In the world of IT architecture, coupling is a much talked about concept. But what is coupling, why is it important and what techniques/patterns can we use to optimise it?

That’s a lot to unpack, so let’s start with an example outside IT. Consider this trendy all-in-one desk lamp:

It looks lovely, but what happens if the bulb fails, or you want to change the light colour? It is tightly coupled because the bulb component cannot be replaced separately, so the whole lamp must be replaced in these circumstances. Continue reading →