How can you keep your software architecture simple and easy to maintain?

Better yet, use a powerful programming language such as Common Lisp that enables you to implement almost any "pattern" as a reusable library, once and for all. Common Lisp's powerful macros feature, for instance, allows one to easily design, implement, use and share their own higher-level control structures instead of manually writing out common "patterns" again and again. The Meta-Object Protocol, an even more powerful feature, allows one to seamlessly extend the object system with new capabilities. For instance, an easy way to canonicalize object slot initargs has been implemented as a library. It's worth noting that many common "design patterns" are simply absent in Common Lisp, having been subsumed by reusable programming constructs.

Utilize common patterns like MVC: By following established patterns like Model-View-Controller, you can simplify your software architecture. Following industry standards like RESTful API guidelines ensures consistency and compatibility across your software components Applying SOLID principles of object-oriented design promotes a modular and maintainable software architecture Thorough documentation of your software architecture helps team members understand the system and make future maintenance tasks more manageable Strive to keep your software architecture simple by avoiding unnecessary complexity and abstraction Continuously review your software architecture for opportunities to refactor and improve its simplicity and maintainability

One piece of advice that I consistently emphasize in my discussions about choosing the perfect architecture is the recognition that not all applications require extensive teachings on complex architectures and rigid software patterns. It's crucial to first understand the importance of architecture and its application. For instance, I wouldn't advocate implementing a Clean Architecture in a project like a landing page or a calculator just because someone else is using it or because Amazon employs Clean Architecture. We should steer clear of overengineering simply to follow a hype trend.

Keep it simple and minimal; resist the urge to blindly follow the hype around adopting the most extravagant architecture in the market. Understand why architecture X or Y will impact your application. MVC is the minimum, Clean Architecture is intermediate, and Microservices/Frontends represent the maximum. However, the decision is yours; don't follow anyone blindly. Choose based on the specific needs of your application, without being swayed by passing trends.

Leverage well-established design patterns and adhere to industry standards. This ensures a recognizable and proven structure for your software, making it easier for developers to understand and maintain.

In software architecture, maintaining high modularity and separating concerns are crucial. Imagine a scenario where your system architecture tightly couples the user interface with business logic, lacking any separation of concerns. Any modifications to the codebase would necessitate extensive testing of the entire system. However, with well-defined separations such as in the MVC pattern, developers would only need to test specific sections, saving time and effort. Beyond testing, consider the myriad challenges stemming from tightly coupled systems, including regression issues that arise. In today's vast landscape of IT, separating concerns isn't just a luxury; it's an essential strategy for managing enterprise-scale products effectively.

Divide your software into modular components, each handling a specific concern or responsibility. This separation enhances code clarity, simplifies debugging, and allows for easier updates or modifications to specific functionalities without affecting the entire system.

Separating concerns and responsibilities enhances modularity, cohesion, and testability of software, while reducing coupling, complexity, and fragility. This is achieved by assigning a single, clear purpose to each component or layer and minimizing cross-dependencies.

Separation of concerns is one of the foundations of microservices. This is particularly a useful decoupling when refactoring and re-building an app. Let's say that you have a microservice architecture and one of the services is in charge of sending email notifications. It has a well-defined function, to send emails given a message from some other service. As it is well defined, you can re-write it completely independently from the whole system, as long as it keeps the same definition, you can use TDD for this too. What if it is too slow and you need to optimize it? no problem, you can re-write it in a completely different language that is faster and more efficient.

Separating concerns and responsibilities in software architecture promotes clarity and modularity. Each module or component focuses on a single responsibility and this makes it easier to test and modify it without impacting other parts of the system. Since individual components can be replaced or modified independently, this ensures code reuse and promotes scalability.

I've heard this before, when a junior sees a senior's code: I could write this! it's too simple! well, turns out that writing simple, direct code, is difficult, and this applies too to designing a good architecture. If you want to create good architecture, make it simple to understand, don't give unexpected surprises with an obscure design, this will slow down your team and their ability to contribute to the project. No amount of documentation can replace a good old proven design pattern.

Design your software in a way that aligns with users' and developers' expectations. This principle minimizes surprises, reduces the likelihood of errors, and enhances the overall usability of the system.

Following the Principle of Least Astonishment means ensuring your software behaves in a consistent, predictable, and intuitive manner for both users and developers. This involves avoiding surprises, ambiguities, and inconsistencies, using meaningful and consistent naming for components, and thoroughly documenting assumptions and decisions. Adhering to established programming language, framework, and domain conventions enhances usability, readability, and maintainability.

Notice that this isn't saying be clever, cryptic or trying to cram as much code as you can into a single line. This principle isn't exactly going to make your code magical and might seem boring. However, if you are the reader, you are going to enjoy the ease of reading and the simplicity of the statements spelled out for you. You will also find code to be "elegant". Sure it might be a few lines longer, but that extra time to be clear is going to save you, and others in the future, a ton of time when extending that code. You wouldn't believe how many "clever" systems I have had to rewrite with a simple loop or a few nicely written expressions.

Embrace simplicity in your software architecture. Avoid unnecessary complexity or features that don't significantly contribute to the system's functionality. A simpler design is easier to understand, reducing the chances of errors and making maintenance more straightforward.

Keeping your software architecture simple and minimal involves avoiding unnecessary complexity and redundancy, adhering to the YAGNI (You Aren't Gonna Need It) and KISS principles. Resist the urge to over-engineer or overly complicate your software. Regularly refactor code to remove dead code, unused dependencies, or duplicate logic. This approach enhances performance, reliability, and security.

Any new component increases a system's complexity quadtratically. Therefore, it should be well reasoned and necessary. Unix philosophy states: Do one thing, and do it well.

Regularly review your software architecture with team members. Solicit feedback to identify potential improvements, catch issues early in the development process, and ensure a shared understanding among team members.

Keep your architecture reviewable by providing devs and all stakeholders with relevant views. Many aspects can and should be kept using the docs and arch-as-code approches where I rely on templates like the MADR (Markdown Any Decision Record) and the Arc42 document structure.

Adapting and evolving your software architecture to meet the ever-changing needs, requirements, and environment ensures your software remains relevant, effective, and efficient over time. Treat your architecture not as a static product but as a dynamic, iterative process open to improvement, new ideas, technologies, and opportunities. This flexibility allows your software to grow and adapt, maintaining its long-term value and utility.

Certain features of your architecture should be more concrete in nature so that the rest of the architecture can evolve easily with time and according to changing needs. For example, particular attention should be paid to high level interfaces, base classes, dependency injection, package management, and configuration management in most architectures. If you get these right, your architecture as well as the solution will be able to evolve over time with relative ease. However, if you cut corners in the key areas of your architecture, your solution will more than likely suffer from one or more of the six design smells, and you will spend a lot more time and effort in the development and the maintenance of your solution than necessary.

Be open to adapting your software architecture as requirements change or new insights emerge. A flexible architecture can evolve over time, allowing your system to stay relevant and making it easier to maintain in the face of changing needs.

How to keep your architecture simple? Try explaining it to someone who is unfamiliar with it. If you have trouble even explaining your architecture, then it is probably overly complicated. Even the most complex ideas can be broken down into simple ideas that are easy to explain. If you either don't understand the architecture enough or will take you hours to explain, re-evaluate your design.