At every point of a software project, there are decisions of great importance, but hardly any are as essential as the software architecture. Changing an existing software architecture is extremely complex.
How exactly a software system works is, at a fundamental level, a question of the various components and how they interact – how these are structured, in which hierarchy the elements are arranged, and how they relate to each other is defined in the software architecture. It is already evident here that the definition of software architecture is such a complex task in terms of structure that it is comparable to laying the foundation stone of a house.
Now, because of this general overview, the software architecture may be one of the less precise definitions within a software project, but as a rough superposition of finer plans, it is extremely important. Because changing a software architecture later requires a deep intervention in elements and relationships, while a well-planned software architecture can adequately reflect the orientation of the entire project.
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What is software design?
The software architecture is at the beginning of a software project and falls into the design phase from an organizational point of view. It is, so to speak, a structured record of the planned design and is an initial plan for the organization of a system.
Software design includes all activities that facilitate the transition from requirements specification to implementation. The main elements of the software design process include:
- Specification of software requirements. This document describes the expected behavior of the system in terms of functional and non-functional requirements.
- High-level design. The high-level design recognizes the modular structure of each subsystem and their interaction with each other.
- Detailed design. Detailed design involves the implementation of what is seen as a system and its subsystems into a high-level design. Follow the Axon website to get acquainted with our expertise.
A well-structured software architecture is definitely to be understood as a sign of the experience of a project team. The design as a visually easy-to-read diagram or the detailed documentation are the two most important forms of representation of the software architecture, and – depending on the project – both are common.
Because the software architecture can also be seen as an elaboration to meet the required specifications, it reflects basic strategic decisions, and helps the development team, but can also serve as an aid to customers or other stakeholders.
What is important to determine at the beginning of the project?
Of course, at the beginning of any project, many architectural decisions are made: how to store data, which programming language to choose, and which framework? But it is also important to understand what can still be changed in the early stages of a project. And only over time, do these solutions become a real architecture – one that is difficult to change.
From this position, not all initial decisions will seem so straightforward architectural. For example, choosing a key-value database is not a very fundamental decision since there are many similar databases, and you can replace one with another much more easily and inconspicuously. To do this before the release of the project in production is not at all difficult.
Here is a list of basic things, in order of their importance, that you should choose correctly initially and spend extra time on it:
- Data storage structure
- Programming language
- Development framework
Everything else, as a rule, can be changed or chosen along the way with much less responsibility. If your project lives long enough, then sooner or later, everything else will have to be changed and adapted.
About Author
Hi there! My name is Anna Sursaieva, and I am fond of software engineering. I like sharing my thoughts and explaining complex topics in simple terms. Hope that you’ll find my content interesting and useful. Dive into the software development world with me!
