# # Architecture Review Checklist ## Document Completeness ### Executive Summary - [ ] **System Overview** - Clear 2-3 paragraph description of the system - [ ] **Technology Stack** - All major technologies listed with versions - [ ] **Architecture Pattern** - Pattern identified (monolith, microservices, serverless, JAMstack) - [ ] **Key Design Decisions** - 3-5 major decisions documented with rationale - [ ] **Scalability Overview** - High-level scalability approach described ### Frontend Architecture - [ ] **Framework Choice** - React, Vue, or other with version and justification - [ ] **Build Tool** - Vite, Next.js, or Webpack with configuration approach - [ ] **State Management** - Clear strategy (React Query, Zustand, Redux, Context) - [ ] **Routing** - Client-side vs server-side routing explained - [ ] **Styling Approach** - CSS solution chosen (Tailwind, CSS Modules, Styled Components) - [ ] **Component Structure** - Folder structure and component organization defined - [ ] **Code Splitting** - Strategy for bundle optimization - [ ] **SEO Strategy** - SSR, SSG, or CSR approach with reasoning ### Backend Architecture - [ ] **Runtime and Framework** - Node.js version and framework (Express, Fastify, NestJS) - [ ] **API Design** - REST, GraphQL, or tRPC with endpoint organization - [ ] **Authentication** - Strategy defined (JWT, OAuth, session-based) - [ ] **Authorization** - RBAC, ABAC, or other approach - [ ] **Middleware Stack** - Security, logging, error handling middleware - [ ] **Background Jobs** - Queue system if needed (Bull, BullMQ) - [ ] **File Uploads** - Strategy for handling file uploads - [ ] **Email System** - Email sending approach (SendGrid, SES, SMTP) ### Database Design - [ ] **Database Choice** - SQL vs NoSQL with justification - [ ] **Schema Design** - Entity relationships documented - [ ] **Indexes** - Key indexes identified for performance - [ ] **Migrations** - Migration strategy defined - [ ] **Seeding** - Data seeding approach for development - [ ] **Backup Strategy** - Backup frequency and retention - [ ] **Connection Pooling** - Connection management strategy ### API Design - [ ] **Versioning Strategy** - URL-based, header-based, or other - [ ] **Request/Response Format** - JSON schema or GraphQL schema - [ ] **Error Handling** - Standardized error response format - [ ] **Pagination** - Cursor-based or offset-based approach - [ ] **Rate Limiting** - Rate limit strategy and thresholds - [ ] **CORS Configuration** - Allowed origins and methods - [ ] **API Documentation** - OpenAPI/Swagger or other documentation ### TypeScript Configuration - [ ] **Strict Mode** - Strict TypeScript settings justified - [ ] **Path Aliases** - Import aliases configured (@/, ~/) - [ ] **Type Definitions** - Strategy for third-party type definitions - [ ] **Shared Types** - Location of shared types between frontend/backend ## Non-Functional Requirements ### Performance - [ ] **Performance Targets** - Specific metrics defined (Lighthouse score, API latency) - [ ] **Caching Strategy** - Redis, CDN, or in-memory caching approach - [ ] **Database Optimization** - Query optimization and indexing plan - [ ] **Asset Optimization** - Image optimization, lazy loading strategy - [ ] **Bundle Size** - Target bundle sizes and code splitting approach ### Security - [ ] **Authentication Security** - Token expiration, refresh strategy - [ ] **Authorization Checks** - Where and how authorization is enforced - [ ] **Input Validation** - Validation on both frontend and backend - [ ] **SQL Injection Prevention** - Parameterized queries or ORM usage - [ ] **XSS Prevention** - Content Security Policy and sanitization - [ ] **CSRF Protection** - Token-based CSRF protection - [ ] **Secrets Management** - Environment variables and secret storage - [ ] **HTTPS Enforcement** - SSL/TLS configuration - [ ] **Security Headers** - Helmet.js or equivalent configuration - [ ] **Dependency Scanning** - npm audit or Snyk integration ### Scalability - [ ] **Horizontal Scaling** - Stateless application design - [ ] **Database Scaling** - Read replicas or sharding strategy - [ ] **Caching Layer** - Cache invalidation strategy - [ ] **CDN Usage** - Static asset delivery via CDN - [ ] **Load Balancing** - Load balancer configuration if needed - [ ] **Auto-scaling** - Metrics and triggers for scaling ### Reliability - [ ] **Error Handling** - Global error handling strategy - [ ] **Logging Strategy** - Structured logging with correlation IDs - [ ] **Monitoring** - APM and error tracking tools (Sentry, Datadog) - [ ] **Health Checks** - Liveness and readiness endpoints - [ ] **Graceful Shutdown** - Proper cleanup on application shutdown - [ ] **Database Migrations** - Zero-downtime migration strategy - [ ] **Rollback Plan** - How to rollback failed deployments ### DevOps & Deployment - [ ] **CI/CD Pipeline** - Build, test, and deploy automation - [ ] **Environment Strategy** - Development, staging, production environments - [ ] **Infrastructure as Code** - Terraform, CloudFormation, or Docker Compose - [ ] **Container Strategy** - Docker configuration and orchestration - [ ] **Deployment Strategy** - Blue-green, canary, or rolling deployments - [ ] **Backup and Disaster Recovery** - RTO and RPO defined ## Implementation Readiness ### Development Environment - [ ] **Local Setup** - Clear README with setup instructions - [ ] **Environment Variables** - .env.example file with all required variables - [ ] **Database Setup** - Local database setup instructions - [ ] **Seed Data** - Development seed data available - [ ] **Hot Reload** - Development server with hot module replacement ### Code Quality - [ ] **Linting** - ESLint configuration defined - [ ] **Formatting** - Prettier configuration - [ ] **Pre-commit Hooks** - Husky or lint-staged configuration - [ ] **Code Style Guide** - Naming conventions and patterns documented - [ ] **TypeScript Standards** - Type usage guidelines ### Testing Strategy - [ ] **Unit Testing** - Framework chosen (Jest, Vitest) - [ ] **Integration Testing** - API testing approach (Supertest) - [ ] **E2E Testing** - E2E framework (Playwright, Cypress) - [ ] **Coverage Goals** - Target code coverage percentages - [ ] **CI Integration** - Tests run in CI pipeline ### Documentation - [ ] **Architecture Diagrams** - System architecture visualized - [ ] **Database Schema** - ER diagram or schema documentation - [ ] **API Documentation** - Endpoint documentation (Swagger, GraphQL introspection) - [ ] **Deployment Guide** - How to deploy to production - [ ] **ADRs** - Architecture Decision Records for key choices ## Risk Assessment ### Technical Risks - [ ] **Complexity Risks** - Over-engineering or under-engineering identified - [ ] **Performance Bottlenecks** - Potential bottlenecks documented - [ ] **Scalability Limits** - Known scalability constraints - [ ] **Technology Risks** - Unproven or bleeding-edge tech flagged - [ ] **Dependency Risks** - Critical third-party dependencies assessed ### Mitigation Strategies - [ ] **Risk Mitigation** - Plan for each identified risk - [ ] **Fallback Options** - Alternative approaches documented - [ ] **Monitoring Plan** - How risks will be monitored in production ## Validation Questions ### Alignment with Requirements - [ ] **Requirements Coverage** - All functional requirements addressed - [ ] **Non-functional Requirements** - Performance, security, scalability covered - [ ] **Scope Appropriateness** - Architecture matches project scope - [ ] **Over-engineering Check** - Not adding unnecessary complexity - [ ] **Future-proofing** - Extensible without being over-architected ### Team Capability - [ ] **Team Skills** - Team has or can acquire necessary skills - [ ] **Learning Curve** - New technologies have acceptable learning curve - [ ] **Support Resources** - Documentation and community support available - [ ] **Maintenance Burden** - Architecture is maintainable long-term ### Cost Considerations - [ ] **Infrastructure Costs** - Estimated monthly costs - [ ] **Development Costs** - Time and effort realistic - [ ] **Third-party Services** - External service costs budgeted - [ ] **Scaling Costs** - Cost implications of scaling understood ## Final Assessment **Architecture Quality Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ **Ready for Implementation:** [ ] Yes [ ] No **Critical Issues to Address:** _List any must-fix issues before development begins_ **Recommendations:** _Suggestions for improvement or alternative approaches_ **Next Steps:** _What needs to happen before story creation begins_