Architecture Documentation Template Generator
Generate comprehensive architecture documentation for PHP projects.
Document Structure
# Architecture
## Overview
{high-level description}
## Directory Structure
{annotated project tree}
## System Context
{C4 context diagram}
## Architecture Layers
{layer descriptions}
## Components
{component descriptions}
## Data Flow
{sequence diagrams}
## Technology Stack
{technology decisions}
## Architecture Decisions
{link to ADRs}
## Deployment
{deployment diagram}
Section Templates
Directory Structure Section
## Directory Structure
project/ ├── src/ # Source code │ ├── Domain/ # Domain Layer (DDD) │ │ ├── Entity/ # Domain entities │ │ ├── ValueObject/ # Value objects │ │ ├── Repository/ # Repository interfaces │ │ ├── Service/ # Domain services │ │ └── Event/ # Domain events │ ├── Application/ # Application Layer │ │ ├── UseCase/ # Use cases / Commands / Queries │ │ ├── DTO/ # Data Transfer Objects │ │ └── Service/ # Application services │ ├── Infrastructure/ # Infrastructure Layer │ │ ├── Persistence/ # Repository implementations │ │ ├── Http/ # HTTP clients │ │ ├── Messaging/ # Queue adapters │ │ └── Cache/ # Cache adapters │ └── Presentation/ # Presentation Layer │ ├── Api/ # REST API (Actions, Requests, Responses) │ ├── Web/ # Web controllers │ └── Console/ # CLI commands ├── tests/ # Test suite │ ├── Unit/ # Unit tests (mirrors src/) │ ├── Integration/ # Integration tests │ └── Functional/ # E2E / Functional tests ├── config/ # Configuration files ├── public/ # Web root ├── docker/ # Docker configuration └── docs/ # Documentation ├── architecture/ # Architecture docs ├── adr/ # Architecture Decision Records └── api/ # API documentation
### Generation Command ```bash tree -L 3 -I 'vendor|node_modules|.git|var|cache' --dirsfirst
Annotation Rules
| Rule | Description |
|---|---|
| Layer name | Add DDD layer in comment |
| Purpose | Describe directory purpose |
| Depth | Max 3 levels in main docs |
| Details | Link to subdirectory READMEs |
### Overview Section
```markdown
## Overview
{Project Name} follows {Architecture Style} (e.g., Clean Architecture, DDD, Hexagonal).
### Key Principles
- **Separation of Concerns** — Each layer has distinct responsibility
- **Dependency Rule** — Dependencies point inward (Domain is center)
- **Testability** — Business logic isolated from infrastructure
- **Framework Independence** — Core logic doesn't depend on frameworks
### High-Level Structure
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Presentation Layer │ │ (Actions, Responders) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Application Layer │ │ (UseCases, Services) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Domain Layer │ │ (Entities, Value Objects, Events) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Infrastructure Layer │ │ (Repositories, Adapters, DB) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘
System Context Section
## System Context
```mermaid
flowchart TB
subgraph boundary["{System Name}"]
S[("{System}\n{Brief Description}")]
end
U1[("👤 {Actor 1}")]
U2[("👤 {Actor 2}")]
ES1[("📦 {External System 1}")]
ES2[("📦 {External System 2}")]
U1 -->|"{interaction}"| S
U2 -->|"{interaction}"| S
S -->|"{integration}"| ES1
S -->|"{integration}"| ES2
Actors
| Actor | Description |
|---|---|
| {Actor 1} | {Description} |
| {Actor 2} | {Description} |
External Systems
| System | Purpose | Integration |
|---|---|---|
| {System 1} | {Purpose} | {Protocol/API} |
| {System 2} | {Purpose} | {Protocol/API} |
### Architecture Layers Section ```markdown ## Architecture Layers ### Presentation Layer **Responsibility:** Handle HTTP requests and responses **Components:** - `Api/` — REST API endpoints (Actions + Responders) - `Web/` — Web interface (Actions + Responders) - `Console/` — CLI commands **Rules:** - No business logic - Validate input - Call Application layer - Format output ### Application Layer **Responsibility:** Orchestrate business operations **Components:** - `UseCase/` — Application-specific business rules - `Service/` — Cross-cutting application services - `DTO/` — Data transfer objects **Rules:** - Orchestrate Domain objects - Handle transactions - No infrastructure concerns ### Domain Layer **Responsibility:** Core business logic **Components:** - `Entity/` — Business objects with identity - `ValueObject/` — Immutable value concepts - `Event/` — Domain events - `Repository/` — Repository interfaces - `Service/` — Domain services **Rules:** - No external dependencies - Pure business logic - Self-validating objects ### Infrastructure Layer **Responsibility:** Technical implementations **Components:** - `Persistence/` — Repository implementations - `Adapter/` — External service adapters - `Cache/` — Caching implementations - `Queue/` — Queue implementations **Rules:** - Implement Domain interfaces - Handle technical concerns - No business logic
Components Section
## Components
```mermaid
flowchart TB
subgraph presentation[Presentation Layer]
AC[Action]
RS[Responder]
end
subgraph application[Application Layer]
UC[UseCase]
AS[AppService]
end
subgraph domain[Domain Layer]
EN[Entity]
VO[ValueObject]
DE[DomainEvent]
RI[Repository<br/>Interface]
end
subgraph infrastructure[Infrastructure Layer]
RP[Repository<br/>Impl]
AD[Adapter]
CA[Cache]
end
AC --> UC
UC --> EN
UC --> RI
RP -.-> RI
RP --> CA
Component Descriptions
| Component | Layer | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Action | Presentation | HTTP request handling |
| Responder | Presentation | HTTP response building |
| UseCase | Application | Business operation orchestration |
| Entity | Domain | Business object with identity |
| ValueObject | Domain | Immutable value concept |
| Repository | Infrastructure | Data persistence |
### Data Flow Section
```markdown
## Data Flow
### {Operation Name} Flow
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
participant C as Client
participant A as Action
participant U as UseCase
participant E as Entity
participant R as Repository
participant D as Database
C->>A: {Request}
A->>A: Validate & Map to DTO
A->>U: Execute(dto)
U->>R: find(id)
R->>D: SELECT
D-->>R: row
R-->>U: entity
U->>E: {operation}()
E-->>U: result
U->>R: save(entity)
R->>D: UPDATE
D-->>R: ok
U-->>A: Result
A->>A: Build Response
A-->>C: {Response}
### Technology Stack Section ```markdown ## Technology Stack | Layer | Technology | Purpose | |-------|------------|---------| | Language | PHP 8.5 | Type safety, modern features | | Framework | Symfony 7.x | HTTP, DI, Console | | ORM | Doctrine 3.x | Database abstraction | | Database | PostgreSQL 16 | Primary storage | | Cache | Redis 7.x | Session, cache | | Queue | RabbitMQ 3.x | Async processing | | API | OpenAPI 3.1 | API specification | ### Technology Decisions | Decision | Rationale | |----------|-----------| | PostgreSQL over MySQL | JSONB support, better type system | | Symfony over Laravel | More explicit, better DI | | Redis over Memcached | Data structures, persistence |
ADR Link Section
## Architecture Decisions Key decisions are documented as ADRs: | ADR | Status | Title | |-----|--------|-------| | [ADR-001](docs/adr/001-use-ddd.md) | Accepted | Use DDD Architecture | | [ADR-002](docs/adr/002-cqrs.md) | Accepted | Implement CQRS | | [ADR-003](docs/adr/003-event-sourcing.md) | Proposed | Consider Event Sourcing |
Complete Example
# Architecture ## Overview Order Management System follows Domain-Driven Design with Clean Architecture principles. ### Key Principles - **Domain-Centric** — Business logic in Domain layer - **Dependency Inversion** — Abstractions over implementations - **Bounded Contexts** — Order, Inventory, Shipping ## Directory Structure
order-management/ ├── src/ │ ├── Order/ # Order Bounded Context │ │ ├── Domain/ # Domain Layer │ │ ├── Application/ # Application Layer │ │ ├── Infrastructure/ # Infrastructure Layer │ │ └── Presentation/ # Presentation Layer │ ├── Inventory/ # Inventory Bounded Context │ └── Shipping/ # Shipping Bounded Context ├── tests/ ├── config/ └── docs/
## System Context
```mermaid
flowchart TB
subgraph boundary["Order Management System"]
S[("📦 OMS\nManages orders lifecycle")]
end
Customer[("👤 Customer")]
Admin[("👤 Admin")]
Payment[("💳 Payment Gateway")]
Shipping[("🚚 Shipping Provider")]
Customer -->|"Place orders"| S
Admin -->|"Manage orders"| S
S -->|"Process payments"| Payment
S -->|"Ship orders"| Shipping
Architecture Layers
[... layer descriptions ...]
Technology Stack
| Layer | Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Language | PHP 8.5 | Type safety |
| Framework | Symfony 7.2 | HTTP, DI |
| Database | PostgreSQL 16 | Storage |
| Cache | Redis 7.4 | Performance |
| Queue | RabbitMQ 3.13 | Async |
Architecture Decisions
## Generation Instructions When generating ARCHITECTURE.md: 1. **Analyze** project structure for layer organization 2. **Identify** architectural style (DDD, Clean, Hexagonal) 3. **Map** components to layers 4. **Create** context diagram with actors/systems 5. **Generate** component diagram 6. **List** technology stack from `composer.json` 7. **Link** existing ADRs if present