Terminology

2205 terms, tools, patterns and metrics an architect is expected to use precisely. Each one gets a short explanation of what it is, and — where it matters — what it is commonly confused with. Search filters as you type; the column headers sort.

All areas2205 Architecture Fundamentals77 Distributed Systems107 Data Architecture110 Cloud Architecture94 Networking88 API & Integration Architecture82 Reliability & Resilience75 Observability70 Performance & Capacity Engineering72 Security Architecture86 Cost Architecture & FinOps71 Business Architecture67 Architecture Communication67 Enterprise Architecture66 Legacy Modernization71 AI-Era Architecture69 Software Architecture & Engineering71 Architecture Patterns71 Architecture Decision-Making63 The Architect's Meta-Skills61 Delivery & Release Engineering66 Platform Engineering & Developer Experience70 Testing & Quality Architecture66 Data Platform Architecture64 Streaming & Real-Time Data69 Data Governance & Semantics69 Frontend & Experience Architecture66 Edge, Mobile & IoT68 Regulatory & Data Protection Architecture65 Assurance, Audit & Model Risk64

Kind Any concept794 practice734 pattern368 metric125 case-study77 tool62 protocol45

6 terms shown.

Term	Kind	Topic	What it is
Architecture Fitness Test Dependency Rule Test, Architecture Unit Test, Boundary Enforcement	practice	Modular Monolith	An automated check in the build that fails when code violates the intended module dependency rules - the mechanism that decides whether architectural boundaries survive schedule pressure or erode within months.
Modular Monolith Boundaries	pattern	Modular Monolith	A single deployable unit with strictly enforced internal module boundaries, giving domain separation without distribution.
Module Dependency Enforcement	practice	Modular Monolith	Automated checks that prevent one module from importing another's internals, giving a monolith the boundary discipline of separate services.
Module Public Surface Module Exported Surface, Module Entry Points	concept	Modular Monolith	The set of types a module lets other modules reach, which decides how much of it can be rewritten or extracted without touching anyone else's code.
Shopify: A Monolith That Scaled Packwerk, Shopify Pods	case-study	Modular Monolith	Shopify kept its Rails monolith and invested in enforced internal boundaries and horizontal sharding, rather than decomposing into microservices.
Sync Engine Local-First Sync, Client Database Replication, Delta Sync	pattern	Modular Monolith	A client-side database kept continuously in sync with the server through deltas, so every read and write is local and instantaneous - moving the network off the interaction critical path entirely.