4. Solution Strategy
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4. Solution Strategy
This section outlines the key architectural strategies and technology decisions for BookWorm.
It provides a high-level overview of the solution architecture, technology stack, deployment strategy, and quality assurance practices.
4.1 Technology Decisions
Core Technology Stack
Technology | Decision Rationale | ADR |
---|---|---|
.NET Aspire | Provides cloud-native development framework with built-in observability, service discovery, and configuration management | ADR-003 |
Domain-Driven Design | Ensures business logic clarity and maintainable service boundaries aligned with business domains | ADR-001 |
Vertical Slice Architecture | Organizes code by feature rather than layer, improving maintainability and team autonomy | - |
Event-Driven Architecture | Enables loose coupling, scalability, and eventual consistency across microservices | ADR-002 |
Data Storage Strategy
Storage Type | Technology | Use Case | ADR |
---|---|---|---|
Primary Database | PostgreSQL | All transactional data with ACID properties | ADR-004 |
Cache Layer | Redis | Session storage, caching, and performance optimization | ADR-004 |
Event Store | PostgreSQL | Event sourcing for domain events | ADR-002 |
4.2 Architectural Patterns
Microservices Architecture
Event-Driven Communication
Saga Patterns
Orchestration Saga: Used for complex business processes requiring centralized control
- Order processing workflow
- Compensation handling for failed transactions
Choreography Saga: Used for loosely coupled domain interactions
- Catalog updates triggering search index refresh
- User actions generating analytics events
- Cross-domain notifications
Event Patterns
Pattern | Implementation | Use Case |
---|---|---|
Outbox Pattern | Database transaction + event publishing | Ensuring reliable event publishing |
Inbox Pattern | Idempotent event processing | Preventing duplicate event handling |
Event Sourcing | Domain events as source of truth | Audit trail and temporal queries |
CQRS | Separate read/write models | Optimized queries and command processing |
4.3 Quality Assurance Strategy
Testing Strategy
Quality Attributes Implementation
Quality Attribute | Implementation Strategy |
---|---|
Scalability | Horizontal scaling with container orchestration, stateless services, async processing |
Reliability | Circuit breakers, retry policies, health checks, graceful degradation |
Performance | Caching strategies, optimized queries, CDN usage, async operations |
Security | OAuth 2.0/OIDC, HTTPS everywhere, input validation, audit logging |
Maintainability | Clean architecture, automated testing, comprehensive documentation |
Observability | Distributed tracing, structured logging, metrics collection, health monitoring |
4.4 Deployment Strategy
Container-First Approach
All services are containerized using Docker with multi-stage builds for optimized image sizes and security.
Infrastructure as Code
- Azure Bicep templates for infrastructure provisioning
- GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipeline automation
Environment Strategy
Environment | Purpose | Deployment Method |
---|---|---|
Development | Local development | Docker Compose + .NET Aspire |
Staging | Integration testing | Azure Container Apps (staging) |
Production | Live system | Azure Container Apps (production) |
4.5 Security Strategy
Authentication and Authorization
Security Measures
Security Layer | Implementation |
---|---|
API Gateway | Rate limiting, request validation, token verification |
Service Level | Authorization policies, input validation, output encoding |
Data Layer | Encryption at rest, secure connection strings, backup encryption |
Network | HTTPS/TLS, network segmentation, WAF protection |
Monitoring | Security event logging, anomaly detection, audit trails |
4.6 AI Integration Strategy
AI Services Architecture
- Text Embedding: Nomic Embed Text for semantic search capabilities
- Conversational AI: Gemma 3 for intelligent chatbot interactions
- Search Enhancement: AI-powered search with natural language understanding
AI Service Integration
4.6 Related Architecture Decisions
The solution strategy is supported by detailed Architecture Decision Records (ADRs):
Infrastructure & Platform
- ADR-001: Microservices Architecture - Domain-driven service boundaries
- ADR-003: .NET Aspire for Cloud-Native Development - Cloud-native framework choice
- ADR-007: Container-First Deployment Strategy - Containerization approach
- ADR-008: API Gateway Pattern Implementation - Unified API access strategy
Data & Events
- ADR-004: PostgreSQL as Primary Database - Database technology selection
- ADR-002: Event-Driven Architecture with CQRS - Event-driven communication strategy
Security & Communication
- ADR-005: Keycloak for Identity Management - Identity and access management
- ADR-006: SignalR for Real-time Communication - Real-time communication approach
AI & Intelligence
- ADR-009: AI Integration Strategy - AI services integration approach
For a comprehensive overview of all architectural decisions, see the Architecture Decisions section.