What does it mean to think like an architect?

A subscriber asked a fair question. I refer to this a lot here, but I don’t think I’ve ever explained it properly.

It means:

1. Focusing on what actually matters

2. Tradeoff analysis
   Understanding the pros and cons of alternatives.

3. A pragmatic mindset
   Recognizing that best practices and patterns are useful, but they’re just tools. In real life, they’re often only partially applicable.
   Modern distributed architecture isn’t “monolith vs. microservices.” It’s a mix of many patterns and non-patterns.

4. Objective and rational decision-making

Let me give a simple example of how a developer thinks vs. how an architect thinks (taken from a real puzzle).

We need to build a system to store user avatars.

➖ A developer will put them in S3.
Because it’s “the most efficient way” and “that’s how it’s always done.”

➕ An architect might store them in an existing PostgreSQL database.
Why? Because avatars rarely change, fit within limits, and modern databases handle files just fine. This can significantly simplify the system.

The developer’s reaction:
“But that’s an anti-pattern, you shouldn’t store files in a database. This architect is weird.”

If no one in a company thinks like an architect, the company just drifts from one trend to another, from one pattern to the next.
It’s a constant storm.