arc42

arc42 is a free, open-source template for documenting software architecture. It defines a standard set of up to twelve sections, covering things like constraints, context, building blocks, runtime behavior, deployment, and quality requirements .

As a documentation template, arc42 is lighter-weight than a full architecture framework. It standardizes the shape of the document rather than a whole design or evaluation methodology, and its sections are explicitly optional, to be used or dropped according to what’s relevant to the system at hand.

It pairs naturally with the C4 model for diagrams within the building-block and runtime sections it prescribes.

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