Software design patterns, system design, and architectural decision-making.
Architecture is about making the right trade-offs. This section covers patterns, principles, and real-world case studies to help you design resilient, scalable systems.
Divide your system into distinct sections, each addressing a separate concern.
foundationalPresentation, business logic, and data access in isolated layers.
monolith · enterpriseServices communicate through events — loose coupling, async processing.
async · scalableHow endpoints, LiveViews, contexts, Ecto, PubSub, and OTP fit together into a real-time server-rendered application.
elixir · phoenix · liveviewA non-proprietary case study to evaluate architectural concepts and framework decisions.
case studyWhen choosing an architecture, consider:
| Factor | Monolith | Microservices | Event-Driven |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team size | Small | Multiple teams | Multiple teams |
| Deploy frequency | Low–Medium | High | High |
| Complexity | Low | High | High |
| Latency | Low | Network-dependent | Async |
| Data consistency | Easy | Hard (distributed tx) | Eventual |
| Scaling | Vertical | Horizontal per service | Horizontal per handler |
Start simple. Extract services only when you have a clear reason — team boundaries, independent scaling, or deploy cadence.
Services communicate through events for loose coupling and async processing.
Organize your application into presentation, business logic, and data access layers.
Independent services communicating over well-defined APIs.
Understand the architecture of a Phoenix LiveView application — how endpoints, routers, LiveViews, contexts, and Ecto fit together into a cohesive system.
Divide your system into distinct sections, each addressing a separate concern.