Architecture Anti-Patterns
Recognizing what not to do is as important as knowing best practices. This section covers common architecture anti-patterns that appear in real systems and in system design interviews.
Why Study Anti-Patterns?
- Interview signal: Naming an anti-pattern and explaining its consequences shows depth of experience
- Debugging skill: Many production incidents trace back to these patterns
- Design maturity: Knowing why a pattern fails helps you design better systems
- Communication: Anti-patterns give you shared vocabulary to discuss architectural problems
Files
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| architecture-anti-patterns.md | 18 anti-patterns with symptoms, consequences, and remediation |
| interview-questions.md | Anti-pattern interview questions with model answers |
How to Use
- Learn the patterns: Understand what each anti-pattern looks like and why it’s harmful
- Recognize in interviews: When an interviewer describes a system, identify anti-patterns and suggest alternatives
- Discuss trade-offs: Show that you understand why teams fall into these traps and how to escape them
- Connect to real stories: Relate anti-patterns to incidents you’ve seen or read about