Software architecture

Software architecture is an abstraction of the runtime elements of a software system during a phase of its operation. A system may be composed of many levels of abstraction and many phases of operation, each with its own software architecture.

Software architecture is defined by a configuration of architectural elements-components, connectors, and data-constrained in their relationships in order to achieve a desired set of architectural properties:

• Component: This is is an abstract unit of software instructions and the internal state that provides a transformation of data via its interface
• Connector : This is an abstract mechanism that mediates communication, coordination, or cooperation among components
• Data: This is an element of information that is transferred from a component, or received by a component, via its connector

The REST architectural style is a combination of several network architectures:

• Data-flow styles:
  • Pipe and filter
  • Uniform pipe and filter
• Replication styles:
  • Replicated repository
  • Cache

• Hierarchical styles:
  • Client-server
  • Layered systems and layered-client-server
  • Client-stateless-server
  • Client-cache-stateless-server
  • Layered-client-cache-stateless-server
  • Remote session
  • Remote data access
• Mobile code styles:
  • Virtual machine
  • Remote evaluation
  • Code-on-demand
  • Layered-code-on-demand-client-cache-stateless-server
  • Mobile agent
• Peer-to-peer styles:
  • Event-based integration
  • C2
  • Distributed objects
  • Brokered distributed objects