Whether it's in Java, .NET, or Ruby on Rails, getting your application ready to ship is only half the battle. Did you design your system to survive a sudden rush of visitors from Digg or Slashdot? Or an influx of real world customers from 100 different countries? Are you ready for a world filled with flakey networks, tangled databases, and impatient users? If you're a developer and don't want to be on call at 3AM for the rest of your life, this book will help. In Release It!, Michael T. Nygard shows you how to design and architect your application for the harsh realities it will face. You'll learn how to design your application for maximum uptime, performance, and return on investment. Mike explains that many problems with systems today start with the design: It's disconnected from the real world. It's the same as cars designed solely in the cool comfort of the lab - they look great in models and CAD systems, but don't work well in the real world. You want a car designed by somebody who knows that oil changes are always 3,000 miles late; that the tires must work just as well on the last sixteenth of an inch of tread as on the first; and that you will certainly, at some point, stomp on the brakes while you're holding an Egg McMuffin in one hand and a cell phone in the other. With a combination of case studies and practical advice, Patterns to follow and Anti-Patterns to avoid, Release It! will help you manage the pitfalls that cost companies huge amounts of time and money each year.