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Jul 15, 2020

Archive6 min read

The web architecture

A walkthrough of three-tier web architecture, request lifecycle, and the trade-offs between single-server, multi-server, and serverless deployments. Notes from when I was learning to design backend systems.

  • web-architecture
  • systems
  • notes

This is an early-career study note from 2020. Written while I was working through how production web applications fit together. It covers the three-tier model (presentation / business / data), the request-response cycle, single vs multiple server topologies, single-page apps, microservices, and serverless.

The substance is still useful as a starting point if you're mapping the territory. The voice is from a different version of me. Earlier, more enthusiastic, less opinionated. I've left it intact rather than rewriting it.

Read the full piece on Medium.