Exploring the Top 7 Architectural Patterns Every Engineer Must Know
An architectural pattern serves as a broad and reusable solution to common architectural challenges encountered in software design. It offers a highlevel conceptual framework for structuring and organizing software systems to effectively address specific concerns, such as scalability, maintainability, flexibility, and efficiency.
Here's an overview of some popular architectural patterns:
1. Microservices Architecture:
ย ย Approach: The application is divided into small, independent services with welldefined APIs.
ย ย Example: Netflix separates user management, content streaming, and recommendations into distinct services.
2. Layered Architecture:
ย ย Approach: The application is structured into layers (presentation, logic, data) to compartmentalize specific functions.
ย ย Example: JavaEE applications have distinct layers for UI, business logic, and data access.
3. EventDriven Architecture:
ย ย Approach: Components communicate through events to achieve loose coupling.
ย ย Example: Airbnb uses Apache Kafka for realtime event processing, such as handling booking requests.
4. ModelViewController (MVC) Architecture:
ย ย Approach: The application is divided into Model (data), View (UI), and Controller (logic) components.
ย ย Example: Ruby on Rails applications separate data, user interface, and user input handling.
5. MasterSlave Architecture:
ย ย Approach: One master coordinates tasks among multiple slaves.
ย ย Example: Database replication, where the master handles writes, and slaves serve reads, widely seen in various systems.
6. Monolithic Architecture:
ย ย Approach: The entire application is bundled together as a single unit.
ย ย Example: Traditional enterprise software often integrates all features into a single executable.
7. ServiceOriented Architecture (SOA):
ย ย Approach: The application is composed of loosely coupled, reusable services.
ย ย Example: Salesforce integrates or offers sales, support, and marketing services as integrated or standalone components.
In addition to the above patterns, there are various other architectural patterns such as Hexagonal Architecture, CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation), Lambda Architecture, PeertoPeer (P2P) Architecture, Pipe and Filter Architecture, and DataCentric Architecture, each tailored to specific use cases and requirements.
These architectural patterns come with their own set of advantages and tradeoffs, making them suitable for different project scenarios and complexities. The choice of pattern should align with the specific needs and goals of the project to ensure an efficient and effective software design.
An architectural pattern serves as a broad and reusable solution to common architectural challenges encountered in software design. It offers a highlevel conceptual framework for structuring and organizing software systems to effectively address specific concerns, such as scalability, maintainability, flexibility, and efficiency.
Here's an overview of some popular architectural patterns:
1. Microservices Architecture:
ย ย Approach: The application is divided into small, independent services with welldefined APIs.
ย ย Example: Netflix separates user management, content streaming, and recommendations into distinct services.
2. Layered Architecture:
ย ย Approach: The application is structured into layers (presentation, logic, data) to compartmentalize specific functions.
ย ย Example: JavaEE applications have distinct layers for UI, business logic, and data access.
3. EventDriven Architecture:
ย ย Approach: Components communicate through events to achieve loose coupling.
ย ย Example: Airbnb uses Apache Kafka for realtime event processing, such as handling booking requests.
4. ModelViewController (MVC) Architecture:
ย ย Approach: The application is divided into Model (data), View (UI), and Controller (logic) components.
ย ย Example: Ruby on Rails applications separate data, user interface, and user input handling.
5. MasterSlave Architecture:
ย ย Approach: One master coordinates tasks among multiple slaves.
ย ย Example: Database replication, where the master handles writes, and slaves serve reads, widely seen in various systems.
6. Monolithic Architecture:
ย ย Approach: The entire application is bundled together as a single unit.
ย ย Example: Traditional enterprise software often integrates all features into a single executable.
7. ServiceOriented Architecture (SOA):
ย ย Approach: The application is composed of loosely coupled, reusable services.
ย ย Example: Salesforce integrates or offers sales, support, and marketing services as integrated or standalone components.
In addition to the above patterns, there are various other architectural patterns such as Hexagonal Architecture, CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation), Lambda Architecture, PeertoPeer (P2P) Architecture, Pipe and Filter Architecture, and DataCentric Architecture, each tailored to specific use cases and requirements.
These architectural patterns come with their own set of advantages and tradeoffs, making them suitable for different project scenarios and complexities. The choice of pattern should align with the specific needs and goals of the project to ensure an efficient and effective software design.
