Reference and Selective Reading

You do not need to read the source books front-to-back for this module. Use the concept pages and practice pages first. Open these local chunks only when you need alternate exposition, more worked examples, or the ratings tables in original form.

Source Roles

Source	Role	Why it is here
Fundamentals of Software Architecture (Richards & Ford)	Primary teaching source	Best single treatment of every style in Part II (Ch 9-18); use it for escalation on any style concept
Clean Architecture (Martin)	Selective support	Boundary discipline, the dependency rule, package-by-component -- applies inside any chosen style
Just Enough Software Architecture (Fairbanks)	Peripheral framing	Not used in concept pages; reach for it only for an alternate framing
Learning Domain-Driven Design (Khononov)	Selective support	Used in Cluster 4 for context-to-service mapping; main DDD coverage is M03

Read Only If Stuck

Layered and Pipeline

Modular Monoliths and Components

Service-Based, Event-Driven, Space-Based

Microservices

Choosing a Style and Distributed Fallacies

Optional Deep Dive

Richards & Ford: Orchestration-Driven SOA (history) -- for historical context on where SOA and microservices diverged.
Richards & Ford: Reuse and Coupling (SOA) -- why "reuse" can be an anti-pattern.
Richards & Ford: Microkernel Architecture Style -- skipped in the main path; useful if you ever work on IDEs, browsers, or plugin-heavy products.
Richards & Ford: Microkernel Registry
Martin: Clean Architecture -- decoupling modes -- source / deploy / service-level decoupling.

Concept-to-Source Map

Primary concept	Best source if stuck	Why this source
Layered architecture, the default, its pros and sinkholes	Richards & Ford: Layered Architecture Style	Canonical treatment with the sinkhole anti-pattern
Pipeline architecture: pipe-and-filter for data transforms	Richards & Ford: Pipeline (Filters)	Defines the filter roles precisely
When the layered default is wrong	Richards & Ford: Choosing the Appropriate Style	The ratings-driven alternative paths
Modular monolith: the right default	Richards & Ford: Choosing the Appropriate Style (Modular Monolith subsection)	Combines with Martin: Package by Component for implementation shape
Component boundaries: cohesion, coupling, afferent/efferent	Richards & Ford: Measuring Modularity (1) and (2)	The metrics math in one place
Enforcing module boundaries in code	Richards & Ford: Fitness Functions	The CI-enforced-architecture idea
Service-based architecture	Richards & Ford: Service-Based Topology	Shortest accurate exposition
Event-driven mediator vs broker	Richards & Ford: Event-Driven Architecture Style + Mediator	Pair gives both topologies
Space-based architecture	Richards & Ford: Space-Based Architecture Style	The canonical PU-plus-grid treatment
Microservices: bounded-context sized, independently deployed	Richards & Ford: Microservices History + Fowler: Microservices	Pair gives the definition and its origin
The microservices tax	Richards & Ford: Microservices Ratings	The ratings confirm the cost story
When microservices are right -- and when they absolutely are not	Fowler: MicroservicePremium + Fowler: MonolithFirst	The two articles pair naturally
Style selection by architectural characteristics	Richards & Ford: Choosing the Appropriate Style	The canonical selection chapter
Distributed architecture fallacies applied to style choice	Richards & Ford: Monolithic vs Distributed	All 8 fallacies in depth
Hybrid and evolving architectures	Fowler: StranglerFigApplication + Newman: Monolith Decomposition Patterns	The migration mechanics

Source Roles​

Read Only If Stuck​

Layered and Pipeline​

Modular Monoliths and Components​

Service-Based, Event-Driven, Space-Based​

Microservices​

Choosing a Style and Distributed Fallacies​

Optional Deep Dive​

Concept-to-Source Map​