# Designing Data-Intensive Applications vs Software Engineering at Google

Source: https://listme.name/compare/designing-data-intensive-applications-vs-software-engineering-at-google
Framed by the ranking: https://listme.name/best/programming-books

| | Designing Data-Intensive Applications | Software Engineering at Google |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 94.0 | 89.0 |
| Rank | #1 | #6 |
| Price | Paid | Free |
| Best for | Designing reliable data systems | Engineering practice for large codebases |
| Level | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Free to read online | No | Yes |
| Latest edition | Not stated on the book site | First edition, 2020 |
| Main focus | Data systems design and trade-offs | Engineering practice for large codebases |

The strongest guide here to the trade-offs in data systems, covering replication, transactions and stream processing. It is paid and dense, so it suits engineers making design decisions rather than beginners. A free, full-text guide to engineering practice at team and codebase scale, drawn from Google's own experience. It is less about programming technique than the craft books, so it ranks below The Pragmatic Programmer.