Autonomy to solve problems at one's own discretion

Wessel Bindt - Software Developer

A few months before I joined CloudSuite, the current software architect told me about the project to transition to microservices. These types of refactor projects suit me well, so when I got the opportunity to apply at CloudSuite, I immediately took it. Initially, I mainly worked on the new services, but over time, I also dealt with more legacy code, especially to migrate to the new architecture.

Autonomous development

One of the most enjoyable aspects of working at CloudSuite is that we don't simply develop a standard CRUD app. Our clients have very detailed control over how they configure their webshop. This leads to challenging and interesting problems in the backend. An added bonus is that as a developer, you have the autonomy and space to solve these problems at your discretion, and especially the freedom to refactor where necessary.

Transition to Microservices

A major project that our backend team is working on is splitting our monolithic codebase into microservices. We're doing this primarily to write code according to the DDD methodology (Domain Driven Design) and secondarily to facilitate continuous deployment. It's amazing to see how DDD shines in this context and how it's possible, and even straightforward, to work test-driven in the new microservices.

Challenges and learning points

Despite the benefits of this project, it also brings a lot of complexity. Much of this complexity arises from distributing the monolith across services that communicate over the network. This has profound implications for the way you solve problems. For example, you're forced to work much more in an event-driven manner. I've learned a tremendous amount (and continue to learn) from this shift in approach.

Team CloudSuite

The Product Development team consists of friendly and eager-to-learn individuals. We have weekly study sessions on TDD (Test Driven Development) and bi-weekly mob programming sessions to better grasp DDD (Domain Driven Design).

Valencia trip

For the tenth anniversary, we went to Valencia. It was a fantastic experience! Not only did we enjoy the beautiful city, but we also learned a lot about the authentic preparation of Paella. The combination of team activities and culinary discoveries made it an unforgettable trip.