Everything I needed to know about Software Architecture...I learned from Google App Engine

Software Architecture is a sweeping field of study with an immeasurable range of opinions on how best to approach its execution. While designing a cloud-hosted project involving Google App Engine, I came to realize that there are quite a few similarities between approaches to App Engine development and those applicable to Software Architecture, generally.

Below, I've explored a few concepts that get at my own observations of the connections between Google's cloud application platform and the larger school of thought. If you're familiar with one, but not the other, fear not! Descriptions of each App Engine component are provided, with an explanation of the corresponding architectural concept appended in italics.

Heartbleed, meet Google App Engine

The Heartbleed Overflow Issue is a bug that adversely affects network security. By exploiting this vulnerability, encrypted data may become compromised during transmission. Individuals responsible for hosting web applications that require a high level of security may find themselves scrambling to find ways to patch their servers so as to minimize Heartbleed's impact on their operations. That is, those individuals who aren't hosting their applications on Google App Engine.

Back to Basics: Template-Driven Documentation

Documentation is something that some see as a necessary evil; others look at it as a needless chore better left to someone else; others still see documentation as the indicator of a job well done. Documentation templates can help bring all of these different perspectives together and write quality software that's easier and less expensive to maintain and extend.