Get the “2017 Alibaba Technical Annual Selection” (678 pages) for free. Download link is provided in the article.
In 2017, it was indeed a special year in the history of technological development: the stunning battle between Ke Jie and AlphaGo, the opening of the unmanned coffee shop experience, the emergence of the AI designer “Lu Ban,” and the official establishment of DAMO Academy with an investment of 100 billion over three years…

The pace of technological advancement is faster than we imagine. Also this year, the official Alibaba Technology WeChat account welcomed its 350,000th follower (we thought about hosting a networking event, but after seeing the gender ratio of 9:1 in the backend, we silently gave up). We were also fortunate to publish several articles with over 100,000 and even a million reads. An engineer with many years of experience commented that reading the articles pushed by Alibaba Technology during his morning bus ride has become a habit. This deeply touched us and made us feel the weight of our responsibilities even more.
One piece of valuable content each day may not yield immediate results, but like water drops forming a river, what you read will become a part of you. In the future, when you encounter a project challenge and feel at a loss, you might recall an article you read one day that could help you easily solve the problem. That would be the greatest happiness for the Alibaba technology team!

Cover image of the first volume of “2017 Alibaba Technical Annual Selection”
Sharing and open sourcing are the most important spirits of internet technology development. Alibaba technologists hope to share these internal insights and grow together with fellow technologists. Among nearly 300 articles published throughout the year, the official Alibaba Technology team carefully selected 65 articles, compiled into this “2017 Alibaba Technical Annual Selection,” divided into two volumes, totaling 678 pages.
How to download “2017 Alibaba Technical Annual Selection” for free?
Long press to recognize the following QR code, follow the “Alibaba Technology” WeChat account, and reply with “Selection“ to read and download this book for free online.

Alibaba Technology’s official WeChat account has 350,000 engineers following it.
Why is this thick book worth your time to read?
This selection gathers the insights from multiple technical teams at Alibaba, most of which come from online development practices: from cutting-edge technologies like algorithms, machine learning, and big data to mature technologies like databases, middleware, operations, security, and mobile development, as well as Alibaba open-source technologies and insights from industry leaders, covering almost all technical disciplines at Alibaba, with content involving core architecture, optimization algorithms, and practical solutions.
Learning from others’ experiences can be beneficial; whether you are a student majoring in computer science, a researcher in a scientific institution, or an IT professional entering society, this book will be your good mentor and friend.
Table of contents for the first volume of “2017 Alibaba Technical Annual Selection”
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This book also includes interviews with more than ten technologists: from engineers to partners like Du Long, Jing Shi who has impacted hundreds of millions of users in six years, Wang Gang and Wu Hanqing who were selected for MIT’s 2017 TR35, Qian Lei who was promoted to researcher without examination, and the blind engineer who codes in front of a black screen, showcasing different technical lives.

Table of contents for the second volume of “2017 Alibaba Technical Annual Selection”
This is not a book systematically discussing a certain field, but more like a collection of technical essays, with diverse content. When you open the book, you will see the crystallization scattered across various technical fields. You can treat it as a bedside book or casually flip through it on the go to recharge. We hope this book can open a window for you to see a bigger world; becoming a small support to help you leverage greater progress.
Who are the authors behind so many valuable insights?

The author team of this book gathers the strength of over 25,000 Alibaba engineers. Among these lovely authors are newcomers just out of school, senior engineers who are the backbone of their teams, and technical managers leading hundreds or thousands of people. They take precious rest time outside of work to organize their thoughts and understanding of business, technology, and life.
There are no fancy words or complex rhetoric, only plain code and repeatedly refined algorithms. Some articles may seem to have only a few thousand words, but behind them often lie the explorations and failures of dozens or even hundreds of team members over months or years, finally yielding results. They gladly share what they’ve learned along the way with industry peers, hoping to help everyone avoid pitfalls and reduce overtime.
Thanks to the authors who persistently share and write,
Thanks to all the engineers who follow Alibaba Technology,
Thanks to all the encounters and companionship.
We hope this book can accompany you in reminiscing about the soon-to-be-gone 2017.
In 2018, let’s meet a better self together.
Alibaba Technology’s official WeChat account has 350,000 engineers following it.