Architecture diagrams & views & viewpoints

An architecture diagram is called an “architecture view”.

An “architecture view” is an instance of a “architecture viewpoint”.

An “architecture viewpoint” has a specific audience with specific concerns in mind.

Architecture viewpoint examples, view examples, and diagram examples:

• Business Capabilities

• High-level Business Processes

• Value Streams

• Software Functions mapped to application components

• C4 Model Context Diagram (TO-BE / AS-IS)

• C4 Model Container Diagram (TO-BE / AS-IS)

• Entity-relationship Diagram (ERD) to map data entities to application components

• Sequence Diagrams to describe functional flows within systems and for integrations

• Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) diagrams to describe data flows across application components

• Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) diagrams to describe business processes / user Scenarios

• Identity and Access Management (IAM) diagrams

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) diagrams with roles per application component

• Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) diagrams with attributes per application component

• Privacy diagrams

Related diagrams:

• A Use Case Diagram shows use cases to management/customers, which precedes requirements, which precedes the software architecture.

• A Deployment Diagram shows the physical hardware/computers that the software components are deployed to.

• A Data Flow Diagram shows how data moves through the system and is transformed.

• A Sequence Diagram is used to show how protocols like HTTP work on a time axis.

• An Activity Diagram depicts the workflow of activities a software system undertakes, like an NPC AI.