Definitions of software architecture

Tools like those from CAST are cost effective because they can identify AND fix design flaws throughout the entire software architecture design process — including at the start when it is best to find and fix problems. Or tools perform architecture risk analysis, threat modeling, and more to help find, fix, and redesign software architecture.

Organizations that fail to use the proper software architecture design tools might be surprised at the problems that are able to pop up later — sometimes fatally. There are faults in software architecture that can go unnoticed for some time, but eventually, they will emerge. The question is how much risk and how much work was put into place before it was noticed? This can impact bottom lines and hurt safety and reputations of companies.

All of the effort, analysis, hard work, and insightful design on the part of the architecture team will have been wasted. To prevent application decay, delivery teams must put in place a software intelligence platform. CAST structural analysis engine, the Application Intelligence Platform, look at how software components interact then creates a visual representation to provides insight to developers or new team members that help them better understand, support, and continue to develop the application.

Request to be Called Back. Schedule your Personal Tour. Products Rapid analysis. CAST Highlight. Malicious software: Malicious software is purposely created. Harm is also caused unknown to consumers who have installed malware unintentionally because this kind of program typically works in secrecy.

The second and third phases in the overall Program Design Life Cycle, following the initial review of specifications, are design and deployment. Software architecture attempts to determine how to satisfy them after user specifications are identified. A software architecture requires a description of the software configuration to be applied, data structures, interfaces between device elements, and possibly the software engineer's algorithms used.

The specification method converts user specifications into an acceptable shape, supporting the computer programmer's software coding and execution. The software engineers iteratively build the software design and can correct the design as they refine it.

A software license is a document that contains directions and is legally binding on the use and distribution of software. Typically, software licenses provide consumers a right to one or more software versions without breaking copyright. Besides, the license specifies the party's obligations who enter into the license agreement and can impose limits on how the end-user may use the program. Terms and conditions for software licenses usually include equal usage of the software, restrictions of responsibility, guarantees, as well as disclaimers and safeguards if the software or the use breaches the intellectual property rights of anyone.

Software patents fall within the scope of an intellectual property suite of protections, which give the software owner exclusive rights to use the protected program.

However, in the United States and other nations, software patents are controversial for many reasons, including copyright rights are still inherently protected by software. Some argue that additional protections impede innovation.

Currently, whether it has industrial or consumer use, the software could apply for patent protection and not just a business concept. The program must also be unique to a person of average ability in the software industry and not apparent.

In an application sent to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the owner needs to explain the program in detail. Accessibility: The degree to which different classes of people, even persons who need adaptive technology such as speech recognition and screen magnifiers, can easily use the program.

Efficiency: The software's capacity to work well without wasting space, power, effort, time or money. Maintainability: It indicates how quickly we can change the app to add enhancements, upgrade functions, repair bugs, etc. Functionality: It represents the software's ability to execute its defined or desirable tasks.

Compatibility: The suitability of the program to be used in a wide range of contexts, such as various operating systems, computers and browsers. Localizability: The software's ability to be used in multiple languages, time zones, etc.

Portability: The software's ability to move seamlessly from one place to another. By: Kaushik Pal Contributor. By: Leah Zitter Contributor. Dictionary Dictionary Term of the Day. Techopedia Terms. Connect with us. Sign up. Term of the Day. In modern systems, there are common patterns within the software architecture, called architectural systems for software. In most cases, there are a few different architectural systems used to make a complete system, especially for systems that have been built over years and years or work or those that have been built by different developers.

The best software architecture examples are readily available online. This is because the easiest way to create software architecture is to use existing templates. This can save development teams hours and hours of work by using built-in systems that they then modify and change. A software architecture example can only go so far, however. It takes a professional to work with the software architecture to get it developed properly and safely.

Even more difficult, by all accounts, is the maintenance of software architecture as programs and systems are built and retired. The line between the two is often blurry.

Software architecture serves as the blueprint for the system by giving an overview of how the system works and managing the complexity of it. This helps with the coordination of different parts and allows for them to be tracked both during the development process and after it. It helps to ensure that software meets all requirements for operation and still has the quality attributes that are necessary, such as security and performance goals.

Software architecture also involves determining how the software development will continue, as that needs to fit into the existing architecture without weakening it.