requirement-driven complexity, choosing the simplest technology that fits your immediate structural needs. This framework provides clear rules to avoid common design mistakes during technology selection.

You need caching or event-driven architecture in your software system only when requirement-driven complexity justifies it. The framework offers cognitive trap warnings and guardrails to avoid adding these layers prematurely before structural needs demand them.

To avoid over-engineering authentication strategies, apply guardrails that select the simplest viable option fitting your current security needs. The framework provides clear decision rules to prevent adding unnecessary complexity to your system design.

This system design approach works explicitly for small projects by emphasizing a simplest viable option methodology. It guides structural decisions for monoliths, databases, and APIs based on immediate requirements rather than forcing large scale architectures prematurely.