What is Software Architecture? — UK Software Development Guide
Direct Answer
Software architecture is the high-level structure of a software system — the set of decisions about how the system is organised, how its components interact, what technologies are used, and what non-functional requirements (performance, security, scalability, maintainability) the system must satisfy. Architecture decisions are difficult and expensive to change once made.
Software-architecture in the UK
Good software architecture is critical for UK regulated software. UK GDPR Article 25 requires "privacy by design" — this is an architecture mandate, not a coding task. Cyber Essentials secure configuration is an architecture constraint. FCA operational resilience requires architecture that can stay within impact tolerances during disruption. ClickMasters uses Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) to document every significant architectural decision — providing the audit trail required by UK regulators and supporting future development teams.
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