What is software architecture?

What exactly is software architecture? You probably have your own ideas about what it is, based on your knowledge and experiences. Certainly, there are plenty of definitions out there. If you do an online search or ask various friends and colleagues, you will get varying answers. The definition is somewhat subjective and influenced by the viewpoints and perceptions of the individual who is providing the definition. However, there are some core concepts that are essential to software architecture, and before we delve into deeper topics, establishing a common understanding of what software architecture entails is imperative.

Using the word architecture for software originated from similarities with the construction industry. When the term was first used, the Waterfall software development methodology was common and it dictated that large, up-front designs needed to be completed before any code was written. Similar to the architecture of a building, which necessitates a lot of planning before construction takes place, so it was with software as well.

In modern software design, the relationship between the construction and software industries is no longer as close. Software methodologies now focus on developing software applications that are highly adaptable and can be changed easily over time, resulting in less of a need for rigid, upfront planning. However, software architecture still consists of early design decisions that can be difficult to change later.

ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 standard definition

There is a standard definition for software architecture, which resulted from a joint effort between the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 systems and software engineering's architecture description is an international standard that defines software architecture as:

"Fundamental concepts or properties of a system in its environment embodied in its elements, relationships, and in the principles of its design and evolution."

The standard makes the following main points:

• A software architecture is a fundamental part of a software system
• A software system is situated in an environment, and its software architecture takes into consideration the environment in which it must operate
• An architecture description documents the architecture and communicates to stakeholders how the architecture meets the system's needs
• Architecture views are created from the architecture description, and each view covers one or more architecture concerns of the stakeholders

What makes up a software architecture?

In the book, Software Architecture in Practice, 2nd Edition, a definition of software architecture is given as:

"The software architecture of a program or computing system is the structure or structures of the system, which comprise software elements, the externally visible properties of those elements, and the relationships among them."

A software system contains structures, and this definition notes that a software system is made up of one or more of them. It is the combination of these that forms the overall software architecture. A large software project may have multiple teams working on it, each responsible for a particular structure.

Software architecture is an abstraction

Software architecture is an abstraction of a software system. The structures of a software system consist of its elements. Software architecture concerns itself with defining and detailing the structures, their elements, and the relationships of those elements with each other.

Software architecture focuses on the public aspects of the elements, and how they interact with each other. For elements, this may take the form of their public interfaces. It does not deal with the private implementation details of the elements. While the behavior of the elements does not have to be exhaustively documented, care should be taken in understanding how elements have to be designed and written so that they can properly interact with each other.

Software architecture is about the important stuff

Computer scientist Ralph Johnson, who co-authored Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, once said:

"Architecture is about the important stuff. Whatever that is."

Software projects vary, and the amount of design effort, time, focus, and documentation devoted to particular aspects of a software architecture differ. Ultimately, software architecture consists of important design decisions that shape the system. It is made up of the structures and components that are significant to the quality, longevity, and usefulness of the system.

Software architecture consists of some of the earliest decisions that are made for a software system and some of the hardest to change. In modern software development, the architecture should anticipate change, and be designed in such a way as to maximize the potential of adapting and evolving to this change. We will be discussing evolutionary architecture in Chapter 16, Evolutionary Architecture.