Introduction

In a constantly evolving digital landscape, user requirements and technological constraints proliferate. A thoughtful application architecture does more than organize code: it defines a holistic strategy to decouple responsibilities and optimize performance, scalability, and resilience. This engineering discipline is essential for organizations aiming to stay competitive and agile.

Foundations and Definitions

Application architecture encompasses the rules, components, and interfaces that structure an application. It includes:

• Separation of Concerns: Breaking the application into modules or layers with clear responsibilities to simplify understanding, testing, and maintenance.
• Modularity: Designing independent, reusable components that can be deployed and updated in isolation.
• Design Patterns: Applying proven models—such as Model-View-Controller, layered architectures, or microservices—to standardize and streamline software structure.

Together, these principles enable flexible environments where technical evolution and functional changes integrate smoothly.

Choosing an Application Architecture is a pivotal decision impacting team structure, workflows, technology choices, skill requirements, and interactions with internal users, clients, and partners. So, which application architecture in 2021?

Preface

This article focuses not on technology vendors or platforms but on architectural choices. Given the multitude of technical solutions across diverse scenarios, covering them all in one piece is impossible. Future posts will address specific technologies, which are equally important.