Guided Builds
Real systems, real constraints, explicit tradeoffs.
Guided Builds are narrative system walkthroughs.
They show how Canon-defined invariants behave when real products are built, extended, scaled, and debugged.
These are not tutorials.
They are not starter guides.
They are end-to-end system stories that make decisions—and their consequences—explicit.
How to Read This Section
Guided Builds are best read slowly.
Each build walks through:
- the initial system shape
- the constraints in play
- the decisions made
- the alternatives rejected
- the invariants placed under pressure
Start with From Zero to v1 to understand early constraint-setting.
Move to Adding Real-Time and Introducing Scale to see how pressure accumulates.
Use System Walkthroughs to understand how everything fits together.
These articles are meant to be studied, not skimmed.
From Zero to v1
How to design an MVP that can grow up without pretending complexity doesn’t exist.
- Designing an MVP Without Painting Yourself Into a Corner
- What to Build First (and What to Delay)
- Choosing the Right Constraints Early
- An MVP That Can Grow Up
- Avoiding the Rewrite Trap Before It Starts
Adding Real-Time
Real-time behavior amplifies design mistakes. These builds show how to add it deliberately—or avoid it entirely.
- Adding Real-Time Without Rewriting Everything
- When Real-Time Is Actually Required
- Sync Without Sticky Sessions
- Real-Time as a System Concern
- Why Most Real-Time Systems Are Fragile
Introducing Scale
Growth applies pressure unevenly. These builds show where systems actually break—and where they don’t.
- Scaling a System That Wasn’t Built for It
- The First Scaling Decision That Matters
- Evolving Data Without Breaking Trust
- Scaling Without Breaking Semantics
- How to Add Capacity Without Changing Behavior
Retrofitting Observability
Some systems are built blind. These builds show what can—and cannot—be recovered after the fact.
- Adding Observability to a Blind System
- Finding the Truth After the Fact
- What You Can and Can’t Recover
- Why Some Systems Are Undebuggable
- Turning History Into Insight
System Walkthroughs
End-to-end explanations of how real systems behave in motion.
- A SaaS System Explained End to End
- Walking a Request Through the System
- How Data Moves Through Reality
- Seeing the Whole System at Once
- From User Action to Side Effects
Invariant Checkpoints
Every Guided Build explicitly calls out moments where invariants are stressed.
Typical checkpoints include:
- authority over state transitions
- boundary enforcement under load
- correctness across async boundaries
- observability after failure
- evolution without rewrites
These checkpoints are not optional.
They are the point of the build.
Canonical Context
All Guided Builds are grounded in multiple layers of the SaaS Systems Canon.
Each build:
- references relevant invariants explicitly
- explains why alternatives were rejected
- identifies what is intentionally out of scope
- shows how constraints guide decisions
Guided Builds do not invent rules.
They apply them under pressure.
For invariant definitions and constraints, refer to the SaaS Systems Canon.
Reading Order (Suggested)
If you want a guided path:
- Designing an MVP Without Painting Yourself Into a Corner
- Adding Real-Time Without Rewriting Everything
- Scaling a System That Wasn’t Built for It
- Adding Observability to a Blind System
- A SaaS System Explained End to End
Rules define systems. Pressure reveals them.