Focusing on user activities
In Chapter 1, Architecting for Innovation, we saw that the role of architecture is to enable change so that teams can continuously experiment and uncover the best solutions for their users. We enable continuous change by defining fortified boundaries around things that change together so that we can control the scope and impact of any given change. The key to defining these boundaries is to understand the driving force behind change.
In Chapter 2, Defining Boundaries and Letting Go, we found that people (that is, actors) are the driving force behind change. We identified three autonomous service patterns that each cater to a different type of actor. In this chapter, we dig into the details of the Backend for Frontend (BFF) service pattern. The BFF service pattern works at the boundary of the system to support end users and the activities they perform.
Before going further, it is important to put the BFF service pattern in context, because it is easy...