FA-0808Software Development

Software Architecture: Design Principles

Introduction

Why this course

Explore software architecture styles, modularity and quality concerns through discussion and case analysis. Eight sessions connect design choices to scalability, performance, security, resilience, integration and change.

This two-day foundation develops analysis and design reasoning. It does not guarantee robust, secure production systems or independent implementation of every pattern discussed.

Learning outcomes

Explain architecture responsibilities and compare major styles and their trade-offs.
Distinguish architectural styles from object-oriented design patterns.
Propose modular interfaces and manage dependencies and coupling.
Evaluate scalability, performance, security and resilience needs.
Compare messaging, APIs and event-driven integration choices.
Critique designs and propose maintainable evolutionary changes.

Prerequisites

Basic understanding of software development concepts and practices

Familiarity with at least one programming language

Some exposure to software design and development projects

Training outline

8 modules

01Architecture foundations4 topics

Understanding the importance of software architecture
Roles and responsibilities of a software architect
Key principles and goals of software architecture
Types of software architecture (monolithic, client-server, microservices, etc.)

02Styles and implementation patterns4 topics

Overview of commonly used architectural styles (layered, event-driven, MVC, etc.)
Relating object-oriented design patterns (singleton, factory, observer) to implementation; distinguish them from architectural styles
Selecting the appropriate architectural style for a given scenario
Case analysis of architectural styles and patterns

03Modularity and components4 topics

Principles of modularity in software architecture
Benefits and challenges of component-based design
Designing modular systems using interfaces and components
Managing dependencies and achieving loose coupling

04Scalability and performance4 topics

Understanding scalability and performance requirements
Strategies for scaling software systems (horizontal vs. vertical scaling)
Techniques for optimizing performance (caching, indexing, load balancing, etc.)
Examples and trade-offs in scalable and performance-oriented architectures

05Security in architecture4 topics

Importance of security in software systems
Common security vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies
Secure design principles and practices (authentication, authorization, encryption)
Evaluating secure architectural patterns and implementation considerations

06Resilience and fault tolerance4 topics

Designing for resilience and fault tolerance
Handling failures and mitigating their impact
Redundancy and failover mechanisms: benefits, costs and limits
Case analysis of resilience and failure handling

07Integration and communication4 topics

Strategies for integrating software components and systems
Message-based integration (message queues, publish-subscribe)
API design and RESTful principles
Event-driven architecture and event sourcing as distinct design options

08Evolutionary design4 topics

Understanding the need for adaptable and evolutionary architectures
Designing for change and maintainability
Refactoring and architectural refactoring techniques
Strategies for introducing architectural changes in legacy systems

A programme built around your team.

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