software-architecture-patterns

name	software-architecture-patterns
description	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.
metadata	{"author":"Wesley Egberto","version":"1.0.0"}

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