Architecture Crew Talk: From monoliths to modern architectures

Are microservices synonymous with modern architecture and the only way to go? Are monoliths really so outdated and unusable nowadays?

Join us on Tuesday, March 18th, for Architecture Crew Talk and learn that scaling doesn’t always have to mean microservices. You’ll also discover how to streamline architecture documentation with Cursor AI and find out if Kafka is a smart or dumb solution. Let's meet in the Applifting meetup space, both in person and online. We’ll start at 18:00.

👉 Register here 👈 if you want to attend in person. Spaces are limited and our event planner Anetka would be sad if we had to turn you away at the door!

What´s on the menu?
Martin Burian, Software Architect at Applifting, will talk about a mature message broker Kafka. He'll peel back the veil of its magic to show you that Kafka is dumb (in a very clever way), look at some of its useful features and usage patterns, and illustrate this with a success story where it helped break a monolithic PHP service into scalable and maintainable Node.js microservices.

Stanislav Gurnik, Backend Chapter Lead at Rouvy, comes up with a slightly provocative idea that even today, the monolith is not dead and has its uses. He will explore why monoliths are still a solid architectural choice for many projects. He’ll also share practical strategies for building modular monoliths that are structured for growth and allow for a smooth transition to microservices when the time is right.

Jiří Fryč, Solution Architect at Applifting, will show you that with Cursor AI, it is possible to turn architecture documentation from a dreaded chore into a seamless part of the development process. He’ll present his practical approach to documentation that delivers readable and organized documentation that lists decisions made, API definitions, current status, supporting diagrams and documents.

There will be Q&As sprinkled throughout the event to quench your thirst for knowledge. You can also look forward to a themed quiz, where you can win cool Applifting prizes!

Just come and chat, get to know each other, and see how we think about things at Applifting.

We look forward to meeting you!

Schedule:
17:30 – Doors open

• Get your ticket ready, say hello to others, and have a drink with us. 🥂

18:00 – Introduction by Lukáš Jan Marek

• Our scrum master Lukáš will give a short welcome and introduce our speakers.

18:15 – 1st Topic
Martin Burian

• Kafka for monolith breakdown: A success story
  Kafka is a mature message broker widely adopted in the industry. We’ll lift the veil of its magic to see that Kafka is dumb (in a very clever way), have a look at some of its useful features and usage patterns, and illustrate it with a success story where it helped break a monolithic PHP service into scalable and maintainable Node.js microservices.

18:45 – 2nd Topic
Stanislav Gurnik

• Monolith for microservice architecture
  In the world of modern software, microservices often steal the spotlight — but does that mean monoliths are obsolete? In this talk, we’ll explore why monoliths are still a solid architectural choice for many projects, and I'll share practical strategies to build modular monoliths that are structured for growth, allowing a smooth transition to microservices when the time is right.

19:15 – 15 minute break

19:30 – 3rd Topic
Jiří Fryč

• The Art of effortless architecture documentation
  Let's transform architecture documentation from a dreaded chore into a seamless part of your development process with Cursor AI. I will showcase my practical approach to documentation that delivers readable, organised documentation showcasing decisions taken, API definitions, current state, supporting diagrams, and documents.

20:00 – Networking, food & drinks 🍻

• Snacks and drinks, including draft beer, will be available for you all evening. Get ready to network with Applifters and participate in a quiz to win Applifting prizes. Let’s enjoy the evening together!

22:00 – Time to say goodbye!

• Some of us may move on to a pub, but the doors of Applifting are closing, and we'll look forward to seeing you next time!

For capacity reasons, please let us know if you will attend in person or participate online. The presentations will be streamed, but we would love to see you there.

We look forward to meeting you!