Software Architecture
Reference companion for architecture reviews, system design sessions, and architectural
decision-making. Each topic lives in its own reference file.
Reference Files
| File |
Contents |
references/fundamentals.md |
Architecture definition, architect role, architectural requirements, decisions, constraints, documentation (ADR, Architecture Haiku) |
references/architectural-styles-monolithic.md |
Layered, Pipeline, Microkernel — topology, trade-offs, when to use |
references/architectural-styles-distributed.md |
Microservices, Event-Driven Architecture (EDA), SOA — topology, principles, trade-offs |
references/architectural-patterns.md |
Hexagonal (Ports & Adapters), CQRS, Event Sourcing, MVC |
references/enterprise-patterns.md |
Domain logic patterns (Transaction Script, Domain Model), data source patterns (Active Record, Data Mapper), integration patterns (File Transfer, Shared DB, RPC, Messaging) |
references/architecture-review-checklist.md |
Structured checklist for architecture reviews and system design sessions |
When to Read Each File
Architecture review / system design:
Start with architecture-review-checklist.md, then read the relevant style or pattern file for deeper context.
Choosing an architectural style:
Read architectural-styles-monolithic.md or architectural-styles-distributed.md (or both) and compare the trade-off summary table.
Designing a new service or component:
Read architectural-patterns.md (hexagonal for internal structure, CQRS/event sourcing for complex domains).
Integration between systems:
Read enterprise-patterns.md (integration section) for the four integration approaches.
Documenting architectural decisions:
Read fundamentals.md for ADR and Architecture Haiku templates.
Architectural Style Quick Comparison
Style | Type | Scalability | Complexity | Best For
──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼────────────┼───────────────────────────
Layered | Monolithic | Low | Low | Small/medium business apps
Pipeline | Monolithic | Low | Low | Data processing, ETL
Microkernel | Monolithic | Low | Medium | Product apps, plugin systems
Event-Driven | Distributed | High | High | Async, decoupled workflows
SOA | Distributed | Medium | High | Enterprise integration
Microservices | Distributed | High | Very High | Independent team/domain scale
Quality Attribute → Style/Pattern Lookup
| Need |
Consider |
| Independent deployability |
Microservices |
| Extensibility / plugin model |
Microkernel |
| High throughput data processing |
Pipeline |
| Async decoupling |
Event-Driven Architecture |
| Complex read/write scaling |
CQRS |
| Full audit trail |
Event Sourcing |
| Testable business logic isolated from infra |
Hexagonal |
| Simple team-owned service |
Layered |
1---2name: software-architecture-patterns3description: Comprehensive reference for software architecture: fundamentals, architectural styles (layered, pipeline, microkernel, microservices, event-driven, SOA), architectural patterns (hexagonal/ports & adapters, CQRS, event sourcing, MVC), enterprise application patterns, and integration patterns. ALWAYS activate this skill when: reviewing system or component architecture, designing new services or systems, doing system design sessions, making architectural decisions, evaluating trade-offs between architectural styles, creating new bounded contexts or microservices, discussing modularisation, scalability, or extensibility at the system level, documenting architecture (ADR, Architecture Haiku), or any time architectural quality attributes (availability, scalability, maintainability, fault tolerance) are being discussed.4---56# Software Architecture78Reference companion for architecture reviews, system design sessions, and architectural9decision-making. Each topic lives in its own reference file.1011## Reference Files1213| File | Contents |14|------|----------|15| `references/fundamentals.md` | Architecture definition, architect role, architectural requirements, decisions, constraints, documentation (ADR, Architecture Haiku) |16| `references/architectural-styles-monolithic.md` | Layered, Pipeline, Microkernel — topology, trade-offs, when to use |17| `references/architectural-styles-distributed.md` | Microservices, Event-Driven Architecture (EDA), SOA — topology, principles, trade-offs |18| `references/architectural-patterns.md` | Hexagonal (Ports & Adapters), CQRS, Event Sourcing, MVC |19| `references/enterprise-patterns.md` | Domain logic patterns (Transaction Script, Domain Model), data source patterns (Active Record, Data Mapper), integration patterns (File Transfer, Shared DB, RPC, Messaging) |20| `references/architecture-review-checklist.md` | Structured checklist for architecture reviews and system design sessions |2122## When to Read Each File2324**Architecture review / system design:**25Start with `architecture-review-checklist.md`, then read the relevant style or pattern file for deeper context.2627**Choosing an architectural style:**28Read `architectural-styles-monolithic.md` or `architectural-styles-distributed.md` (or both) and compare the trade-off summary table.2930**Designing a new service or component:**31Read `architectural-patterns.md` (hexagonal for internal structure, CQRS/event sourcing for complex domains).3233**Integration between systems:**34Read `enterprise-patterns.md` (integration section) for the four integration approaches.3536**Documenting architectural decisions:**37Read `fundamentals.md` for ADR and Architecture Haiku templates.3839## Architectural Style Quick Comparison4041```42Style | Type | Scalability | Complexity | Best For43──────────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼────────────┼───────────────────────────44Layered | Monolithic | Low | Low | Small/medium business apps45Pipeline | Monolithic | Low | Low | Data processing, ETL46Microkernel | Monolithic | Low | Medium | Product apps, plugin systems47Event-Driven | Distributed | High | High | Async, decoupled workflows48SOA | Distributed | Medium | High | Enterprise integration49Microservices | Distributed | High | Very High | Independent team/domain scale50```5152## Quality Attribute → Style/Pattern Lookup5354| Need | Consider |55|------|---------|56| Independent deployability | Microservices |57| Extensibility / plugin model | Microkernel |58| High throughput data processing | Pipeline |59| Async decoupling | Event-Driven Architecture |60| Complex read/write scaling | CQRS |61| Full audit trail | Event Sourcing |62| Testable business logic isolated from infra | Hexagonal |63| Simple team-owned service | Layered |
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