SoftwareArchitekturMuster

Software architecture is the high-level structure of a software system, defining major components, their responsibilities, and how they interact. It addresses non-functional requirements such as performance, reliability, security, maintainability, and scalability, guiding development from conception to deployment.

Core concepts include components, connectors, and the architectural view. Architectural styles or patterns—layered, client–server, microservices, event-driven, service-oriented, and plug-in architectures—provide templates for organizing the system and for allocating responsibilities and communication protocols.

Architecture is documented through views and models, aided by tools such as architecture description languages and diagrams. Decisions are captured in architecture decision records to explain why trade-offs were made. Stakeholders include developers, operators, customers, and business owners.

Quality attributes are central. Architects balance performance, scalability, modifiability, security, safety, and reliability using tactics such as modularization, isolation, caching, asynchronous messaging, and redundancy.

The process is iterative and evolutionary. Architecture evolves with requirements; architecture erosion may occur, necessitating refactoring or redesign. Evaluation methods like ATAM or CBAM assess how well the architecture fulfills goals, guiding future changes. The architecture also informs deployment, tooling, and governance across the software lifecycle.