Architecture Document Structure
Your architecture must contain the following sections:
1. Task Description
Link to TASK and brief summary of requirements
2. Functional Architecture
Description of the system in terms of functions it performs.
2.1. Functional Components
For each functional component describe:
Component Name: [Example, "User Management"]
Purpose: [Why this component is needed]
Functions:
- •
Function 1: [Description]
- •Input: [what accepts]
- •Output: [what returns]
- •Related Use Cases: [UC-01, UC-03]
- •
Function 2: [Description]
- •Input: [what accepts]
- •Output: [what returns]
- •Related Use Cases: [UC-02]
Dependencies:
- •Depends on which other components
- •Which components depend on it
2.2. Functional Components Diagram
[Mermaid diagram showing connections between components]
3. System Architecture
Description of the system in terms of physical/logical components.
3.1. Architectural Style
Which architectural pattern is used:
- •Monolith
- •Microservices
- •Layered Architecture
- •Event-driven
- •Etc.
Justification: [Why this style was chosen]
3.2. System Components
For each system component describe:
Component Name: [Example, "User Service"]
Type: [Backend service / Frontend / Database / Message Queue / etc.]
Purpose: [Why needed]
Implemented Functions: [Links to functions from functional architecture]
Technologies: [Programming language, frameworks]
Interfaces:
- •Inbound: [Who and how accesses this component]
- •Outbound: [Who and how this component accesses]
Dependencies:
- •External libraries
- •Other system components
- •External services
3.3. Components Diagram
[Mermaid diagram showing components and their interaction]
4. Data Model
Description of data structure in the system.
4.1. Conceptual Data Model
Description of main entities and their relationships at a high level.
Entities:
Entity: [Name, e.g., "User"]
Description: [What this entity represents]
Attributes:
- •
id(UUID) — unique identifier - •
email(String, unique) — user email - •
password_hash(String) — password hash - •
created_at(DateTime) — creation date - •
status(Enum: pending, active, blocked) — account status
Relationships:
- •One User has many Sessions (1:N)
- •One User has one Profile (1:1)
Business Rules:
- •Email must be unique
- •Password must be at least 8 characters
- •Default status — pending
Entity: [Next entity]
...
4.2. Logical Data Model
More detailed description considering storage technology.
For Relational DB:
Table: users
| Column | Type | Constraints | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | UUID | PRIMARY KEY | Unique identifier |
| VARCHAR(255) | UNIQUE, NOT NULL | User email | |
| password_hash | VARCHAR(255) | NOT NULL | Bcrypt password hash |
| created_at | TIMESTAMP | NOT NULL, DEFAULT NOW() | Creation date |
| updated_at | TIMESTAMP | NOT NULL, DEFAULT NOW() | Update date |
| status | VARCHAR(20) | NOT NULL, DEFAULT 'pending' | Account status |
Indexes:
- •PRIMARY KEY on
id - •UNIQUE INDEX on
email - •INDEX on
status(for filtering)
Foreign Keys:
- •None
For NoSQL DB:
Collection: users
{
"_id": "ObjectId",
"email": "string (unique)",
"password_hash": "string",
"created_at": "ISODate",
"updated_at": "ISODate",
"status": "string (enum: pending, active, blocked)",
"profile": {
"first_name": "string",
"last_name": "string",
"avatar_url": "string"
},
"sessions": [
{
"token": "string",
"created_at": "ISODate",
"expires_at": "ISODate"
}
]
}
Indexes:
- •Unique index on
email - •Index on
status - •TTL index on
sessions.expires_at
4.3. Data Model Diagram
[ER-diagram in PlantUML format] Example: ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ User │ │ Session │ ├─────────────┤ ├─────────────┤ │ id (PK) │────────<│ user_id(FK) │ │ email │ 1:N │ token │ │ password │ │ expires_at │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘
4.4. Migrations and Versioning
Migration Strategy: [How DB schema changes will be executed]
For modification of existing system:
- •Which tables/collections to add
- •Which fields to add to existing tables
- •Which indexes to create
- •Data migration plan (if needed)
5. Interfaces
5.1. External APIs
For each external API describe:
API: [Name, e.g. "User Management API"]
Protocol: REST / GraphQL / gRPC / WebSocket
Base URL: /api/v1/users
Authentication: JWT Bearer Token
Endpoints:
POST /register
Description: New user registration
Related Use Case: UC-01
Request:
{
"email": "string (required, email format)",
"password": "string (required, min 8 chars)",
"password_confirmation": "string (required)"
}
Response 201 Created:
{
"user_id": "uuid",
"email": "string",
"status": "pending",
"message": "Confirmation email sent"
}
Response 400 Bad Request:
{
"error": "validation_error",
"details": {
"email": ["Email already exists"],
"password": ["Password too short"]
}
}
Response 500 Internal Server Error:
{
"error": "internal_error",
"message": "Failed to send confirmation email"
}
GET /users/{id}
[Description of next endpoint]
5.2. Internal Interfaces
Description of interaction between system components.
Interface: UserService → EmailService
Protocol: Message Queue (RabbitMQ)
Exchange: notifications
Routing Key: email.confirmation
Message Format:
{
"user_id": "uuid",
"email": "string",
"confirmation_token": "string",
"template": "user_confirmation"
}
5.3. Integrations with External Systems
If system integrates with external services:
Integration: Email Service (SendGrid)
Purpose: Sending email notifications
Protocol: REST API
Authentication: API Key
Endpoints Used:
- •POST /v3/mail/send — send email
Error Handling:
- •Retry with exponential backoff
- •Maximum 3 attempts
- •Logging of failed sends
6. Technology Stack
6.1. Backend
Programming Language: [Python / Java / Node.js / etc.]
Framework: [Django / Spring Boot / Express / etc.]
Justification: [Why these technologies were chosen]
6.2. Frontend (if applicable)
Framework: [React / Vue / Angular / etc.]
Justification:
6.3. Database
Type: [PostgreSQL / MongoDB / Redis / etc.]
Justification:
6.4. Infrastructure
Containerization: Docker
Orchestration: Kubernetes / Docker Compose
Message Queue: RabbitMQ / Kafka / Redis
Caching: Redis / Memcached
Monitoring: Prometheus + Grafana
Logging: ELK Stack / Loki
6.5. For Modification of Existing Project
Used Technologies: [List of technologies already in project]
New Technologies: [What needs to be added and why]
Compatibility: [How new technologies integrate with existing ones]
7. Security
7.1. Authentication and Authorization
Auth Mechanism: JWT / OAuth 2.0 / Session-based
Password Storage: Bcrypt / Argon2
Session Management:
- •Token lifetime
- •Refresh tokens
- •Token revocation mechanism
7.2. Data Protection
Encryption:
- •At rest: DB encryption
- •In transit: TLS/SSL
Personal Data:
- •What data is considered personal
- •How it is protected
- •GDPR compliance (if applicable)
7.3. Attack Protection
OWASP Top 10:
- •SQL Injection: using parameterized queries
- •XSS: input sanitization
- •CSRF: CSRF tokens
- •Etc.
Rate Limiting:
- •Request limits
- •DDoS protection
8. Scalability and Performance
8.1. Scaling Strategy
Horizontal Scaling:
- •Which components can be scaled horizontally
- •How load balancing is ensured
Vertical Scaling:
- •Which components require vertical scaling
8.2. Caching
What is cached:
- •Static data
- •Frequent query results
- •User sessions
Cache Invalidation Strategy:
8.3. DB Optimization
Indexes: [Which indexes are critical for performance]
Partitioning: [If applicable]
Replication: [Master-Slave, Master-Master]
9. Reliability and Fault Tolerance
9.1. Error Handling
Strategy:
- •Graceful degradation
- •Circuit breaker pattern
- •Retry logic
9.2. Backup
What is backed up:
- •Database
- •User files
- •Configuration
Backup Frequency:
Backup Storage:
9.3. Monitoring and Alerting
Metrics:
- •API response time
- •Error count
- •Resource usage
Alerts:
- •Conditions for sending
- •Where sent
10. Deployment
10.1. Environments
Development: [Description of dev environment]
Staging: [Description of staging environment]
Production: [Description of prod environment]
10.2. CI/CD Pipeline
Stages:
- •Build
- •Unit Tests
- •Integration Tests
- •Deploy to Staging
- •E2E Tests
- •Deploy to Production
Tools:
- •CI/CD: GitHub Actions / GitLab CI / Jenkins
- •Deployment: Kubernetes / Docker Swarm / AWS ECS
10.3. Configuration
Configuration Management:
- •Environment variables
- •Config files
- •Secrets management (Vault / AWS Secrets Manager)
10.4. Deployment Instructions
For New Project:
- •Step 1: [Description]
- •Step 2: [Description] ...
For Modification of Existing Project:
- •Step 1: [Description of changes]
- •Step 2: [DB migrations]
- •Step 3: [Configuration update] ...
11. Open Questions
List of questions requiring clarification from user.