webarchitecture

Web architecture describes the structure and organization of a web application and its supporting systems. It defines how components such as clients, servers, data stores, networks, and services interact to deliver content and functionality over the internet. A typical web architecture separates presentation, application logic, and data persistence, and specifies the communication protocols and deployment models that connect them.

Key components include the client (web browser or mobile app), web server, application server, databases or data stores, and network infrastructure such as load balancers and content delivery networks. Services may be exposed via APIs (REST, GraphQL, or gRPC) and can run as monoliths, microservices, or serverless functions.

Common architectural patterns include multi-tier or N-tier designs with a clear separation of concerns, microservices-based architectures, and serverless or edge computing deployments. Front-end architectures range from traditional multi-page apps to single-page apps with server-side rendering or static site generation.

The web relies on HTTP/HTTPS; resources are exchanged in formats such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and data payloads in JSON or XML. API design choices include REST, GraphQL, and gRPC. Techniques such as caching, compression, and content delivery networks improve performance and scalability.

Deployment and operations typically involve containerization, orchestration, cloud infrastructure, and continuous integration/continuous delivery pipelines. Observability through logging, metrics, and tracing supports reliability and troubleshooting.

Security considerations include authentication and authorization (for example OAuth2 and OpenID Connect), TLS encryption, input validation, and rate limiting. Non-functional goals include scalability, fault tolerance, maintainability, and cost control, while accessibility and search engine optimization influence front-end decisions.