This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Aditya Rawal
🌟 The Moment Every Architect Faces
You’ve just been promoted to Solution Architect at a large MNC.
Your manager calls you in and says:
“We’re planning a new internal platform. Pick the right stack — your call.”
You nod confidently but deep down, panic starts brewing.
Should you choose Java or Python?
Kafka, RabbitMQ, or AWS SQS?
Deploy on AWS or Azure?
There are too many options — and every day, something new appears.
So, how do experienced architects actually decide?
🧩 Background: The Architect’s Dilemma
Modern architects live in a world overflowing with frameworks, languages, and tools.
Every week, there’s a shiny new library claiming to “solve all problems.”
But here’s the truth:
Architects don’t win by knowing everything — they win by knowing how to decide.
🧠 Step 1: Master the Fundamentals, Not the Frameworks
Your strength as an architect doesn’t come from memorizing frameworks — it comes from understanding how systems work.
How do services communicate?
What makes an application scalable or fault-tolerant?
How do queues, caches, and databases really behave?
Once you deeply understand these principles, new frameworks stop feeling overwhelming — they start feeling familiar.
Example: If you understand the concept of a message queue, you can easily pick up Kafka, RabbitMQ, or ActiveMQ. The syntax differs, the principles don’t.
🔍 Step 2: Think in Patterns, Not Products
Every framework represents an architectural pattern:
- Event-driven → Kafka, Pulsar, SQS
- Microservices communication → REST, gRPC, GraphQL
- Caching → Redis, Memcached
- Stream processing → Spark, Flink Once you identify the pattern your system needs, narrowing down the tools becomes much simpler.
⚖️ Step 3: Use a Decision Framework, Not Gut Feeling
Good architects document why they choose something.
They create simple comparison grids or use Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).
The goal isn’t to be perfect — it’s to be transparent and rational.
Future teams should be able to understand the reasoning behind every decision.
🚀 Step 4: Stay Curious, But Be Selective
New tools will always emerge — and that’s okay.
Architects don’t chase trends; they stay aware.
Here’s how great architects keep their edge:
- Follow engineering blogs (Netflix, Uber, ThoughtWorks Tech Radar).
- Read postmortems and case studies.
- Experiment with new tech in small prototypes.
You don’t need to use every new framework — just know what category it fits into and when it’s appropriate.
🧭 Step 5: Experience Builds Intuition
Over time, patterns turn into instincts.
- “This tech is too new — risky for production.”
- “This approach won’t scale for our use case.”
- “We solved a similar issue with Kafka last year — that might work again.”
This intuition is what separates an experienced engineer from a seasoned architect.
It can’t be rushed; it grows with every project and every mistake.
🧠 Real-World Example: Kafka vs RabbitMQ vs AWS SQS
Let’s make this real.
You’re designing a real-time order processing system — where each event (“order placed,” “payment done,” “inventory updated”) must flow between services.
You need a message broker. But which one?
1️⃣ Clarify the Requirements
Before jumping to tools, ask:
- Is this real-time streaming or simple message queuing?
- What’s the expected volume?
- Is this on-prem or cloud?
- What level of reliability and ordering do I need?
2️⃣ Map Requirements to Tools
3️⃣ The Architect’s Reasoning
- Kafka → Best for high-volume, low-latency streaming or event sourcing.
- RabbitMQ → Great for microservice communication and flexible routing.
- AWS SQS → Ideal for serverless or lightweight cloud-native workflows.
In short:
If your team uses AWS — go with SQS.
If you need real-time analytics — Kafka.
If you want simple async messaging — RabbitMQ.
💬 The Bigger Picture
Architecture isn’t about chasing every new tool; it’s about developing clarity of thought.
You don’t need to know everything.
You just need to know how to evaluate, how to reason, and how to learn continuously.
✅ Takeaways
Master concepts, not tools.
Use decision frameworks to stay objective.
Keep learning through real-world case studies, not tutorials.
Build intuition with experience — that’s your biggest strength.
Architecture is an evolution, not a destination.
“The best architects don’t know every technology —
they know how to choose the right one.”
Written for developers and architects who are learning to make confident technology choices in a world of endless options.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Aditya Rawal
Aditya Rawal | Sciencx (2025-10-26T06:23:13+00:00) How Software Architects Choose the Right Technology Stack. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/10/26/how-software-architects-choose-the-right-technology-stack/
Please log in to upload a file.
There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.