Software Architect's Handbook

Buy or build?

One of the decisions that software architects need to make is the classic buy or build dilemma. When you are in need of a solution to a particular design issue, you will need to decide whether to buy or build it. When using the term buy, we are referring to using something built externally, and not necessarily the fact that it may have a monetary cost. Depending on what type of solution you are looking for, there may be a number of free solutions available to you, including those that are open source.

When deciding whether to use an externally developed solution or to build it in-house, you must first make sure that you understand the problem that you are trying to solve, and the scope of that problem. You will need to research ...