7 Microservices Books That Separate Experts from Amateurs

Explore Microservices books authored by leading experts like Chris Richardson, Prabath Siriwardena, and Sam Newman, offering proven strategies and advanced insights.

Updated on June 27, 2025
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What if I told you that mastering microservices could be your gateway to building scalable, resilient software architectures that drive business innovation? At a time when distributed systems shape the future of software, understanding microservices isn't just an option — it's a necessity.

These seven books, authored by seasoned practitioners like Chris Richardson and Prabath Siriwardena, offer you a window into the techniques and patterns that have shaped modern microservices development. From securing microservices with real-world tools to deploying them using cloud infrastructure, these works reflect deep expertise and practical experience.

While these expert-curated books provide proven frameworks, readers seeking content tailored to their specific programming language, deployment environment, or security concerns might consider creating a personalized Microservices book that builds on these insights to match your unique journey.

Best for mastering Java microservices design
Chris Richardson is a Java Champion and creator of the original CloudFoundry.com, who brings his deep expertise in microservices to this book. His background as a recognized thought leader and speaker at international conferences informs the practical, experience-driven guidance found here. Richardson's work on transactional microservices platforms shapes the book’s focus, making it especially valuable for developers seeking to master complex microservices challenges with concrete Java examples.
2018·520 pages·Microservices, Back-End Development, Software Architecture, Service Decomposition, Transaction Management

Drawing from decades of experience as a Java Champion and microservices pioneer, Chris Richardson offers a detailed exploration of 44 reusable design patterns to build and deploy microservices effectively. You’ll gain hands-on knowledge of service decomposition, transaction management through sagas, event sourcing, and testing strategies, all illustrated with Java examples. This book demystifies complex challenges like inter-service communication and deployment, making it a practical guide for developers transitioning from monolithic architectures. If you're familiar with enterprise application architecture and want to deepen your understanding of microservices design and operation, this book maps out the technical terrain with clarity and precision.

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Best for securing microservices architectures
Prabath Siriwardena is vice president of security architecture at WSO2, with extensive experience designing secure systems for Fortune 500 companies. Alongside co-author Nuwan Dias, director of API architecture at WSO2, he leverages his deep knowledge to guide you through securing complex microservices applications. Their combined expertise ensures the book addresses both the theoretical and practical aspects of microservices security, helping you build trustworthy, resilient systems.
2020·616 pages·Microservices, API, Security, Kubernetes, Istio

Prabath Siriwardena and Nuwan Dias bring deep, practical expertise to this detailed exploration of securing microservices architectures. You’ll learn how to protect each component of a microservices system—from API gateways to service-to-service communications—using modern tools like Kubernetes, Istio, and Java frameworks. The book walks you through critical topics such as throttling, access control, and secure container deployment, with hands-on code examples and exercises that clarify complex concepts. If you’re an experienced developer or architect aiming to build resilient, secure microservices, this book offers a focused, methodical approach grounded in real-world practices.

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Best for custom implementation plans
This AI-created book on microservices architecture is crafted based on your specific skills, interests, and goals. You share your experience level and the microservices topics you want to dive into, and the book focuses on exactly those areas, offering a clear pathway through complex concepts. Personalizing the content this way ensures you spend time learning what matters most to you, making mastering microservices practical and relevant.
2025·50-300 pages·Microservices, Microservices Architecture, Service Design, API Management, Deployment Strategies

This tailored book explores the intricate world of microservices architecture with a focus that matches your background and goals. It reveals the essential principles behind designing, implementing, and managing microservices while accommodating your specific interests, such as deployment environments, programming languages, or security concerns. By blending foundational theories with practical applications, this personalized guide navigates complexities unique to your experience level and objectives. It covers critical topics like service decomposition, scalability, communication patterns, and resilience, providing a clear pathway through often complex expert knowledge. This approach ensures you gain relevant insights efficiently and build mastery in microservices that directly apply to your projects and challenges.

Tailored Guide
Architecture Analysis
3,000+ Books Created
Ashley Davis is a software craftsman and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience spanning coding, team leadership, and company founding. Currently VP of Engineering at Hone and creator of Data-Forge Notebook, Davis brings deep practical knowledge to this book, driven by a desire to demystify microservices development. His approach walks you through building a real-world application using Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform, making complex deployment processes accessible to newcomers and practitioners alike.
2021·440 pages·Microservices, Terraform, Cloud Infrastructure, Containerization, Continuous Delivery

Ashley Davis challenges the conventional wisdom that microservices development requires extensive prior experience by guiding you through a hands-on project from scratch. This book takes you step-by-step through creating a video streaming application, teaching how to configure cloud infrastructure with Terraform, package services using Docker, and deploy with Kubernetes. You’ll gain practical skills in automated testing, continuous delivery pipelines, and monitoring, with examples in JavaScript that don’t assume prior knowledge of these tools. If you want to build microservices confidently by actually doing, this guide offers a clear pathway, though it may be less suited for those looking for purely theoretical discussions.

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Best for transitioning from monoliths
Sam Newman is an author, speaker, and consultant specializing in cloud, continuous delivery, and microservices. After 12 years at ThoughtWorks and experience with multiple startups, he now helps organizations build faster, more reliable software through training and consulting. His expertise informs this book, which guides you through the evolving landscape of microservices with practical insights and up-to-date solutions.

Sam Newman's long tenure at ThoughtWorks and extensive consulting experience shape this thorough exploration of microservices architecture. You’ll learn how to design, integrate, deploy, and monitor autonomous services with practical examples and updated techniques, including container orchestration and serverless computing. The book breaks down complex challenges like testing distributed systems and managing service security, making it especially useful if you’re an architect or developer navigating the shift from monoliths to fine-grained systems. Chapters on aligning system design with organizational goals provide actionable insights for IT operators and testers alike.

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Best for Python-based microservices design
Harry Percival is a software architect with a background in Economics and Philosophy from Cambridge University. After a stint as a management consultant, he embraced his passion for programming and became an advocate for Test-Driven Development (TDD), sharing his knowledge through talks and workshops. Bob Gregory is a UK-based software architect with over a decade of experience in building event-driven systems using domain-driven design. Their combined expertise led to this book, which offers practical, Python-focused guidance on applying architectural patterns to build robust microservices and scalable applications.

While working as a software architect, Harry Percival collaborated with Bob Gregory to bridge the gap between advanced architectural patterns and the Python programming language. This book breaks down complex concepts like hexagonal architecture, domain-driven design, and event-driven microservices into practical, Pythonic examples that help you structure large applications more effectively. You'll learn how to apply dependency inversion, use repositories and units of work for data management, and orchestrate event-driven systems with command-query responsibility segregation (CQRS). If you're aiming to improve code maintainability and embrace test-driven development in Python, this book offers a focused, hands-on approach tailored to your needs.

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Best for personal action plans
This AI-created book on microservices deployment is tailored to your specific goals and existing experience. You tell us which tools and topics matter most to you, how comfortable you are with deployment techniques, and what outcomes you want. Then the book focuses precisely on your needs, guiding you through a 30-day plan that makes launching microservices approachable and effective without unnecessary detours.
2025·50-300 pages·Microservices, Deployment Tools, Service Integration, Containerization, Continuous Delivery

This tailored book explores deploying microservices with an emphasis on a practical 30-day action plan. It breaks down the complexities of microservices architecture, focusing on using modern tools and contemporary practices to guide you through a successful launch. The content is carefully aligned with your existing knowledge and specific goals, ensuring the learning experience is relevant and engaging. You’ll find detailed examinations of deployment pipelines, container orchestration, service integration, and continuous delivery workflows, all presented in a manner that matches your background and interests. This personalized approach helps you navigate the multifaceted microservices landscape efficiently, empowering you to confidently implement what matters most for your context.

Tailored Guide
Deployment Optimization
1,000+ Happy Readers
Best for AWS cloud microservices delivery
Amar Deep Singh brings 16 years of enterprise architecture experience to this in-depth guide. Currently an Engineering Director at US Bank, he helps digital teams migrate to the cloud and modernize legacy systems. His extensive certifications, including AWS Solutions Architect Professional and Terraform Associate, underpin the practical expertise shared throughout this book. Singh’s background in banking, hospitality, and healthcare adds real-world insight into developing scalable, reliable distributed microservices on AWS, making this a valuable resource for cloud practitioners aiming to enhance their deployment pipelines.
2023·602 pages·Microservices, Amazon Web Services, Deployment, Software Architecture, Continuous Integration

After years of transforming legacy enterprise applications into cloud-native solutions, Amar Deep Singh developed this guide to demystify building microservices on AWS. You gain hands-on skills for deploying microservices using AWS services like CodeCommit, CodeBuild, and CodeDeploy, along with infrastructure automation via CloudFormation and Terraform. Chapters walk you through creating release pipelines that enable zero-downtime deployments, integrating tools such as Jenkins and Bitbucket, and mastering microservices design patterns with Spring Boot. If you're involved in cloud migration or DevOps automation, this book provides the specific techniques needed to streamline delivery and maintain reliability in complex distributed systems.

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Best for Spring Boot microservices development
Magnus Larsson, an IT industry veteran since 1986 who has consulted for major Swedish firms like Volvo, Ericsson, and AstraZeneca, wrote this book after years of helping customers navigate distributed systems challenges. His deep experience with open-source tools such as Spring Cloud, Kubernetes, and Istio informs a practical guide aimed at developers ready to build resilient microservice architectures using the latest technology stack.
2023·706 pages·Microservices, Spring Framework, Scalability, Kubernetes, Istio

Drawing from decades of IT consulting with firms like Volvo and Ericsson, Magnus Larsson offers a grounded guide to building microservices using the latest Spring Boot 3, Spring Cloud, Kubernetes, and Istio technologies. You’ll move through practical examples starting with simple microservices, advancing to resilient, scalable architectures equipped with reactive programming and security via OAuth 2.1/OIDC. The book details how to leverage Kubernetes for deployment, Istio for traffic management, and tools like Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring, making it useful if you want hands-on skills with current cloud-native stacks. While it demands some Java and Spring experience, the clear progression and updated code samples make it a solid pick for developers aiming to master modern microservice landscapes.

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Conclusion

These seven books converge on a few clear themes: designing microservices with well-defined patterns, securing them against evolving threats, and deploying them efficiently in cloud and container environments. If you're just shifting from monolithic systems, Sam Newman's guidance in "Building Microservices" offers a solid foundation. For rapid deployment skills, Ashley Davis' project-based approach and Amar Deep Singh's AWS-focused strategies provide actionable steps.

For those invested in language-specific details, Harry Percival and Bob Gregory illuminate Python patterns, while Chris Richardson and Magnus Larsson offer deep dives into Java and Spring Boot respectively. Combining these perspectives equips you with a versatile toolkit to navigate complex microservices landscapes.

Alternatively, you can create a personalized Microservices book to bridge the gap between general principles and your specific situation. These books can help you accelerate your learning journey and build microservices architectures that stand the test of time.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

Start with "Building Microservices" by Sam Newman if you're new to microservices; it lays a clear foundation for designing fine-grained systems and transitioning from monoliths.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to Microservices?

These books range from beginner to advanced levels. For hands-on beginners, Ashley Davis’ guide on Docker and Kubernetes offers practical steps, while others dive deeper into architecture and security.

What's the best order to read these books?

Begin with foundational design concepts in "Microservices Patterns", then explore deployment with Ashley Davis’ book, followed by security insights from "Microservices Security in Action".

Do these books assume I already have experience in Microservices?

Some books, like Chris Richardson’s and Magnus Larsson’s, expect familiarity with Java and Spring. Others, such as the deployment guide by Ashley Davis, cater to those building skills from scratch.

Which book gives the most actionable advice I can use right away?

"Bootstrapping Microservices with Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform" provides immediate hands-on projects to build and deploy microservices, ideal for practical application.

Can I get a book tailored to my specific Microservices needs and experience level?

Yes! While these expert books offer deep insights, you can create a personalized Microservices book that aligns precisely with your background, goals, and preferred technologies for targeted learning.

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