The pattern language of software architecture

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software-architecture design-patterns metapatterns distributed-systems educational-resource monolith

Summary

This article presents architectural metapatterns that generalize software architecture patterns into wider classes for local and distributed systems, illustrated with intuitive diagrams and outdated presentations.

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# The pattern language of software architecture Source: [https://metapatterns.io/](https://metapatterns.io/) Patterns of software architecture are all interrelated \(*no pattern is an island*\)\. You can rarely make a product in a pure architectural style, and the chances for it to survive undistorted over years are negligible\. Software grows iteratively and adapts to its environment\. [*Architectural Metapatterns*](https://leanpub.com/metapatterns)is all about patterns and their relations\. It generalizes hundreds of individual patterns into several wider classes \([*metapatterns*](https://metapatterns.io/introduction/metapatterns/)\) each of which can be applied to a local or distributed system to change its properties in a certain way\.*Rinse and repeat\.* The content is lavishly illustrated with[intuitive NoUML diagrams](https://metapatterns.io/introduction/about-this-book/#diagrams)\. It’s concise and AI\-free\. *Have a good time\!* [## Presentations \(outdated\)](https://speakerdeck.com/denyspoltorak)[![Patterns of Patterns](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/slides/Patterns.png)](https://speakerdeck.com/denyspoltorak/patterns-of-patterns-c322149c-fcdd-4df6-8c6c-f273c7ab17dd)[![Basic Architectures](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/slides/Basic.png)](https://speakerdeck.com/denyspoltorak/basic-architectures)[![Architectural Extensions](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/slides/Extensions.png)](https://speakerdeck.com/denyspoltorak/architectural-extensions-c3e506c0-6472-4e2c-8113-b3d8ffa20d63)[![Fragmented Architectures](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/slides/Fragmented.png)](https://speakerdeck.com/denyspoltorak/fragmented-architectures-bf4d129f-4cd1-46bf-9fb0-248879872b25)[![Implementation Patterns](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/slides/Implementation.png)](https://speakerdeck.com/denyspoltorak/implementation-patterns) --- [## Introduction](https://metapatterns.io/introduction/)[![There are too many patterns!](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/About.png)About this book](https://metapatterns.io/introduction/about-this-book/)[![Abstraction, subdomain, and sharding axes with the following text between them: your pattern here.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Metapatterns.png)Metapatterns](https://metapatterns.io/introduction/metapatterns/)[![A monolith, layers, plugins, a hierarchy, and services in a system of coordinates that shows partitioning into layers and subdomains.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Topologies.png)System topologies](https://metapatterns.io/introduction/system-topologies/)[## Foundations of software architecture](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/)[![Three components each encapsulating a graph of nodes.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Complexity.png)Modules and complexity](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/modules-and-complexity/)[![Messaging in a three-layered system with the lower layer making multiple calls to hardware.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Forces.png)Forces, asynchronicity, and distribution](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/forces--asynchronicity--and-distribution/)[![Control, interactive, streaming, and computational systems.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/4Kinds.png)Four kinds of software](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/four-kinds-of-software/)[![A client above three services with question marks between the components.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Communication.png)Arranging communication](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/arranging-communication/)[## Basic metapatterns](https://metapatterns.io/basic-metapatterns/)[![A monolithic system that blends application, domain rules, generic code, and data in a single component.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Monolith.png)Monolith](https://metapatterns.io/basic-metapatterns/monolith/)[![Interconnected shards.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Shards.png)Shards](https://metapatterns.io/basic-metapatterns/shards/)[![A system with three layers: application, domain, and database.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Layers.png)Layers](https://metapatterns.io/basic-metapatterns/layers/)[![Services Architecture.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Services.png)Services](https://metapatterns.io/basic-metapatterns/services/)[![A pipeline made from input, three processing steps, and output.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Pipeline.png)Pipeline](https://metapatterns.io/basic-metapatterns/pipeline/)[## Extension metapatterns](https://metapatterns.io/extension-metapatterns/)[![Services connected through a middleware.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Middleware.png)Middleware](https://metapatterns.io/extension-metapatterns/middleware/)[![Services accessing a shared repository.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Shared%20Repository.png)Shared Repository](https://metapatterns.io/extension-metapatterns/shared-repository/)[![A proxy between a client and services.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Proxy.png)Proxy](https://metapatterns.io/extension-metapatterns/proxy/)[![Orchestrated services.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Orchestrator.png)Orchestrator](https://metapatterns.io/extension-metapatterns/orchestrator/)[![Sandwich Architecture.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Sandwich.png)Sandwich](https://metapatterns.io/extension-metapatterns/sandwich/)[## Fragmented metapatterns](https://metapatterns.io/fragmented-metapatterns/)[![Three-layered services.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Layered%20Services.png)Layered Services](https://metapatterns.io/fragmented-metapatterns/layered-services/)[![Polyglot Persistence.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Polyglot%20Persistence.png)Polyglot Persistence](https://metapatterns.io/fragmented-metapatterns/polyglot-persistence/)[![Backends for Frontends.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Backends%20for%20Frontends.png)Backends for Frontends](https://metapatterns.io/fragmented-metapatterns/backends-for-frontends--bff-/)[![Service-Oriented Architecture comprises layers of services.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Service-Oriented%20Architecture.png)Service\-Oriented Architecture](https://metapatterns.io/fragmented-metapatterns/service-oriented-architecture--soa-/)[![A hierarchy with three layers. There is one component in the top layer, two components below it, and five components in the lowest layer.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Hierarchy.png)Hierarchy](https://metapatterns.io/fragmented-metapatterns/hierarchy/)[## Implementation metapatterns](https://metapatterns.io/implementation-metapatterns/)[![Plugin Architecture.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Plugins.png)Plugins](https://metapatterns.io/implementation-metapatterns/plugins/)[![Hexagonal Architecture with adapters between its core and input, output, database, and libraries.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Hexagonal%20Architecture.png)Hexagonal Architecture](https://metapatterns.io/implementation-metapatterns/hexagonal-architecture/)[![Applications running over a microkernel.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Microkernel.png)Microkernel](https://metapatterns.io/implementation-metapatterns/microkernel/)[![Applications connected through a mesh.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Mesh.png)Mesh](https://metapatterns.io/implementation-metapatterns/mesh/)[## Analytics](https://metapatterns.io/analytics/)[![Services sharing a dataset, a pipeline, dependency inversion in an operating system with device drivers, and an adapter between a client and a service.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Comparison.png)Comparison of architectural patterns](https://metapatterns.io/analytics/comparison-of-architectural-patterns/)[![Various systems called monoliths.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Ambiguous.png)Ambiguous patterns](https://metapatterns.io/analytics/ambiguous-patterns/)[![A cycle with the following architectures: monolith, layers, layered services, a sandwich cell interacting with orchestrated layered services, and layers with two databases.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Life%20cycle.png)Architecture and product life cycle](https://metapatterns.io/analytics/architecture-and-product-life-cycle/)[![Three services with queues of people and luggage above a transport layer with train stations and trains.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Real-world.png)Real\-world inspirations for architectural patterns](https://metapatterns.io/analytics/real-world-inspirations-for-architectural-patterns/)[![The pain level of maintaining a project depends on the project's size, with different architectures being optimal for different project sizes.](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Heart.png)The heart of software architecture](https://metapatterns.io/analytics/the-heart-of-software-architecture/)[## Appendices](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/)[Acknowledgements](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/acknowledgements/)[Books referenced](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/books-referenced/)[Copyright](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/copyright/)[Disclaimer](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/disclaimer/)[Evolutions of architectures](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/evolutions-of-architectures/)[Format of a metapattern](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/format-of-a-metapattern/)[Glossary](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/glossary/)[History of changes](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/history-of-changes/)[Index of patterns](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/index-of-patterns/) --- ## The map of system topologies ![The map of system topologies. The vertical asix is partitioning into layers, the horizontal axis is partitioning into services](https://metapatterns.io/diagrams/Web/Map.png) --- ## The book ![Cover of Architectural Metapatterns](https://metapatterns.io/cover.png)This website is an online version of my book*Architectural Metapatterns: The Pattern Language of Software Architecture*which can be downloaded from[GitHub](https://github.com/denyspoltorak/metapatterns)or[Leanpub](https://leanpub.com/metapatterns)\. It is a compendium of architectural patterns which sorts them out into a tree\-like hierarchy based on the pattern’s structure and function\. This[allows for grouping](https://metapatterns.io/introduction/metapatterns/)hundreds of patterns into less then 20 classes and exploring the common features, applicability, and performance of each class\. It also includes supplementary topics that range from the[discussion on the nature of complexity](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/modules-and-complexity/)to the comparison of[orchestration](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/arranging-communication/orchestration/),[choreography](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/arranging-communication/choreography/), and[integration through shared data](https://metapatterns.io/foundations-of-software-architecture/arranging-communication/shared-data/)\. Aside of that, there is a wide range of[evolutions](https://metapatterns.io/appendices/evolutions-of-architectures/)which show how a system may change under different forces\. *Architectural Metapatterns*is AI\-free, 440 pages long, and includes hundreds of[box\-and\-arrow diagrams](https://metapatterns.io/introduction/about-this-book/#diagrams)\. If you like the book or website, please tell your friends about them\.*Knowledge must be free\!*

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