architecture
Architectural Decision Framework
This skill helps teams make better architectural decisions through structured trade-off analysis and ADR documentation. It provides decision trees, pattern guidance, and templates to document architecture choices with their rationale.
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Using "architecture". Help me plan architecture for an MVP e-commerce app with 1 developer
Expected outcome:
For a solo developer MVP, I recommend: Monolith structure with Next.js, Prisma for data access, JWT authentication, PostgreSQL database, Stripe for payments. Trade-offs: limited independent scaling, can extract services later when justified.
Using "architecture". Create ADR for choosing PostgreSQL over MongoDB
Expected outcome:
ADR Template: Context - need reliable transactional data. Options considered: PostgreSQL (ACID, complex queries) vs MongoDB (flexible, horizontal scale). Decision: PostgreSQL. Rationale: E-commerce requires transactional integrity. Trade-offs accepted: Less flexible schema initially.
Security Audit
SafeAll static findings are false positives. The skill is a documentation guide for architectural decision-making. Detected patterns are markdown formatting (backticks), authentication standards (SAML, JWT), and normal decision-making terms (validate). No actual security risks identified.
Medium Risk Issues (1)
Low Risk Issues (3)
Quality Score
What You Can Build
New Project Architecture Planning
When starting a new project, use the skill to determine appropriate architecture based on team size, scale requirements, and timeline constraints.
Documenting Architecture Decisions
When making significant architectural choices, use the ADR templates to record context, options considered, decision rationale, and trade-offs accepted.
Pattern Selection Guidance
When uncertain about which architectural pattern to use, consult the decision trees to evaluate trade-offs between options like monolith vs microservices, REST vs GraphQL.
Try These Prompts
Help me define the architecture for a new [project type] with [team size] developers, targeting [user scale] users, with a timeline of [timeline]. Budget is [budget constraint]. Use the architecture skill to guide this decision.
Generate an ADR for choosing [technology/pattern] over alternatives. The context involves [problem description]. Consider these constraints: [list constraints]. Use the trade-off analysis framework from the architecture skill.
Help me decide between microservices and monolith architecture for a [project description] with [team size] developers. What are the trade-offs? When would each approach be justified?
What data access pattern would you recommend for a [project type] with [complexity level] data access needs? Consider: team size is [size], testing requirements are [level], data sources include [sources].
Best Practices
- Start with the simplest architecture that meets current requirements and add complexity only when proven necessary
- Always document trade-offs - every architecture choice has costs and benefits that should be explicit
- Use ADRs to capture not just what was decided but why, including constraints that influenced the choice
- Consider team expertise when choosing patterns - the best pattern is useless if the team cannot maintain it
Avoid
- Premature microservices - splitting services before team size or scale justifies the complexity
- Over-abstraction with Clean/Hexagonal architecture when simple CRUD would suffice
- Choosing CQRS or Event Sourcing without read/write performance evidence showing benefit
- Ignoring trade-offs - every architectural choice has costs that must be acknowledged