Identification, Specification, and Development of Web-Oriented Architectures

Web-oriented Architectures (WOAs) provide a way of designing an IT system by using a variety of Web Procedures, i.e., procedures (or services) called over the Web. The idea of (typically atomic) components that are black boxes, have interfaces, and can be assembled into a larger process is fundamental and has existed since the early days of distributed systems. Two particular types of modern distributed systems are Service-oriented Architectures and Resource-oriented Architectures, which are built on specific technology stacks and define their own concepts. A WOA uses the best of both worlds plus specifics like Web APIs to build an interconnected IT system in the easiest way possible. In this article, the authors introduce the concept behind a WOA, the topology of a WOA, and possible integration scenarios within an enterprise. More importantly, the authors discuss what a methodology for building a WOA can look like and how control can be achieved, by using a logical software element called the Web Architecture Controller, which specifies the Web-centric core elements of a WOA. Lastly, the cost of implementing and running such a system is briefly addressed.