HomeOps Platform – Architecture¶
How is the system constructed?¶
Table of Contents¶
- Purpose of the Architecture Document
- Architectural Goals
- High-Level Architectural Overview
- Core Architectural Components
- Self-Hosted Server Environment
- Architectural Boundaries and Responsibilities
- Relationship to Other Documentation
1. Purpose of the Architecture Document¶
This document describes the high-level architecture of the HomeOps Platform. Its purpose is to explain how the platform is structured, how responsibilities are divided between components, and why certain architectural choices have been made.
The architecture is documented at an umbrella-project level. Rather than defining implementation details or concrete technology stacks, this document focuses on structural decisions that affect how individual projects relate to each other over time.
The architecture documentation serves as a reference point for:
- interface definitions,
- security considerations,
- deployment strategies,
- and future architectural evolution.
2. Architectural Goals¶
The HomeOps Platform architecture is guided by a small set of explicit goals that reflect both the scope of the project and its educational intent.
Key architectural goals include:
-
Modularity
The system is composed of independent components with clearly defined responsibilities. Individual parts can be developed, deployed, and evolved without requiring changes across the entire platform. -
Separation of concerns
User interfaces, application logic, data storage, and infrastructure concerns are separated to reduce complexity and improve clarity. -
Incremental development
The architecture supports gradual growth. Components may begin as simple or experimental implementations and evolve over time without requiring architectural redesign. -
Realistic constraints
The platform reflects the realities of a self-hosted, small-scale environment. High availability or enterprise-scale guarantees are not assumed unless explicitly stated. -
Documentation-driven reasoning
Architectural decisions are made explicit and recorded to support learning, reflection, and long-term maintainability.
3. High-Level Architectural Overview¶
At a high level, the HomeOps Platform follows a layered architecture with clearly defined interaction boundaries. The platform consists of:
- Client applications
- Backend services
- A self-hosted server environment
- Data storage components
- Integrations with external services
Client applications interact with the system exclusively through backend services. Backend services act as the central coordination point, enforcing business logic, access control, and data consistency. Data storage and external integrations are not accessed directly by clients.
This structure supports a clear flow of responsibility and limits the spread of complexity across components.
4. Core Architectural Components¶
Client Layer¶
The client layer consists of web-based and mobile applications that provide user-facing functionality. Clients are responsible for presentation and user interaction but do not contain business logic or direct data access.
Clients are treated as untrusted by default and rely on backend services for validation, authorization, and coordination.
Backend Layer¶
The backend layer forms the core of the platform. It exposes APIs to clients, implements application logic, and mediates access to data storage and external services.
Backend services are considered authoritative and enforce system-wide rules and constraints. As the platform evolves, backend responsibilities may be split across multiple services, but the architectural role of the backend layer remains consistent.
Data Layer¶
The data layer includes databases, data loggers, and other persistent storage mechanisms. Data storage is intentionally isolated from direct client access and is accessed only through backend services.
This separation protects persistent data and allows storage technologies or schemas to evolve independently of higher-level components.
Infrastructure Layer¶
The infrastructure layer provides the runtime environment for backend services and supporting components. This includes networking, container execution, and foundational services required for deployment and operation.
The infrastructure layer is treated as a shared foundation rather than an application-specific concern.
5. Self-Hosted Server Environment¶
A self-hosted server environment serves as the execution platform for backend services and infrastructure components. This environment is intentionally designed to support learning, experimentation, and controlled deployment rather than large-scale production workloads.
The architecture assumes:
- A single primary server environment
- Limited hardware resources
- A controlled network context
Despite these constraints, the architecture aims to maintain clear boundaries between components and avoid designs that rely on implicit trust or manual intervention.
6. Architectural Boundaries and Responsibilities¶
Clear boundaries between components are a central architectural concern. Each component is responsible for a specific set of concerns and avoids assumptions about the internal behavior of other components.
Boundaries are reinforced through:
- Explicit interfaces
- Controlled data access
- Documented trust assumptions
By making boundaries visible and intentional, the architecture reduces coupling and supports future refactoring or expansion.
7. Relationship to Other Documentation¶
This architecture document provides the structural context for several other documents in the repository:
-
Interfaces (
docs/20-interfaces.md)
Defines how architectural components communicate across boundaries. -
Security (
docs/30-security.md)
Builds on architectural boundaries to define trust models, access control, and threat considerations. -
Deployment (
docs/40-deployment.md)
Describes how architectural components are deployed and operated within the defined structure. -
Architecture Decision Records (
docs/decisions/)
Capture the rationale behind key architectural choices and constraints.
Together, these documents form a coherent description of how the HomeOps Platform is structured, secured, and evolved over time.