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The world is moving towards digitalization. So, businesses, new and old, must keep up with the times if they want to stay relevant. Now that you have ideas in place for what you want to create, getting the IT architecture right is necessary for success. It is among the most crucial aspects and generally the most overlooked one as well.
In this post, we will be focusing on what IT architecture is and how you can design the perfect web application using the methodology.
What is Software Architecture?
Software architecture is the next measure businesses should take after ideation. It is responsible for describing all the major components of the system and their relationship and interaction with each other.
Simply put, it is the blueprint made to enable easy system management while establishing communication and coordination among the various components.
The aim of software architecture is to create solutions that tackle all the technical and operational needs of the system to ensure better performance and security. The architecture consulting services help align business goals with development team needs, impacting the quality, performance, and maintainability of the system.
The Importance of Software Architecture
Laying a strong foundation is essential for businesses that want to create the perfect solutions. Lack of a strong base will result in a complete re-do. And making a web application is no different. Application architecture is the base of a digital platform. If you get it right, you avoid major bugs, major design changes in the future, and code refactoring. Don’t pay attention to it, and you will regret your decision in the long run.
To not plan well is akin to planning to fail. And even if you do persevere, it will come with a major time and financial cost if you do not invest resources in hiring architecture consulting services to help make better decisions in the beginning.
IT Infrastructure Patterns – Enabling Easier Evolution
To create the optimum software architecture, here are a few things that you must consider.
Architecture Choice
- Model-View-Controller (MVC) Architecture – The MVC architecture is a software architectural pattern that divides application logic into three categories based on functionality.
The model is an indicator of how the system is storing data in the database. Views are the elements of the system that are visible to the user, like output or GUI. And lastly, the controllers are the components that work as the interface between views and models. The MVC architecture can work for desktop, mobile, and web applications.
- Microservice Architecture – The microservice architecture relies on the division of features or tasks into different modules or codebases that work in synergy to offer a large service as a whole.
Microservice architecture offers easier and cleaner app maintenance, allowing for feature development, testing, and deployment when compared to monolithic architecture.
- Event Driven – Event-driven architecture, also called reactive or non-blocking architecture, is a popular choice for modern web application development. The system can handle huge concurrent connections while ensuring minimal resource consumption.
Modern applications require asynchronous models to scale. Web frameworks offer more reliable behavior in a distributed environment.
- Layered – The layered pattern is useful in structuring programs that segregate them into groups of subtasks. A particular level of abstraction provides services to the next higher layer.
- Hexagonal – The Hexagonal architecture offers three elements, ports, adapters, and domain. The aim of the architecture is to allow for the various components of the application to be independent and easy to test.
The pattern holds domain at its core, and that includes business logic. The out part includes ports and adapters. The ports work as API, as an interface. Any input to the app uses the interface.
Server Choice
- Client-Server – The architecture relies on the request-response model. The client generates and sends a request to the server, requesting information, and in return, the server responds with the appropriate function.
All websites that you use, made on whichever platform, use the client-server architecture.
- Peer-to-peer Network – Blockchain technology is now enabling a new type of networking where the computers, also called nodes in this context, communicate with one another without a central server. This method eradicates the issue of single-point failure.
Even when one of the computers or nodes stops working, the other members of the network will keep the communication going.
Choose between Single to N-tier Application
You can choose to create a single-tier application, two-tier application, three-tier application, or N-tier application, depending on your needs. If you want to prioritize zero network latency, choose the single-tier architecture
The two-tier application enables minimum network latency while offering more control over data within the application. The three-tier architecture is ideal for more control over app code or business logic while ensuring a secure final product. The n-tier application works best if you want to create an application that can scale and manage large amounts of data.
Final thoughts – Preparation at its finest
The IT Architecture decisions you make in haste will result in bigger problems in the future. Hiring a software architecture consultancy firm to help your business avoid later problems by handing you all the information you need to make better decisions for the future, today.
