đź“… Course Timeline & Milestones #
This timeline provides a week-by-week breakdown of the course, showing lecture topics and corresponding assignments. The course is designed to progressively build your distributed systems skills from fundamentals to advanced orchestration.
🗓️ Weekly Schedule #
| Week | Lecture Topics | Lab Assignment | Deliverables |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microservices Fundamentals • Introduction to distributed systems• Monolithic vs microservices architecture | Phase 1: Monolithic Smart Library System | Working monolithic application |
| 2-3 | Transition to Microservices • Service decomposition strategies• Inter-service communication• Phase 1 evaluation & feedback | Phase 2: Microservices Implementation | Multiple independent services with API endpoints |
| 4-5 | API Gateway & Reverse Proxy • Nginx configuration & deployment• Load balancing strategies• Phase 2 evaluation & feedback | Phase 3: Nginx Integration | Centralized access point with proper routing |
| 6-7 | Containerization • Docker fundamentals• Container networking• Phase 3 evaluation & feedback | Phase 4: Docker Implementation | Containerized services with proper isolation |
| 8-9 | Container Orchestration Basics • Docker Compose workflows• Multi-container applications• Phase 4 evaluation & feedback | Phase 5: Docker Compose Setup | Multi-container application with defined dependencies |
| 10 | Advanced Orchestration • Docker Swarm architecture• Service scaling & management• Phase 5 evaluation & feedback | Group Presentations: Design & Documentation | Project proposal & architecture diagram |
| 11 | System Design Principles • Scalability patterns• High availability strategies | Group Presentations: Implementation & documentation | Progress report & technical documentation |
| 12-13 | Group Presentations • System design presentations• Industry trendy distributed systems showcase | Group Presentations: Finalization & presentation prep | Final presentation slides & demo |
| 14 | Course Review & Final Evaluation • Best practices review• Industry application discussion | Final Assessment | Course completion & project evaluation |
đź“Š Grading Distribution #
- Individual Lab Phases (1-5): Each phase will be evaluated based on functionality, code quality, and documentation. Detailed rubric will be published soon.
- Group Project & Presentation: Assessment will focus on system design principles, technical implementation, and presentation quality. Detailed evaluation criteria will be shared before Week 10.
🔍 Important Notes #
- Each phase builds upon the previous one, creating a complete learning journey
- Evaluations occur regularly to provide feedback and guidance
- Group work begins in Week 10, allowing sufficient time for comprehensive research and implementation
- Final presentations should demonstrate both technical mastery and effective communication