How do you apply common solution architecture patterns?

1 Layered pattern

The layered pattern is one of the most basic and common solution architecture patterns. It divides a solution into separate layers that have specific responsibilities and communicate with each other through well-defined interfaces. For example, a typical web application may have a presentation layer, a business logic layer, a data access layer, and a data layer. The layered pattern helps to achieve separation of concerns, modularity, reusability, and maintainability. To apply the layered pattern, you need to identify the core functionalities of your solution, group them into logical layers, and define the contracts and protocols between the layers.

2 Event-driven pattern

The event-driven pattern is a solution architecture pattern that enables asynchronous, decoupled, and scalable communication between components. It relies on events as the primary means of data exchange and coordination. An event is a notification that something has happened or a request for something to happen. For example, a user action, a system state change, or a message from another component can trigger an event. The event-driven pattern helps to achieve high availability, fault tolerance, and responsiveness. To apply the event-driven pattern, you need to identify the sources and consumers of events, design the event schema and format, and choose the appropriate event processing and delivery mechanisms.

3 Microservices pattern

The microservices pattern is a solution architecture pattern that decomposes a complex solution into smaller, independent, and loosely coupled services that communicate with each other through lightweight protocols. Each service is responsible for a single business capability or domain and has its own data store, logic, and deployment. The microservices pattern helps to achieve agility, scalability, and resilience. To apply the microservices pattern, you need to identify the bounded contexts and domains of your solution, design the service interfaces and contracts, and implement the service discovery, orchestration, and monitoring mechanisms.

4 Serverless pattern

The serverless pattern is a solution architecture pattern that leverages the cloud computing model of providing on-demand, managed, and pay-per-use services without requiring the management of servers or infrastructure. It enables the development and deployment of solutions that are composed of functions, events, and services that are triggered by external events or requests. The serverless pattern helps to achieve cost efficiency, scalability, and simplicity. To apply the serverless pattern, you need to identify the functions and events that constitute your solution, design the function logic and parameters, and choose the appropriate cloud services and platforms.

5 CQRS pattern

The CQRS pattern is a solution architecture pattern that separates the read and write operations of a data store into different models and interfaces. It stands for Command Query Responsibility Segregation and it is based on the principle that different types of queries require different types of data structures and optimizations. The CQRS pattern helps to achieve performance, scalability, and consistency. To apply the CQRS pattern, you need to identify the read and write scenarios of your solution, design the command and query models and interfaces, and implement the synchronization and validation mechanisms.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?