My (Highly) Recommended Books If You’re New To Cloud

There are many different books on the topic of cloud engineering, no single book could cover it all. So depending on what you’re needing, here are some suggestions of books that have made the biggest impact on me.

Cloud Books

All the books on this page are books I have copies of. I don’t recommend anything that I wouldn’t buy, or haven’t read. I personally buy most books as hardcopies as I like to make notes in them, but you do whatever works for you.

TL;DR; What I Recommend

If you’re short of time, here’s the books I’d recommend:

Okay, but if you’re after a bit more of a break down of each book, why I like it and why I’d recommend it, read on!

For Cloud Architecture: “Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems”

Building Microservices

There are many different aspects to cloud architecture, and microservice architecture isn’t the only way to build in the cloud. However, I can be pretty sure that if you’re working in the cloud you’re going to come into contact with microservice architecture somewhere.

Building Microservices by Sam Newman (check out the current price on Amazon) is a great introduction to the basic principles of the architectural patterns of microservices, what to look out for and what to avoid. I really like how Sam doesn’t hold back on sharing his personal opinions and thoughts throughout the book.

For “DevOps” Culture: “The DevOps Handbook”

The DevOps Handbook

Work in cloud / software engineering for two minutes and you’re going to hear the term “DevOps”. Whilst I actively try to avoid. But The DevOps Handbook (check out the current price on Amazon) was the book that I found the most approachable. It’s quite textbook-y so you might want to dip in and out of it as you see fit, but it’s a great introduction to lots of practices, from CI/CD to blue/green deployments. If you’re not so strong on these areas, I recommend checking it out.

For Infrastructure As Code: “Terraform Up & Running”

Terraform Up & Running

There are quite a few books out there about Infrastructure As Code generically speaking. But, I’d rather just go straight to recommending a specific technology, Terraform. Why? Terraform is agnostic of cloud vendors, so it works in GCP, Azure, etc, it’s declarative (which is exactly what you want from an Infrastructure As Code tool) and it has a growing community.

And if you want to learn Terraform, one of the best resources is Terraform Up and Running: Writing Infrastructure As Code (check out the current price on Amazon). It’s written by Yevgeniy Brikman who I know has spent a lot of time in the trenches using Terraform in many different formats and situations so you know the advice is solid.

For An AWS Reference: AWS Certified Solutions Architect Study Guide

AWS Certified Solutions Architect

If, like me, you find staring at a computer screen 24/7 often overwhelming you might be open to the idea of reading about what you’re learning rather than watching, etc. If that’s the case, and you’re learning AWS, or are trying to get certified you can check out the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Study Guide (check out the current price on Amazon)
. I do think your best shot for learning is hands-on, however if you need a break and you want to brush up on some services, the book can be a useful companion.

For Applying To Jobs: The Tech Resume Inside Out

The Tech Resume

I managed to get through the Tech Resume on a long flight home one evening

The Tech Resume: Inside Out is one of those books that most software engineers might have considered writing themselves due to how many times we get asked about tips for applying to jobs, and CV writing, etc. In the Tech Resume: Inside Out book Gergely dives into every different aspect of the software developer CV that you’d want to know.

I learned quite a few neat tricks in the book, that I didn’t consider before. The books very well researched, and has inputs and insights from various different industry experts and leaders, it’s not just a book full of one dudes opinions.

Seriously, I recommend it a lot. If you’re trying to get a job and you’re applying and maybe getting no luck, I’d highly recommend it. Or, even if you’re like me, a more seasoned software developer I can guarantee that you’ll learn something new, or it’ll change your perspective on how you write your CV.

Check out: The Tech resume by Gergely Orosz

And if you still want to know more, you can also read a Tweet thread I posted of my thoughts on the book, too: