Great software architects aren't born. They are a product of decades of building real-life solutions and relentless learning. They become really good at their trade closer to the retirement age. But most startups are fostered by young entrepreneurs who dare to try but lack the experience. They also lack the $$ to hire a silver-haired architect to join their team from day one. Left to their own faculties, the entrepreneurs and their engineering teams quickly get on the path of learning from their own mistakes. Eventually, they discover this is the most expensive way of learning. Over time they get better, and some become the true masters of the craft - but way too late to make a difference for their early-day projects.This book is meant to break the vicious circle. It isn't a textbook, at least not in the traditional sense. It is a business-centric practical guide to software architecture, intended for software engineers, technology executives, students of computer science, and tech-savvy entrepreneurs who want to de-risk their entrepreneurial endeavors or to fast-track their careers in software engineering. The recipes in this book are highly practical, battle-tested, and current for building mid- to large-scale systems in 2019.