When software engineers or developers set out to create computer or web applications, they use different coding designs or strategies with the aim of delivering efficient, functional, and user-friendly programs. One such crucial strategy is Web Architecture.

Web architecture encompasses the entire structure of a web application, including its implementation, deployment, and, most importantly, its design. The design of web architecture comprises several key components, which play vital roles in the application’s overall functioning:

• Client: The client refers to the web browser or application that the end-user interacts with. It serves as the interface through which users access and interact with the web application
• Server: The server is essentially the host of the web application, typically a computer or a group of computers. It handles the processing of user requests, performs the necessary computations, and delivers the requested data to the client
• Database: A crucial element of web architecture, the database is a repository that stores and manages the application’s data. It serves as the source from which the application can both store and retrieve information as needed
• Network: The network acts as the underlying infrastructure that connects and facilitates communication between all the components mentioned above. For instance, the internet serves as a vast network, enabling users to access web applications from anywhere around the globe.

Web architecture is a fundamental aspect of developing web applications. It encompasses not only the internal programming code structure design but also the layout of the website (client) and the interconnections between various components. The way the application is built and maintained also falls within the scope of web architecture.

The importance of web architecture lies in its role as the foundation for each component of the application. When creating an application, having a solid web architecture is crucial to ensure efficient and streamlined development. A well-thought-out web architecture enables adaptability and flexibility, allowing seamless handling of changes or updates, even during ongoing software development.

Here are some key attributes that indicate a good web architecture:

• Simplicity: An effective web architecture strives to keep things as simple as possible, making it easier to understand, manage, and maintain.
• Support for Latest Standards: Keeping up with the latest industry standards ensures that the application remains current and compatible with evolving technologies.
• Fast Response Times: A good web architecture optimizes the application’s performance, leading to faster response times and a smoother user experience.
• Utilizes Security Standards: By implementing security standards, the chance of malicious penetrations is reduced, safeguarding sensitive data and user security.
• Does not crash: Ensuring the application’s stability and resilience during use.
• Does not have a single point of failure: Implementing redundancy and fault-tolerance measures to avoid critical failures.
• Scales out easily: Allowing the application to handle increased loads and traffic without performance degradation.
• Allows for easy creation of known data: Simplifying the process of generating and managing essential data within the application.
• Errors logged in a user-friendly way: Providing meaningful and accessible error logs for troubleshooting and debugging purposes.
• Automated deployments: Streamlining the deployment process with automated procedures for efficiency and consistency.

In modern web development, various trends are shaping the landscape, and one prominent architecture approach is the services-oriented architecture (SOA). SOA is a software development method that revolves around individual components called services. Each service offers a specific business capability and can seamlessly communicate with other services across different platforms and programming languages. This flexibility enables developers to reuse services in multiple applications or combine them to execute complex tasks.

Embracing SOA brings forth several benefits:

• Reusability: Services can be leveraged across various applications, resulting in significant time and cost savings. Communicating with a service during development is faster and more straightforward than building a solution from scratch.
• Ease of Maintenance: Developing, updating, and debugging small services is simpler than dealing with large blocks of code. Additionally, modifications to a service within the SOA environment have minimal impact on the overall functionality of the business process.
• Although there are no rigidly defined guidelines for implementing service-oriented architecture, some fundamental principles serve as useful guiding points:
• Comprehensive Documentation: Each service should include a clear description and usage documentation, facilitating its usage by any client, regardless of their platform or programming language.
• Minimal External Dependencies: Services should rely on external resources as little as possible to enhance their autonomy and independence.
• Black Box for Clients: Services should appear as black boxes to the end user, shielding clients from the intricacies of the service logic and implementation details.
• Appropriate Size and Scope: It is advisable to design services with a suitable size and scope, ideally containing a single business function. By adhering to this principle, developers can leverage multiple services to build composite solutions for complex operations.

In the realm of modern software development, various programming practices are widely embraced when crafting applications or services, with one of the most crucial being code patterns. A design pattern can be described as a reusable solution for addressing common problems during application design. For software developers, these patterns serve as guiding paradigms that help software engineers devise solutions adhering to best practices. Let’s explore a couple of examples of highly utilized design patterns:

Model – View – Controller

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern is a fundamental approach that strategically divides the application code into three distinct logical components, with the primary goal of separating business logic from the presentation layer. Widely used in desktop graphical interfaces, this pattern offers a structured and efficient way to handle complex applications.

The main components of this pattern are:

• Model: This component handles the logic related to data storage and manipulation. For instance, the logic behind retrieving data from a database is housed in this layer. The Model serves as the core engine that manages the data and business rules, ensuring data integrity and accuracy.
• Controller: Acting as the bridge between the end user and the Model, the Controller plays a pivotal role in handling user interactions. It interprets user inputs and interacts with both the View and the Model to achieve the desired functionality. This layer serves as the orchestrator, directing the flow of information between the user interface and the business logic.
• View: Also known as the presentation layer, the View is responsible for presenting data to the user. As mentioned earlier, this data originates from the Model through the Controller’s interactions. The View encompasses various UI components, such as charts, images, dropdowns, text boxes, and more, ensuring a visually appealing and user-friendly interface.

Model – View – ViewModel: 

The Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) design pattern, created by Microsoft architects, serves as a powerful principle for separating program logic from user interface controls. Like other design patterns, its primary objective is to organize code and break down projects into modules, simplifying and accelerating code development and reuse. This pattern is commonly applied in Windows web applications, particularly in Windows Platform Foundation (WPF) projects.

The main components of the MVVM pattern are:

• Model: The Model represents the data being transferred between the other pattern components. This component also houses all the business-related logic, working in tandem with the view-model to fetch and save data. It serves as the backbone of the pattern, ensuring seamless data management and processing.
• View: As the component responsible for data presentation and user input, the View incorporates user interface elements such as HTML, CSS, and animations. This layer remains solely focused on the user interface and does not include any application logic, ensuring a clean separation of concerns.
• View-Model: Serving as the intermediary between the Model and View layers, the View-Model contains functions and commands essential for supporting the presentation of information in the View layer. It facilitates effective communication and data binding between the Model and View, making the application dynamic and responsive.

As discussed, web architecture plays a crucial role in the development of efficient and user-friendly computer and web applications. By carefully designing and organizing the components, such as the Model, View, and ViewModel, developers can create robust and maintainable applications. The separation of business logic and presentation layer allows for adaptability and flexibility, enabling smooth handling of changes even during ongoing software development. As software development continues to evolve, various design patterns, like the MVC and MVVM, offer effective paradigms for addressing common problems and structuring code. Embracing the services-oriented architecture (SOA) also brings numerous benefits, such as reusability and ease of maintenance. Ultimately, choosing the best architecture for a project is a pivotal decision that significantly impacts an application’s success, and investing time and effort in the early stages is well worth it to ensure a solid foundation for future development. By adhering to industry standards, optimizing performance, and prioritizing security, developers can craft exceptional web architectures that elevate their applications to new levels of excellence.

Reference: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-is-web-architecture