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Technology Radar

Our opinionated guide to technology

Inspired by ThoughtWorks' Technology Radar, our radar captures the technologies, platforms, tools, and patterns we observe and recommend across enterprise engagements. Updated semi-annually since 2020.

EDITION:
Adopt
Strong recommendation. Use in production.
Trial
Worth pursuing. Use in non-critical projects.
Assess
Explore and research. Understand impact.
Hold
Proceed with caution. Consider alternatives.
☁
Platforms & Infrastructure
Adopt
Kubernetes (EKS/AKS/GKE)
De facto orchestration. Multi-cloud ready.
Since Vol.1
Terraform
IaC standard. Module registry for reuse.
Since Vol.1
AWS Landing Zone (Control Tower)
Production-proven multi-account governance.
Since Vol.3
Azure Landing Zones (CAF)
Subscription vending with policy guardrails.
Since Vol.5
Trial
Crossplane
Kubernetes-native infrastructure composition.
Since Vol.9
OpenTofu
Open-source Terraform fork. Monitoring license situation.
Since Vol.10
Assess
Talos Linux
Immutable, API-managed K8s OS. Promising for edge.
Since Vol.11
Hold
CloudFormation (standalone)
Vendor lock-in. Prefer Terraform or CDK.
Since Vol.2
⚙
Languages, Frameworks & Tools
Adopt
Symfony + API Platform
Our default backend stack. Mature, performant, well-tested.
Since Vol.1
Nuxt / Vue 3
Frontend framework for SSR/SPA enterprise portals.
Since Vol.4
ArgoCD
GitOps for Kubernetes. Production standard.
Since Vol.5
Backstage
IDP framework. Service catalog + golden paths.
Since Vol.8
Trial
Go (for platform tooling)
CLI tools, operators, and controllers.
Since Vol.7
Astro
Content-heavy sites. Performance-first.
Since Vol.10
Assess
Deno 2
Secure JS runtime. Watching enterprise adoption.
Since Vol.11
Hold
BizTalk Server
Legacy. Migrate to event-driven alternatives.
Since Vol.1
jQuery (new projects)
Legacy. Use vanilla JS or modern frameworks.
Since Vol.1
▦
Architecture & Patterns
Adopt
C4 Model for documentation
Standard for all architecture deliverables.
Since Vol.2
Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
Git-tracked. Every solution engagement starts here.
Since Vol.1
Event-Driven Architecture
Default for async integration. Kafka / Redis Streams.
Since Vol.3
API-First Design
Contract-first with OpenAPI + AsyncAPI.
Since Vol.1
Trial
RAG Architecture Patterns
Production-ready for document Q&A and knowledge bases.
Since Vol.11
Data Mesh
Organizational pattern for data ownership. Requires maturity.
Since Vol.7
Assess
Agentic AI Architectures
Multi-agent systems with tool use. Early but high potential.
New in Vol.12
Cell-Based Architecture
WSO2-inspired. Blast radius isolation beyond microservices.
Since Vol.10
Hold
Monolithic ESB patterns
Replace with lightweight EDA or API gateway.
Since Vol.1
◆
EA Tooling & Governance
Adopt
MEGA HOPEX
EA repository for regulated industries. Strong metamodel.
Since Vol.3
LeanIX
IT portfolio management. Lightweight, fast adoption.
Since Vol.4
Structurizr (C4 DSL)
Architecture-as-code. CI-integrated C4 diagrams.
Since Vol.5
Trial
Ardoq
Lightweight EA tool with strong API. Good for agile orgs.
Since Vol.9
FinOps Foundation FOCUS
Open cost data format. Cross-cloud normalization.
Since Vol.11
Assess
AI-assisted architecture review
Using LLMs to pre-screen ADRs and flag risks. Experimental.
New in Vol.12
Hold
Visio-based architecture documentation
Unversioned, unstructured. Move to C4/Structurizr.
Since Vol.2
Spreadsheet-based portfolio management
Unmaintainable at scale. Migrate to LeanIX or HOPEX.
Since Vol.3

Radar Changelog

Vol.12
Mar 2026
NEW Agentic AI Architectures → Assess
NEW AI-assisted architecture review → Assess
↑ RAG Architecture Patterns: Assess → Trial
↑ Backstage: Trial → Adopt
Vol.11
Sep 2025
NEW RAG Architecture Patterns → Assess
NEW Talos Linux → Assess
NEW FinOps FOCUS format → Trial
NEW Deno 2 → Assess
Vol.10
Mar 2025
NEW OpenTofu → Trial
NEW Astro → Trial
NEW Cell-Based Architecture → Assess
↑ ArgoCD: Trial → Adopt
Vol.9
Sep 2024
NEW Crossplane → Trial
NEW Ardoq → Trial
↑ Backstage: Assess → Trial
Vol.8
Mar 2024
NEW Backstage → Assess
↑ Azure Landing Zones: Trial → Adopt
Vol.5 – Vol.7
2022 – 2023
↑ Structurizr C4 DSL: Trial → Adopt (Vol.7)
NEW Data Mesh → Assess (Vol.7, later Trial)
NEW Go for platform tooling → Trial (Vol.7)
↑ Azure Landing Zones: Assess → Trial (Vol.5)
↑ ArgoCD: Assess → Trial (Vol.5)
Vol.1 – Vol.4
2020 – 2022
NEW Inaugural radar: Kubernetes, Terraform, Symfony, ADRs, API-First, EDA as founding Adopt entries
↓ BizTalk, CloudFormation (standalone), jQuery placed on Hold from Vol.1
NEW C4 Model → Trial (Vol.1), Adopt (Vol.2)
NEW MEGA HOPEX → Trial (Vol.2), Adopt (Vol.3)
NEW LeanIX → Trial (Vol.3), Adopt (Vol.4)
NEW Nuxt/Vue 3 → Trial (Vol.3), Adopt (Vol.4)
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