Web 2.0 Architectures

About Reference Architectures

In general, a reference architecture is a generic and somewhat abstract blueprint-type view of a system that includes the system’s major components, the relationships among them, and the externally visible properties of those components. A reference architecture is not usually designed for a highly specialized set of requirements. Rather, architects tend to use it as a starting point and specialize it for their own requirements.

Models are abstract, and you can’t implement, or have an instance of, an abstract thing. Reference architectures are more concrete. They have aspects that abstract models do not, including cardinality (a measure of the number of elements in a given set), infrastructure, and possibly the concept of spatial-temporal variance (adding time as a concept).

Consider again the example of residential architecture. The domain of residential dwellings has both an implied model and a reference architecture for a class of things called “houses.” The implied model for a house is composed of or aggregated from the following components:

• A foundation and/or other subfloor structure to connect the house to the underlying environment, whether it is earth or a body of water

• Floors to stand on

• Exterior walls to keep out the elements of nature and to provide structural support for the roof

• A roof to protect the dwelling’s contents and occupants from the elements of nature and to provide privacy

• Some form of entry and exit (possibly implemented as a doorway) ...