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The Developer's Field Guide to Modern Software Engineering: Methods, Tools and Best Practices

Name: The Developer's Field Guide to Modern Software Engineering: Methods, Tools and Best Practices
Author: Nico Loubser
ISBN: 9798868821578

by Nico Loubser

April 2026

Intermediate

271 pages

5h 51m

English

Apress

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The Developer’s Field Guide to Modern Software Engineering
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
About the Author
About the Technical Reviewer
1. Containers
Goal of This ChapterContainersA Short Summary of the Moving Parts in Setting Up a ContainerBringing Up the SystemSetupInstalling DockerDocker ComposeSetting Up Your Container CodeConsiderations When Deleting ImagesDocker Container OrchestrationInspecting the Adminer ContainerPopulating the DB from the python-app ContainerFinal ExperimentSummary
2. The Command Line
Goal of This ChapterThe Command LineWhat Is the Command Line?Resources Provided for This ChapterUseful Tips and Tricks for Using the Command LineSome Popular CommandsViewing DirectoriesNavigating DirectoriesDirectory/File EditingSearching for FilesViewing FilesText ProcessingSystem Management ToolsSystem MonitoringContainer CommandsFeeding One Command’s Output Directly into Another Command (Piping)Aliases and FunctionsSummary
3. Programming Primer
Goal of This ChapterProgramming Language SelectionBasic Programming ConceptsPythonDissecting books.pyNext StepsSummary
4. AI’s Role in Coding
Goal of This ChapterIs Using AI in Coding Cheating or Lazy?The Current State of AIEffects on Individuals and TimelinesCode StabilityWhat Remains for Us in Our Careers?My Own ExperienceAI as a collaboratorSome More Time-Saving ActionsSkills NeededDo You Still Need to Study Classical Software Engineering?What Skills Would You Need in the Future?Summary

Part I: Designing Your Software
5. Development Lifecycle
The Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)Waterfall and AgileWaterfallAgileAgile MethodologiesScrumKanbanAgile’s DisadvantageAgile’s AdvantageSDLCs in RealityStand-Ups and Work EstimationDeadlinesAdditional SDLC ModelsSpiral ModelV ModelRAD (Rapid Application Development)Summary
6. Database Design
The Goal of This ChapterTypes of DatabasesRelational DatabasesNoSQL DatabasesObject-Oriented DatabasesNewSQL DatabasesHow to Select a Database Type?Relational Database Data TypesNumeric ValuesThe Importance of Getting Your Numerics RightText ValuesText EncodingText CollationThe Importance of Getting Your TEXT Fields RightDate ValuesThe Importance of Getting Your DATE Fields RightBinary DataIndexesStored ProceduresViewsKeysPrimary KeysForeign KeysNormalizing Your DatabaseFirst Normal FormSecond Normal FormThird Normal FormRelationships in Your TablesCommunicating with Your DatabaseSQLSELECTLogical OperatorsUpdating the Data in the DatabaseLIMITSUM, COUNT, and MAXSummary
7. Object Orientation
Goal of This ChapterWhat Problems Does OOP Solve?An OOP AnalogySome OOP BenefitsOOP Core ConceptsCode-Based OOP OverviewEncapsulationAbstractionInheritancePolymorphismThe Anatomy of a ClassObject-Oriented Design: is-a vs. has-a (Composition)Summary
8. System Diagrams
IntroductionInitial IdeasDiagrams ExploredDiagramsClass DiagramsSequence DiagramSummary of Symbol UsageUse CaseActors and Their RolesUse Cases and System BehaviorSystem BoundaryActivity DiagramDatabase DiagramExample Use Cases of MultiplicityCatches and Gotchas with MultiplicityConclusionDatabase Design SummaryEntities and RelationshipsCUSTOMERPAYMENT_METHODPAYMENT_METHOD_CUSTOMERPURCHASESWhat This Design DoesExample Data You Can ExpectUsageSummary
9. AI’s Role in Building Software
IntroductionInitial DesignMore Ways to Apply AI in the Initial PhaseTechnical Description: Gym Membership Data Model (Multiplicity Notation)Summary
Part II: Building Your Software
10. Software Patterns
The Goal of This ChapterWhat Are Patterns and Anti-patterns?What Patterns Will We Look At?Some Obvious Anti-patternsGod ObjectSpaghetti CodeGolden HammerMagic Numbers and StringsCopy–Paste ProgrammingYo-Yo ProblemList and Explanation of PatternsArchitectural PatternsMicroservicesEvent-Driven ArchitectureDomain-Driven Design (DDD)Model-View-Controller (MVC)Layered ArchitectureDesign Patterns (Creational and Structural)Repository PatternFactory PatternBuilder PatternSingleton PatternBehavioral PatternsObserver PatternDependency Management PatternsDependency Injection (DI)Inversion of Control (IoC)Summary
11. Coding Principles
Goal of This ChapterWhy Follow Coding Principles?Principles ExplainedObject CalisthenicsSummary
12. AI, Code Base Engagement, and Hallucinations
Goal of This ChapterAI and HallucinationsWhat AI Hallucination MeansWhy Not Just Call It a Bug in Any Case?Why Hallucinations OccurAI’s Role in Software Engineering Patterns and Coding PrinciplesSoftware PatternsTraditional Design Patterns Enhanced by AIAI-Specific Design PatternsConsistency and Governance Across TeamsCoding PrinciplesAI-Aided Development ProcessesMaintaining Software Engineering PrinciplesProductivity, Risks, and Human OversightNew Coding Paradigms: Vibe Coding, Conversational Development, and IssuesIssues, Problems, and Known LimitationsSummary
Part III: Deploying Your Software
13. Source Control and Deployments
IntroductionSource Control vs. Version ControlSource ControlTools or Functionality Found in Source ControlVersion HistoryBranching and MergingDistributed CollaborationPull Requests/Merge RequestsConflict ResolutionAccess Control and PermissionsTagging and ReleasesHooks and AutomationIntegration with CI/CDAudit Trails and BlameBranching StrategyOther Formal Branching StrategiesGit FlowTrunk-Based DevelopmentDeploymentsTools Found in Deployment PipelinesSource IntegrationBuild AutomationLinters and Static AnalysisUnit and Integration TestsSecurity and Dependency ScanningArtifact ManagementStaging DeploymentsConfiguration and Secret ManagementMonitoring and RollbackSummary
14. Security
Security in Software Engineering and DevOpsHacker vs. CrackerThinking Like a HackerResponsibilities of Software EngineersCode SecurityArchitecture and Design SecurityData Security (Application Layer)Testing and ValidationWho Is at Risk of Being Hacked?The BasicsValidate InputsEscape OutputUse Parameterized SQL QueriesEnforce Auth and Access Control on the ServerHash and Protect Credentials/SecretsStay Patched and Configured SecurelyDefend Against PhishingOWASP Top TenA01: Broken Access ControlA02: Cryptographic FailuresA03: Injection (Including XSS)A04: Insecure DesignA05: Security MisconfigurationA06: Vulnerable and Outdated ComponentsA07: Identification and Authentication FailuresA08: Software and Data Integrity FailuresA09: Security Logging and Monitoring FailuresA10: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)Responsibilities of DevOps/OperationsNetwork and Infrastructure SecurityOperational and Deployment SecurityMonitoring and Incident ResponseData Security (Infrastructure Layer)Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)Summary
15. Cloud Services and Hosting
Cloud-Based TechnologiesCloud ConsiderationsHybrid ApproachCloud Service ModelsIaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)PaaS (Platform as a Service)SaaS (Software as a Service)FaaS (Function as a Service)/ServerlessDaaS (Desktop as a Service)AIaaS (AI as a Service)HostingWhy Choosing the Right Hosting MattersTypes of HostingShared HostingVPS (Virtual Private Server) HostingDedicated HostingCloud HostingManaged HostingColocation HostingHow to Get Your Software on the Hosting SiteSummary
Part IV: Testing Your Software
16. Types of Testing and Peer Reviews
IntroductionAutomated TestsWhen to Write TestsTest-Driven DevelopmentDrawbacksWhich Tests to Create?Unit TestsIntegration TestsAPI TestsFunctional TestsLast Glance at the Above TestsOther Tests Which Are Not Related to the Accuracy of the Business Logic of Your CodePerformance TestsLoad TestsSecurity TestsPeer ReviewsWhen to Do ReviewsTypes of Peer ReviewsPull Requests As a Code Review MechanismKey Benefits of Peer ReviewsSummary
17. AI’s Role in Testing
IntroductionBasic UsageAdvanced UsageBetter AutomationNon-functional TestsLoad TestingSecuritySummary
Index

Content preview from The Developer's Field Guide to Modern Software Engineering: Methods, Tools and Best Practices

N. LoubserThe Developer's Field Guide to Modern Software Engineeringhttps://doi.org/10.1007/979-8-8688-2157-8_1

1. Containers

Nico Loubser¹

Nico Loubser

Email: nicoloubser@gmail.com

Goal of This Chapter

In this chapter, we will look at containers, an industry-standard way to create large-scale executable environments for our software that are reproducible across different platforms and shareable between software engineers. The aim is to provide you with knowledge of containers and expertise in implementing and managing them.

Containers

One of the most significant changes to how we run software in the last decade is containerization. The benefits are clear from the outset. It enables us to develop our software in the ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9798868821578

Cloud Computing

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