The Software Developers’ Guidebook
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The Software Developers’ Guidebook

A Collection of Modern Engineering Practices

About the Book

The essential handbook for software developers who want to build better software with practical, real-world techniques.

Based on a series of highly popular How-To guides from the Continuous Delivery YouTube channel, this book distills decades of software engineering experience into actionable insights. From writing better user stories and mastering test-driven development to adopting effective developer habits and organising teams for success—this guide is packed with advice you can apply immediately.

Written by Dave Farley, award-winning author of Continuous Delivery and a leading voice in modern software engineering, The Software Developers’ Guidebook is a practical, no-nonsense resource for developers at all levels. Whether you’re just starting out or refining your craft, this book will help you improve how you build software—one step at a time.

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  • Categories

    • Computers and Programming
    • Software Engineering
    • DevOps
    • Software
    • Testing
    • Automated Software Testing
    • Engineering
    • Agile
    • Lean
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About the Authors

David Farley
David Farley

Dave Farley is co-author of the Jolt-award winning book ‘Continuous Delivery’, a regular conference speaker and blogger, one of the authors of the Reactive Manifesto and former Head of Software development at LMAX Ltd, a company that are well known for the excellence of their code and the exemplary nature of their development process. Dave is an independent software developer and consultant, and founder and director of Continuous Delivery Ltd.

Bernard McCarty
Bernard McCarty (Editor)

Bernard McCarty started out as a physicist, wandered into software engineering, and never quite left. He’s worked across industries—semiconductor yield analysis, telecoms, quantum computing, and scientific instrumentation—but his passion lies in problem-solving, whether it’s optimising code, solar energy systems, or the way we think about software. As Content Manager for Continuous Delivery Ltd, he helps make complex ideas accessible and engaging.

Table of Contents

    • Preface
    • Part 1. Foundations of Modern Software Development
    • Starting A New Project
      • Introduction
      • Fast Feedback
      • Optimise for Learning
      • Set Up the Dev Environment
      • Build a Deployment Pipeline
      • Setting Goals
      • Working in Small Steps
      • Get Measures in Place
      • Be Prepared to Change
      • Learn more…
    • Writing Better User Stories
      • Better Specifications with User Stories
      • What Are User Stories?
      • Good Stories
      • Examples of Good Stories
      • Who Writes User Stories?
      • Tips for Writing User Stories
      • Where to Start
      • Writing User Stories
      • Avoid These Common Mistakes
      • Learn more…
    • Organising Software Development Teams
      • How to set up your Software Development Teams?
      • Team Size and Structure
      • Team Skills & Responsibilities
      • Team Organisation
      • Platform Teams
      • Cooperation and Collaboration
      • Here are some recommendations:
      • Transforming Team Structure
      • Learn more…
    • Pair Programming Patterns
      • What is Pair Programming?
      • Pair Patterns
      • Pair Rotation
      • The Benefits of Pair Programming
      • Pair Partnerships
      • Tips For Successful Pairing
      • Learn more…
    • Part 2. Software Testing
    • Beginners Guide To TDD (Test Driven Development)
      • Test Driven Development
      • RED > GREEN > REFACTOR
      • Top Tips
      • Getting Going with TDD
    • TDD Top Tips
    • Acceptance Test Driven Development
    • What to Test, and When?
      • Types of Testing at Different Stages
      • Learn more…
    • Testing in Production
    • Eliminate Intermittent Tests
    • Get Started With Behaviour Driven Development (BDD)
    • Part 3. Continuous Delivery Practices
    • How To Build A Deployment Pipeline
      • What Is A Deployment Pipeline?
      • Key Components
      • The Deployment Pipeline
      • How To Build A Deployment Pipeline
      • A Simple Example
      • Getting Started
      • Create a Commit Stage
      • Create an Artifact Repository
      • Create an Acceptance Stage
      • Create a Simple version of Production
      • Next Steps
      • Team Behaviours
      • Key Principles
      • Learn more…
    • Continuous Integration Top Tips
      • 10 Tips for Continuous Integration
      • My Top Tips
      • Learn more…
    • Assess Your CD Capability
    • Refactoring Legacy Code
    • Adopt GREAT Developer Habits
      • Introduction
      • Code As Communication
      • Be Cautious Of Frameworks
      • Coding Is Design
      • Quality Over Features
      • Social Activity
      • Avoid Code Ownership
      • Work In Small Steps
      • Conclusion
      • Learn more…
    • Part 4. Architecture and Design
    • Evolve Your Software Architecture
      • Introduction
      • Understanding Software Architecture
      • Core Tips and Advice
      • Embracing Evolutionary Architecture
      • Evolutionary Architecture Techniques
      • Summary
      • Learn more…
    • Get Started with Microservices
    • Part 5. Performance and Reliability
    • Test Software Performance
      • Introduction
      • Basic Concepts
      • Key Idea – Control the Variables
      • Practical Steps
      • Advanced Performance Testing
      • Conclusion
      • Learn more…
    • Avoid Common Software Development Pitfalls

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