Remote Communication

(Un)coupling in distributed systems - Part 2

The effects of temporal coupling

Uwe Friedrichsen

9 minute read

A jellyfish lying on the beach

In the previous post, we started to discuss a specific type of coupling, the coupling between processes in a distributed system. We discussed the fallacy that loose technical coupling, i.e., using a message-based communication style is sufficient to ensure loose coupling between processes. We learnt that instead we need to implement loose coupling at a technical and a functional level to actually become loosely coupled.

(Un)coupling in distributed systems - Part 1

Understanding functional coupling

Uwe Friedrichsen

11 minute read

Rock covered by clams

Coupling is a big issue in software design. With software landscapes becoming more and more complex, coupling painfully steps on our toes whenever we attempt to change things. Hence, we want to reduce coupling. On the other hand, without any coupling systems and their parts would not be able to interact. Hence, we need coupling – feels a bit like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.