Software System Architecture
A Software System Architecture is a system architecture for a software-based system / Computing System.
- AKA: Computing System Design.
- Context:
- It can (typically) describe the overall structure, components, and relationships among those components within the system.
- It can be associated to a Software-based System Architectural Pattern.
- ...
- Example(s):
- a Blackboard Software System Architecture,
- a Client-Server Software System Architecture,
- a Software Component-based System Architecture
- a Database-Centric Software System Architecture,
- an Event-driven Software System Architecture
- a Layered Software System Architecture,
- a Microservices Software System Architecture,
- a Monolithic Application Software System Architecture
- a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Software System Architecture
- a Reactive Software System Architecture,
- a Representational State Transfer (REST) Software System Architecture,
- a Rule-based Software System Architecture,
- a Service-Oriented Software System Architecture
- a Shared Nothing Software System Architecture
- a Space-based Software System Architecture
- a Serverless Software System Architecture
- ...
- Counter-Example(s):
- See: Computing System Component, Multi-Tenant System Architecture, Apache Spark Driver-Worker Architecture, Software Engineering, System Integration, Software Development, Systems Architecture.
References
2024a
- (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_architecture Retrieved:2024-2-11.
- Software architecture is the set of structures needed to reason about a software system and the discipline of creating such structures and systems. Each structure comprises software elements, relations among them, and properties of both elements and relations.[1]
The architecture of a software system is a metaphor, analogous to the architecture of a building.[2] It functions as the blueprints for the system and the development project, which project management can later use to extrapolate the tasks necessary to be executed by the teams and people involved.
Software architecture design is commonly juxtaposed with software application design. Whilst application design focuses on the design of the processes and data supporting the required functionality (the services offered by the system), software architecture design focuses on designing the infrastructure within which application functionality can be realized and executed such that the functionality is provided in a way which meets the system's non-functional requirements.
Software architecture is about making fundamental structural choices that are costly to change once implemented. Software architecture choices include specific structural options from possibilities in the design of the software.
For example, the systems that controlled the Space Shuttle launch vehicle had the requirement of being very fast and very reliable. Therefore, an appropriate real-time computing language would need to be chosen. Additionally, to satisfy the need for reliability the choice could be made to have multiple redundant and independently produced copies of the program, and to run these copies on independent hardware while cross-checking results.
Documenting software architecture facilitates communication between stakeholders, captures early decisions about the high-level design, and allows reuse of design components between projects.
- Software architecture is the set of structures needed to reason about a software system and the discipline of creating such structures and systems. Each structure comprises software elements, relations among them, and properties of both elements and relations.[1]
- ↑ "Software Architecture". www.sei.cmu.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
- ↑ Perry, D. E.; Wolf, A. L. (1992). "Foundations for the study of software architecture" (PDF). ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes. 17 (4): 40. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.40.5174. doi:10.1145/141874.141884. S2CID 628695.
2024b
- (ChatGPT-OpenAI, 2024) ⇒ Prompt: Summarize the concept Software System Architecture in 1- 2 paragraphs. ChatGPT (model:gpt-4-turbo-preview). Retrieved: 2024-02-11.
- QUOTE: Software system architecture refers to the fundamental structures within a software system, encompassing the components, their relationships, and how they interact with each other to fulfill the system's requirements. This architecture is a high-level blueprint that provides a structured explanation of the system, guiding its construction and evolution. It encompasses several elements, including architectural patterns, design principles, and decisions that have significant impacts on the system's performance, scalability, maintainability, and security. The architecture is not only about the software components and their interactions but also about making strategic choices that align with the system’s goals, stakeholder needs, and technological environment.
Developing a software system architecture involves understanding the system's requirements deeply and choosing a suitable architectural style (e.g., client-server, microservices, monolithic) that meets those requirements. This process is critical because the chosen architectural framework will influence virtually every aspect of development and operation, including how the system is developed, deployed, scaled, and maintained. Effective software architecture provides a clear path for system development and ensures that the system can adapt to changing requirements and technologies over its lifespan, while also optimizing for performance and resource utilization.
- QUOTE: Software system architecture refers to the fundamental structures within a software system, encompassing the components, their relationships, and how they interact with each other to fulfill the system's requirements. This architecture is a high-level blueprint that provides a structured explanation of the system, guiding its construction and evolution. It encompasses several elements, including architectural patterns, design principles, and decisions that have significant impacts on the system's performance, scalability, maintainability, and security. The architecture is not only about the software components and their interactions but also about making strategic choices that align with the system’s goals, stakeholder needs, and technological environment.
2023
- chat
- A Software-based System Architecture is a high-level blueprint for a software-based system, which describes the overall structure, components, and relationships among those components within the system. It serves as a guide for developers in designing, implementing, and maintaining the system. Software-based System Architecture defines the organization of the system, its functional elements, their interactions, and the non-functional requirements such as performance, scalability, and security.
In contrast, a Software-based System Architectural Pattern refers to a recurring solution to a common problem in software architecture. These patterns are proven design solutions that can be used to tackle specific architectural challenges within the context of a software-based system. They provide best practices and guidelines for designing software architectures and can be adapted or customized according to the specific needs of a project.
- A Software-based System Architecture is a high-level blueprint for a software-based system, which describes the overall structure, components, and relationships among those components within the system. It serves as a guide for developers in designing, implementing, and maintaining the system. Software-based System Architecture defines the organization of the system, its functional elements, their interactions, and the non-functional requirements such as performance, scalability, and security.
2009
- (Jin et al., 2009) ⇒ Wei Jin, Hung Hay Ho, Rohini K Srihari. (2009). “OpinionMiner: A Novel Machine Learning System for Web Opinion Mining and Extraction.” In: Proceedings of ACM SIGKDD Conference (KDD-2009). doi:10.1145/1557019.1557148.
- QUOTE: In this paper, we describe the architecture and main components of the system.