NotesNotes on Software & ArchitectureNotes by Michael Bolton on architecture, SDKs, contracts, and data.ArchitectureOctober 20, 2026 · 8 min readFrom Monolith to Modular: Using the Strangler Fig Pattern Without Breaking ProductionA big-bang rewrite asks you to bet the business on one cutover weekend. The strangler fig lets you replace a system one route at a time, with a rollback plan at every step.SDKsMay 2026 · 8 min readDesigning SDKs for three languages at onceLessons from shipping one command-and-control SDK in Python, Java, and C# — why the schema is the product, and everything else is a rendering of it.ContractsFebruary 2026 · 6 min readWhat defense systems taught me about API contractsIn most software, a breaking change costs a sprint. In defense integration, it can cost a fielding cycle. Here's what that constraint teaches you about interface design.DataNovember 2025 · 7 min readETL pipelines that survive corporate acquisitionsWhen your company buys another one, two product catalogs collide. Lessons from consolidating 100,000+ products into one model — without a heroic spreadsheet phase.