Architectural considerations for new software projects
Planning to embark on a new software project? This guide outlines the key architectural and technical considerations to keep in mind.
Building a new service or product is an exciting journey that comes with its share of challenges and decisions. One of the crucial early steps is properly defining its architectural components. This is the set of considerations and questions I work through when starting a new service.
Architectural components
The core components to consider:
- Frontend. The user interface of your service.
- Backend/API. The server-side logic.
- Database. Where you'll store your data.
Optional components
- CDN. For distributing static assets.
- Load balancer. For traffic distribution.
- In-memory data store (e.g. Redis). For caching and quick retrieval.
- Queue service. For asynchronous tasks.
- Monitoring and logging. For performance tracking and debugging.
- Third-party APIs. For additional functionality like payments.
Questions to answer
What is the core functionality of the service?
What architectural pattern suits it - microservices, monolith?
What database suits your needs? SQL? NoSQL?
Do you need real-time features, and how will you implement them?
What third-party services will you need - payment gateways, email?
How will you handle authentication and authorization?
What are your caching strategies?
Do you require a CDN for asset delivery?
How will you monitor the health of your service?
What is your strategy for scaling the service?
Answering these upfront is how you avoid the obvious pitfalls and end up with something that holds up under load and stays maintainable.
AA
Ahmed Atef
Founder and software engineer, London.