Thoughts on software architecture, PHP, design patterns, and building maintainable systems.https://mnavarro.dev/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/a-crud-reality/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/a-crud-reality/The 'U' in CRUD is lying to you—updates don't tell the story, domain events do.Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/adding-is-better-than-changing/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/adding-is-better-than-changing/Ship new features without touching a single line of existing code—composition beats modification every time.Fri, 03 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/codebases-are-pets-not-cattle/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/codebases-are-pets-not-cattle/Your services can be disposable, but your source code deserves love, care, and individual attention.Fri, 11 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/considerations-before-jumping-into-microservices/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/considerations-before-jumping-into-microservices/Microservices can save you or sink you—estimate the cost before you build the tower.Thu, 05 May 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/dealing-with-imposter-syndrome/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/dealing-with-imposter-syndrome/No one is adequate for their role, and that's okay—break it until you make it, one experiment at a time.Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/doctrine-sins-greed/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/doctrine-sins-greed/Just because you can map it, doesn’t mean you should. Greedy relationships bloat your model and your queries.Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/doctrine-sins-sloth/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/doctrine-sins-sloth/Turning your entities into empty vessels with no behavior is the ORM equivalent of spiritual apathyTue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/efficient-data-crunching-in-php/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/efficient-data-crunching-in-php/Four rules I try to sacredly adhere to when streaming data for reporting purposes in PHP.Tue, 10 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/event-sourcing-sfa/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/event-sourcing-sfa/Good System design not always thinks about the internals of a system, but also its consumers.Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/globals-are-bad-but/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/globals-are-bad-but/Singletons are convenient until you try to test them—but they have their place in bootstrapping code where coupling is expected.Sat, 05 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/helm-vs-kustomize/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/helm-vs-kustomize/HELM's templating creates more problems than it solves. Kustomize's composition approach is simpler, more flexible, and natively supported by kubectl.Sun, 21 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/hiring-in-the-age-of-ai/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/hiring-in-the-age-of-ai/Thoughts on how to obtain the best talent quickly in a market where AI is shaping the way we work and the skills we need.Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/interfacing-is-decoupling/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/interfacing-is-decoupling/Interfaces are like electrical outlets - they remove complexity and make components easily swappable. Learn how to use interfaces to decouple your software components.Thu, 30 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/isolating-your-enemy-wins-you-the-war/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/isolating-your-enemy-wins-you-the-war/Change is the enemy of software. Win the war by isolating what changes behind abstractions—the true meaning of Single Responsibility.Fri, 27 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/its-about-time/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/its-about-time/A series of facts that every developer should know about time, timezones and clocks.Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/leaks-can-become-floods/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/leaks-can-become-floods/Small leaks in your abstractions can flood your entire codebase. Design interfaces that hide implementation details, or pay the price later.Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/messaging-guarantees/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/messaging-guarantees/Exactly-once delivery is impossible—learn why the Two Generals can't agree, and how idempotency saves the day.Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/my-top-3-php-naming-pet-peeves/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/my-top-3-php-naming-pet-peeves/Stop polluting your code with 'Interface' suffixes, pattern names, and namespace taxonomies—less noise, more clarity.Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/naming-interfaces-in-php-java-et-al/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/naming-interfaces-in-php-java-et-al/Ditch the 'Interface' suffix—let abstractions have pure names and implementations be specific.Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/on-scaling-software-companies/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/on-scaling-software-companies/Scaling isn't about doubling headcount—it's about delivery speed, developer experience, and doing more with less.Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/the-bigger-the-interface-the-weaker-the-abstraction/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/the-bigger-the-interface-the-weaker-the-abstraction/Fat interfaces lie about their capabilities—split them into focused contracts that use types, not boolean checks.Wed, 22 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/the-goal-of-software-engineering/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/the-goal-of-software-engineering/Great software isn't pragmatic OR maintainable—it's both. Learn to navigate the tension between shipping fast and building right.Mon, 20 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/the-power-of-aesthetics/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/the-power-of-aesthetics/Logic doesn't change minds—aesthetics do. Why the most compelling argument is the one that looks and feels right.Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/the-repository-pattern-done-right/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/the-repository-pattern-done-right/Stop wrapping ORMs and start thinking in collections. Build repositories that are specific, immutable abstractions over your domain.Fri, 07 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/to-array-is-human/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/to-array-is-human/Context matters more than dogma. Why arrays aren't always evil and how to know when rules don't apply.Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/unit-testing-file-system/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/unit-testing-file-system/Rules say that for unit testing we should not access the filesystem, but what if you don't have a filesystem abstraction you can stub?Mon, 16 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://mnavarro.dev/blog/what-you-really-need-to-know-about-testing/https://mnavarro.dev/blog/what-you-really-need-to-know-about-testing/Forget the jargon wars. Good tests do two things: run fast and fail for the right reasons.Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT