Hybrid architecture style

A hybrid architecture style is a system’s architecture formed by combining two or more existing architectural styles or patterns, rather than committing the whole system to a single style.

A common example is an MVC construct embedded within an outer layered structure. The presentation layer organized around MVC, sitting inside a broader layered architecture that also has data and infrastructure layers.

Hybrid styles are the norm rather than the exception in real systems. That’s because different parts of a system face different requirements and constraints, and few individual styles suit every part equally well.

The term is synonymous with heterogeneous architectural style.