Overview Of Architectural Styles

Summary

Informal Definition

Organization or breakdown of a system into component subsystems or modules

Iteratively refined into layers

Often make use of stereotypical architectural style

USP Definition

Other Definitions

Elements + forms + rationale

– Perry and Wolf

The fundamental organization of a system, embodied in its components, their relationships to each other, and the environment, and the principles governing its design and evolution.

– IEEE

The software architecture of a deployed software is determined by those aspects that are the hardest to change.

– Verhoff

Components + Connectors + Configurations

– Garlan and Shaw

Selecting Components

What factors go into selecting components?

• Required Functionality
• Existing reusable components
• Physical machine architecture
• Expertise of Staff
• Conway’s Law
• Projected evolution trajectories

APIs

Names of accessports, arguments, types

Can be described in a particular programming language (binding), OCL, or ADLs

Connectors

A software connector is an architectural element tasked with effecting and regulating interactions among components

– Taylor, et al.

Protocol between components

Configuration

An architectural configuration is a set of specific associations between the components and connectors of a software system’s architecture.

– Taylor, et al.