Distributed Systems

Name: Distributed Systems
Author: Maarten van Steen, Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Maarten van Steen, Andrew S. Tanenbaum

For this third edition of -Distributed Systems, - the material has been thoroughly revised and extended, integrating principles and paradigms into nine chapters: 1. Introduction 2. Architectures 3. Processes 4. Communication 5. Naming 6.

15 score

#138 overall

—

Score based on developer article recommendations — not sales data or reviews.

System Design Backenddistributed-systemsscalabilitySecurity

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🟢 Developer Verdict

This textbook systematically explores the principles and paradigms of distributed systems, from architectures to naming.

Read this if

✓ You seek a deep, structured understanding of distributed systems.
✓ You are an advanced learner needing a rigorous academic resource.
✓ You want to grasp core concepts like RPC, naming, and consistency.

Skip this for now if

✗ You prefer practical, hands-on coding examples or tutorials.
✗ You are new to system design and need an introductory overview.
✗ You expect content on specific cloud platforms or modern frameworks.

Developer signal: Overwhelming Consensus · 100% 3 analyzed mentions FoundationalWell Written

📊 Why Developers Recommend

It goes deep into the internals of data systems and storage engines.

Cited by 6 different developers, each bringing their own experience and perspective.

Recommended as a foundational resource that establishes core understanding, remaining useful regardless of technology trends.

Top signals: FoundationalWell Written

💬 What Developers Say

"There are more degrees of transparency detailed by Andrew Tanenbaum in his fundamental [Distributed Systems] book."
— dinabogdan · Lessons learned about building microservices and reactive systems · Jul 21, 2020

"the book has pretty positive reviews, so it seems like a solid course of action."
— downey · 2020 Goals · Jan 13, 2020

"I have already read a bit on RPC in Distributed Systems by Tanenbaum."
— flopi · Live notetaking as I learn about distributed computing · Apr 22, 2019