Modern distributed system patterns can help us build software systems that are not just distributed monoliths, but are truly distributed and independently deployable. Unfortunately, it can be very confusing to understand how these patterns interact and when each should be applied. This often leads teams to build parts of the system that do not work well together. By applying complementary patterns consistently in a system you can improve the effectiveness of your system.

Using architecture diagrams with rectangles and arrows to express interaction patterns is necessary, but often not sufficient to express how the system ought to behave. In this session, participants will role play as parts of a distributed system (UI, API, database, message broker, etc) to experience the patterns of communication. Not only will you gain a better understanding of these patterns, but you can use this technique to help your team understand your current or desired software system.