# The AtLarge Vision on the Design of Distributed Systems and Ecosystems

## TL;DR

This paper advocates for viewing the design of distributed systems as a core research area, introducing the AtLarge framework, 8 principles, and 10 challenges to improve large-scale ecosystem design.

## Contribution

It proposes the AtLarge design framework, a set of core principles, and identifies key challenges to advance the science and practice of distributed system design.

## Key findings

- Framework and principles are practical and effective.
- Design approach leads to innovative large-scale systems.
- Community can address identified challenges within 5 years.

## Abstract

High-quality designs of distributed systems and services are essential for our digital economy and society. Threatening to slow down the stream of working designs, we identify the mounting pressure of scale and complexity of \mbox{(eco-)systems}, of ill-defined and wicked problems, and of unclear processes, methods, and tools. We envision design itself as a core research topic in distributed systems, to understand and improve the science and practice of distributed (eco-)system design. Toward this vision, we propose the AtLarge design framework, accompanied by a set of 8 core design principles. We also propose 10 key challenges, which we hope the community can address in the following 5 years. In our experience so far, the proposed framework and principles are practical, and lead to pragmatic and innovative designs for large-scale distributed systems.