Software Architect's Handbook

Using software architecture patterns

Much like design patterns, software architecture patterns come into being after they are successfully repeated in practice. As a software architect, you will discover and use an existing pattern when appropriate.

The majority of the time, you will not be inventing or creating a new pattern. It is possible that you may find yourself tackling challenges and problems in a novel domain, requiring you to create truly new solutions that do not currently exist. However, even in that case the solution will not be a pattern yet. Only after it is repeated in practice and becomes known as a solution for a particular context and problem does it become a pattern.

Software architecture patterns can be applied to the ...