Software Architecture: Foundations, Theory, and Practice

Chapter 3. Basic Concepts

The preceding chapters informally discussed a number of software architectural notions, such as software components and connectors; their configurations in a given system; relationships between a system's requirements, its architecture, and its implementation; and software product lines. These ideas served to provide context for the field of software architecture, situate it within other facets of software engineering, and motivate its unique role and importance. Indeed, we have generally avoided definitions of terms in the hope that the reader will more readily recognize many of the discussed concepts within his own experience, or be able to relate the architectural concepts to those with which he is already familiar.

While informal terms have a useful role in introducing concepts, the uncertainties that result can hinder deeper understanding. Hence, the objective of this chapter is to define the key terms and ideas from the field of software architecture, providing a uniform basis for their discussion in the remainder of the book. Key elements of architecture-centric design and their interrelationships, basic techniques and processes for developing a software system's architecture, and the relevant stakeholders and their roles in architecture-based software development are presented and illustrated with simple examples.

Outline of Chapter 3

• 3 Basic Concepts

  • 3.1 Terminology

    • 3.1.1 Architecture

    • 3.1.2 Component

    • 3.1.3 Connector

    • 3.1.4 Configuration

    • 3.1.5 Architectural ...