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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

4 terms shown.

Term Kind Topic What it is
Big Ball of Mud concept Modularity A system with no discernible structure, where every change requires understanding everything - usually the result of many locally rational decisions.
Information Hiding concept Modularity Designing module boundaries around the decisions most likely to change, so that a change is contained within one module.
Modularity via the Modular Monolith Modulith pattern Modularity A single deployable unit with strictly enforced internal module boundaries — the default most organisations should exhaust before distributing.
Replaceability Test Swap Test, Modularity Evidence practice Modularity The evidence-based check for whether a boundary is real - not how many services exist, but whether one implementation could be swapped without touching the others, and whether it ever has been.