Chapter 21. Intelligent Architecture

When speaking about architecture with regard to Web development, there are two main types that are discussed—software architecture and hardware architecture. Architecture is the art or science of building, and these types correspond to designing and building the Web application (software architecture) and designing and building the environment in which the Web application will operate (hardware architecture).

Most Web developers primarily concern themselves with software architecture, as this is generally the focus of their responsibilities. However, developers can often provide important insight into the design of the environment as well, and many developers are consulted in this regard.

This chapter approaches each type of architecture separately while mentioning related characteristics and tradeoffs as appropriate.