Why Is the Dev & Data Tech Stack So Darn Complicated? (II/IV)
Who or What Was It That Made the Dev & Data Stack So Complicated?
In the previous episode, I gave an overview of the status quo of the dev and data stack, respectively. Both of them are by now extremely fragmented and complex, leading to overwhelmed and frustrated users (me included). To better understand how we ended up in this situation, I want to shed some light on the key trends and drivers that impacted this development of the dev and data stack over time.
🔬 The Need for Specialization
One reason why the technology stack is so complicated is that modern applications require a wide range of specialized tools and technologies. Just think of web development, for example. It involves a basic set-up, different languages for both the front-end as well as back-end, most of which come with associated libraries and frameworks, as well as other components. Each of these components has its own set of features, strengths, and weaknesses, and developers need to choose the right combination of tools to create a functional application. Moreover, the rapid pace of technological innovation means that new tools and frameworks are constantly being developed, making it difficult for developers to keep up with the latest trends.
🎮 Fragmented teams
The need for ever more performing applications, with very individual, sometimes peculiar requirements, not only leads to a wide range of available and necessary tools but also impacts the size of teams and how a team is set up. Members of modern development teams often cover rather narrow aspects of a product or even feature, and do so in a relatively small part of the software development cycle, e.g. focus on QA of feature x in product y. This is by no means intended to be judgmental and yes I am for sure over-generalizing, but it’s a trend often observed in large tech companies. As a result of more developers having a strong and narrow focus, tools and technologies that fit these tapered tasks emerge that are typically simply very good at solving a very specific task.
🕸 The Importance of Interoperability
Another reason why the technology stack is so complicated is that modern applications need to be highly interoperable. This means that different components of the technology stack need to be able to work together seamlessly, regardless of the underlying hardware or software platform. For example, a web application might need to communicate with a database running on a different server or integrate with third-party APIs to provide additional functionality. Achieving this level of interoperability requires a high degree of technical expertise and a deep understanding of the underlying systems, which can make the technology stack seem even more complicated.
📈 The Challenge of Scale
Finally, the technology stack is complicated because modern applications need to be able to scale to handle large volumes of traffic and data. As the number of users and transactions increases, the infrastructure supporting the application needs to be able to handle the additional load without slowing down or crashing. This requires a combination of specialized hardware, distributed computing techniques, and highly optimized software. Achieving this level of scalability and performance is a significant challenge, and it requires a high degree of sophistication in every single element of the stack.
So who is to blame now?
In conclusion, it’s not easy to blame a single development or trend for the now-established complexity in the dev and data stack. If at all, one could accuse customer’s and user’s need and appetite for highly performant and scalable applications.
On a higher level, the technology stack is complicated because these modern applications require a wide range of specialized tools and technologies, need to be highly interoperable, and need to be able to scale to handle large volumes of traffic and data.
While this complexity can be daunting, it is also necessary and inevitable if we want to create powerful and flexible software that can meet the needs of modern, dynamic software applications. As developers, it is a challenge to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, tools, and techniques, in order to build applications that can stand the test of time.
To help navigate this complexity in choosing a suitable stack, I will provide a framework on how to build one’s stack in the next episode.