About this article
Thank you for visiting this site. This article is a guide listing all 7 articles in the “Case Studies” category of the Architecture Crash Course for the Generative-AI Era series.
The Case Studies category takes the knowledge from previous categories and applies it to specific scales, industries, and phases. The right answer for the same design question changes completely between a startup and a large enterprise. Reading the case closest to your situation turns theory into real-world judgment.
Article index
1. Real-World Comparison by Scale and Phase — Same Question, Different Answer
Compares how the same design topics shift across three cases: solo/startup, mid-sized SaaS, and large-enterprise core systems. Understanding why picking the wrong case is fatal through real examples — read this before the other case articles.
2. Solo / Startup — The Architecture You Can Ship in One Month Is the Right One
The 1-5 person team case, where speed to market is the top priority. Covers the standard stack of Vercel + Supabase + Clerk and its equation with AI generation accuracy. Learn the selection axis that the architecture you can ship in one month is the right one — and the cost of over-engineering.
3. Mid-Sized SaaS — Lean on Managed Services, Run with a Small Team
The 5-30 person team case, building a configuration that withstands production. Covers single-cloud + IaC + SLO + heavy use of managed services — the design for running a robust SaaS operation with a small team. Also covers the trap of premature microservices in concrete terms.
4. Large Enterprise Core Systems — Design That Works with the Organization, Not Just New Tech
The 1000+ person scale case, with mandatory auditing and long-term operation. Covers Fit to Standard, Strangler Fig incremental migration, and data-asset maturation — the selection axis for design that works because of the organization, not just new technology.
5. Public Sector / Government — Government Cloud and Long-Term Operations
Covers the unique procurement and selection rules of government and public-sector systems. Government-certified cloud vendors, procurement constraints, 10-year operation assumptions, and standardization — the design decisions unique to regulated industries.
6. Mobile-First — App Store Reviews and Dual-OS Synchronization
Covers mobile-first projects targeting both iOS and Android. Native vs. cross-platform selection, app store review pitfalls, E2E encryption, push notifications, and in-app purchase platform fees — the design decisions unique to mobile.
7. AI Product / Startup — Inference Cost and Data Readiness Are Everything
Covers the decision axes unique to LLM-powered AI products. Model selection (Claude/GPT/Gemini/OSS), inference cost management, RAG design, evaluation/Eval, and hallucination countermeasures — the design essentials specific to AI products.
Summary
This article listed all 7 articles in the Case Studies category of the Architecture Crash Course for the Generative-AI Era series.
Case studies bridge theory and practice. Reading the case closest to your own situation transforms knowledge from other categories into concrete judgment. Start with the overview to see three cases side by side, then dive into the one closest to you.
For the overall series structure and other categories, see the master series index.
Hope you’ll check out the next article as well.