Delivery startup struggling with legacy system
ROLE
Senior Software Engineer
EXPERTISE
Backend & SEO
YEAR
2019
Customers were unhappy because, They waited 6 hours to receive credit.
After my startup, I joined a U.S. online delivery team supporting small businesses. As we scaled to millions of weekly orders, I noticed user dissatisfaction with the credit system due to a 6-hour delay in credit validation after successful orders.
Overengineering? What is going on?
Overengineering
Overengineering is when a product or system becomes unnecessarily complex, adding features or robustness beyond what’s needed.
The legacy service was built using multiple components, including a NoSQL database, Node.js, Ruby, and other services. While it worked, there was room for improvement, as debugging and understanding the system was complex. I redesigned it using a simple RabbitMQ pattern, reducing the processing time from 6 hours to just 6 seconds.
Software design needs Minimalism
Minimalism
In this large company with numerous developers, I noticed a common trend: the temptation to experiment with new technologies. While exploring innovations can be beneficial, I believe in the value of simplicity and minimalism in software development. Keeping systems lightweight not only accelerates development but also makes the software easier to understand and debug. Balancing innovation with simplicity ensures we maintain agility and clarity in our projects.