Ravin Rau

Posted on Dec 30, 2024

✨ 10 Books For Every Software Engineer in 2025

#webdev #programming #devops #frontend

Throughout my seven years in tech, from being a frontend engineer to an engineering manager, I have found some amazing books that have helped me grow and stay on top of things in this ever-changing field. Here are ten books that have really made a difference in my career, divided into three sections based on how they helped me at different stages of my journey.

Please consider purchasing the original book to support the authors and publishers. The PDF versions provided here are intended solely for educational and knowledge-sharing purposes.

1. The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery

This was one of the first books I read when I entered the tech world, and it shaped my approach to coding and problem-solving. Its emphasis on writing adaptable, maintainable code taught me to think ahead and work smarter. I recommend it to every engineer starting their journey.

Download The Pragmatic Programmer Book

2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship

Clean Code taught me the importance of making my code readable and simple—a skill that helps me and my teammates, as well as my junior engineers. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to write code that’s both functional and beautiful.

Download Clean Code Book

3. Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving

If you’re into problem-solving and coding, this book is a must-read. It taught me how to break down tricky challenges and come up with creative, logical solutions. Whether you’re a seasoned coder or just starting, this book will give you a fresh perspective and help you approach coding with a logical mindset.

Download Think Like a Programmer Book

4. Algorithms Illustrated: Programmers Curious

Algorithms became a bigger focus for me as I started mentoring junior engineers. This book, with its clear visual explanations, helped me understand and teach complex algorithmic concepts. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to grasp algorithms intuitively.

Download Algorithms Illustrated Book

5. Designing for Performance: Weighing Aesthetics and Speed

Frontend performance optimization is an art, and this book gave me the tools to master it. Balancing speed and user experience can be tricky, but the strategies here helped me deliver high-performance websites without compromising design.

Download Designing for Performance Book

6. Frontend Architecture for Design Systems: A Modern Blueprint for Scalable and Sustainable Websites

Building scalable frontend systems is no small task. This book helped me to structure design systems and create sustainable workflows. It’s invaluable for frontend engineers looking to tackle large-scale projects.

Download Frontend Architecture Book

7. Domain Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software

As I grew into senior roles, understanding complex systems became crucial. Domain-Driven Design helped me navigate and simplify intricate architectures by focusing on the business domain and its core logic. It’s a must-read for anyone dealing with large-scale systems.

Download Domain Driven Design Book

8. Designing Data Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems

As I advanced in my career, designing robust systems became a critical part of my role. This book delves into the foundations of data systems, teaching you how to handle scalability and reliability—a must-read for anyone working on backend systems or complex architectures.

Download Designing Data Intensive Application Book

9. The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win

When I transitioned into management, The Phoenix Project provided a relatable and insightful look into improving team efficiency. It introduced me to the principles of DevOps and systems thinking in a narrative format that’s both engaging and educational.

Download The Phoenix Project Book

10. The Unicorn Project: A Novel About Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data

This companion to The Phoenix Project digs deeper into the developer experience and the role of innovation. It inspired me to create an environment where my team could thrive, be creative, and deliver high-quality work.

Download The Unicorn Project Book

Top comments (23)

Abhinav • Dec 31 '24

This reading list looks fantastic! What are your view around System Design Interview - An Insider's Guide -Alex Yul.
It’s a remarkable resource that helped me gain a deeper understanding of what happens behind the scenes when code goes live.

Ravin Rau • Dec 31 '24

Thank you very much @abhivyaktii. Yes, I have read about the System Design Interview. In fact, I have the PDF version of the second part.

Download System Design Interview Book

It is a good book for someone who wants to have a quick understanding of how system design works and the strategies that they will need to put in place to ensure the scalability and reliability of the system.

Comment hidden by post author - thread only accessible via permalink

Lin Pengcheng • Jan 1 • Edited

Keep it Simple and Unified. 
Only simple can unity, 
only unity can be truly simple.

Computer science is essentially a management science, 
and vice versa.

Software and hardware are factories that manufacture data, 
so they have the same "warehouse/workshop model" and 
management methods as the manufacturing industry.

Traditional IT theory (OO, FP and hardware architecture, etc.) 
are pseudoscience. they belong to what physicist 
Wolfgang Pauli said "Not Even Wrong".

It is the perfect theory if a theory is based on mathematics 
and meets the five basic principles of "Simplicity, Unity, Order, 
Symmetry and Definiteness" in science, industry and aesthetics.  

        ---- Lin Pengcheng

The chief forms of beauty are order and symmetry and 
definiteness, which the mathematical sciences 
demonstrate in a special degree.

       ---- Aristotle, "Metaphysica"

My programming aesthetic standards are derived from the basic principles of science. Newton, Einstein, Heisenberg, Aristotle and other major scientists hold this view.

The aesthetics of non-art subjects are often complicated and mysterious, making it difficult to understand and learn.

The pure function pipeline data flow provides a simple, clear, scientific and operable demonstration.

Simplicity and Unity are the two guiding principles of scientific research and industrial production.

Unification of theories is the long-standing goal of the natural sciences; and modern physics offers a spectacular paradigm of its achievement. It can be found from the knowledge of various disciplines: the more universally applicable a unified theory, the simpler it is, and the more basic it is, the greater it is.
The more simple and unified things, the more suitable for large-scale industrial production.
Only simple can unity, only unity can be truly simple.

In the IT field, only two systems fully comply with these 5 programming aesthetics:

Binary system

The biggest advantage is that it makes the calculations reach the ultimate simplicity and unity, so digital logic circuits are produced, and then the large-scale industrial production methods of computer hardware are produced.

The pure function pipeline data flow with principle-based warehouse/workshop model

From:

Lindiwe • Dec 30 '24

✨ Thank you for sharing this incredible collection of books! 🙏

As someone navigating the tech field, I truly appreciate the thought and effort you put into curating resources that have impacted your journey. Your insights and recommendations are invaluable, and I’m excited to explore these books to help me grow as a software engineer.

Ravin Rau • Dec 31 '24

Thank you very much @lindiwe09. The best thing an engineer can do is to share their learning and knowledge with other engineers so that innovation and improvement can happen faster. These are some books that my seniors recommended to me when I was a junior and some were books that I read along my way which became super impactful for me.

Lindiwe • Dec 31 '24

You're most welcome! 😊
Sharing knowledge truly drives innovation and growth.

Nikola Perišić • Jan 1

Thanks for sharing! I’d like to recommend one more resource that has been valuable to me: The Laravel Official Documentation in PDF format. You can access PDFs for various Laravel versions here:
github.com/mnishihan/laravel-docs-...

Ravin Rau • Jan 2

Thank you for sharing it @perisicnikola37, this is useful since now the older version of laravel is remove from the official documentation

SkillBoostTrainer • Dec 31 '24

The Phoenix Project and The Unicorn Project are such powerful reads for understanding DevOps and team dynamics. These books helped me see how technical and management roles intertwine.

Ravin Rau • Jan 1

Yup those two books are highly recommended for devops and management people. It is also a very good read.

Sahil Dahekar • Dec 31 '24 • Edited

That looks like a exciting list . Looking forward to complete atleast 2 book as one of my 2025 resolution.

Ravin Rau • Jan 1

Thank you very much @sahildahekar and all the best for your 2025 reading.

Victor Peter • Dec 31 '24

Really cool post, thank you.

Ravin Rau • Jan 1

Thank you very much @veektor_v 😄

Dhanush • Jan 1

Think Like a Programmer ✨

Mercy • Dec 30 '24

Thank you for sharing. This is the masterpiece, some of us love reading but don't have money to buy books.
Thank you for making these books available to the public for free.

Ravin Rau • Dec 31 '24

Thank you very much @devmercy, I am an advocate of free knowledge but at the same time, I do respect the authors' effort in creating their content. Without them, we might not get this content in the first place. That is why I ask my readers to support them when they have the excess money so that they can produce more content in the future that can help more engineers and create more software engineers in the future.