System Design template

---
title: {{title}}
description: {{description}}
type: architecture
since: {{since}}
---

<!-- template: the long form of an architecture doc, for a whole system. For one component use the architecture template. Delete every template comment before committing. -->

## Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Goals
3. Architecture Overview
4. System Components
5. High Level Architecture Diagram
6. Application Architecture
7. Data Flow
8. Deployment Architecture
9. Security Architecture
10. Scaling Strategy
11. Technology Stack
12. Design Decisions
13. Future Improvements

---

## 1. Overview

Provide a high-level description of the system:

* What the system does
* Who the users are
* What problem it solves

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## 2. Goals

* Scalability
* Maintainability
* Security
* Modularity
* Performance

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## 3. Architecture Overview

Describe the architectural style used:

* Monolith
* Modular Monolith
* Microservices
* Event-Driven Architecture
* Layered Architecture

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## 4. System Components

| Component  | Description        |
| ---------- | ------------------ |
| Frontend   | User Interface     |
| Backend    | Django Application |
| Database   | PostgreSQL         |
| Cache      | Redis              |
| Workers    | Celery             |
| Web Server | Nginx              |

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## 5. High Level Architecture Diagram

> Add architecture diagram here (e.g., draw.io, Excalidraw, Lucidchart)

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## 6. Application Architecture

Describe internal structure:

* Views (API Layer / Controllers)
* Services (Business Logic Layer)
* Policies (Authorization Rules)
* Models (Database Layer)
* Tasks (Background Jobs)
* Integrations (External APIs / Services)

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## 7. Data Flow

Explain how data moves through the system:

1. Client sends request
2. Request hits backend (API/View)
3. Business logic executed in services
4. Data stored/retrieved from database/cache
5. Background tasks triggered (if needed)
6. Response returned to client

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## 8. Deployment Architecture

Describe infrastructure setup:

* Application hosting (e.g., VM, containers)
* Reverse proxy (Nginx)
* Database hosting
* Cache layer
* Background workers
* CI/CD pipeline

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## 9. Security Architecture

* Authentication (JWT / Sessions / OAuth)
* Authorization (RBAC / Policies)
* Data Encryption (HTTPS, at-rest encryption)
* Secrets Management (env variables, vaults)
* Rate limiting and protection

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## 10. Scaling Strategy

* Vertical Scaling (increase resources)
* Horizontal Scaling (multiple instances)
* Load Balancing
* Caching (Redis)
* Asynchronous Processing (Celery workers)

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## 11. Technology Stack

| Layer      | Technology |
| ---------- | ---------- |
| Backend    | Django     |
| Database   | PostgreSQL |
| Cache      | Redis      |
| Workers    | Celery     |
| Web Server | Nginx      |
| CDN        | Cloudflare |

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## 12. Design Decisions

Reference Architecture Decision Records (ADRs):

* Why this architecture was chosen
* Trade-offs considered
* Alternatives evaluated

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## 13. Future Improvements

* Microservices migration (if needed)
* Improved observability (logging, tracing)
* Auto-scaling infrastructure
* Performance optimizations
* Feature enhancements