COMP2511 Week 8

Agenda

  • Admin Stuff
  • Introduction to Software Architecture
  • Sequence Diagrams
  • C4 Models

Admin Stuff

  • Assignment 1 marks will be released
    • You can view feedback on the FEEDBACK branch on your repo
    • If you have any issues with the automarking, please read Sai's post on WebCMS

Admin Stuff

  • There will be an in-person sample exam in Week 10 using the exam environment. 
    • The aim is for you to get familiar with the exam environment, layout and format for the exam. 

Software Architecture

Software Architecture

Software architecture defines the fundamental structure of a software system.

Software Architecture

Software architecture defines the fundamental structure of a software system.

  • It defines how system components are structured and how they interact

Why is it important to learn software architecture?

Influences software's adaptability, scalability, performance and maintainability

Software Architecture is like designing a blueprint for a garden.

Architectural style → Overall layout of a garden

Architectural components → Grouping of like plants

Class files in components → Individual plants within a group

Gardens are influenced by weather in the same way a software architecture is influenced by changes in
technology, deployment, etc.

Sequence Diagrams

Sequence Diagrams

A sequence diagram is an interaction diagram showing the temporal order of interactions between objects or components to achieve a specific functionality or use case

  • Show how operations are carried out through message exchanges
  • Excellent for visualising the flow of control and messages over time.

Sequence Diagrams

When would you choose to use a Sequence Diagram instead of a UML Class Diagram?

  • UML diagrams are when you want to show the static structure of a system including classes, attributes, methods and relationships (agg, comp, etc.)

 

  • UML describes what the system is made of, not how it behaves over time

Structure and Key components

Actor: External user or system

Objects: Entities of the system

Lifelines: shows object existence during interactions

Messages: Communication between objects

Activation boxes: indicates active processing of messages

Axes in Sequence Diagrams

  • Horizontal axis represents objects
    • ​Objects placed left to right
    • The order represents the message sequence

 

  • Vertical axis represents time
    • ​Time flows downward
    • Sequence diagrams prioritise order, not duration
    • Therefore, vertical spacing does not represent any sort of time intervals

Types of Messages

Synchronous

Asynchronous

Activation box exists so the message is processed immediately

No activation box so message processing and response is delayed

Sender waits for the receiver to complete the operation and return a response before continuing its own execution

Sender does not wait for the receiver to complete the operation; it sends the message and continues its own execution

Conditional Behaviour

alt represents alternate scenarios

Looping Behaviour

loop represents repeated actions

Sequence Diagram Demo

We can create our sequence diagram by through Mermaid code and/or with Excalidraw

Sequence diagrams are often criticised for becoming unreadable in complex systems. What are some techniques to manage this complexity?

  • Refactor / Decompose: Break down large system into smaller more manageable diagrams

 

  • Focus on single case: Each diagram should focus on a specific scenario or path through a use case

 

  • Use high level messages that abstract away internal details

 

  • Use descriptive and consistent names for lifelines, messages, and guard conditions

C4 Model

C4 Model

Helps teams visualise and communicate the software architecture of a system at different levels of abstraction.

  • Bridges the gap between high-level system overviews and low-level code detail, ensuring alignment between stakeholders, developers and architects 

Four Core Diagrams

The C4 Model includes 4 core diagrams:

  • Context
  • Container
  • Component
  • Code

These diagrams are a way to create "maps of your code" at different levels of detail, like zooming in and out on Google Maps

Level 1: Context Diagram

Shows the system as a "box" and its interactions with users and external systems

We can see the external users and systems represented as the different countries

Who is the intended audience for the Context Diagram in the C4 model?

Level 1: Context Diagram

  • Non-technical stakeholders (e.g., business sponsors, product owners)
  • External users or clients
  • Enterprise architects
  • Anyone who needs to understand what the system is, what it interacts with, and who uses it

 

It communicates the scope and external dependencies of the system in a simple and accessible way.

Level 2: Container Diagram

Breaks the system into containers (applications/services/databases) and shows how they interact.

 

Level 2: Container Diagram

Why separate the web frontend and backend service into different containers?

  • Separation of concerns: UI logic is handled in the frontend; business logic and data processing in the backend.
  • Independent deployment: You can update the frontend without touching the backend and vice versa.
  • Scalability: Backend and frontend can be scaled independently depending on load.
  • Technology flexibility: Different teams can use the most suitable tech stacks for each (e.g., React frontend + Node.js backend).
  • Security: Backend can be isolated in a secure environment, while frontend runs in browsers.

Level 3: Component Diagram

Zooms into a specific container to show its internal components and their relationships.

Level 3: Component Diagram

How does a Container Diagram differ from a Component Diagram?

Container

Component

  • Focuses on the major deployable units (web apps, mobile apps, APIs, databases, microservices, etc.) within the system.
  • Shows how containers communicate.
  • Helps in deployment and infrastructure planning.
  • Zooms into one container (like a backend service) and shows its internal components/modules, e.g., service classes, controllers, or data access layers.
  • Useful for developers to understand internal design and division of responsibilities.

Level 4: Code (Class) Diagram

Offers a detailed view of the source code structure (e.g., classes and interfaces) within a component.

Our UML diagrams :)

C4 Model Demo on Excalidraw

Made with Slides.com