← Reference Architectures

Docs

A free, open library of reference architectures harvested from ARC's real work — AWS streaming labs, Operator AI, Labs products, and field systems. Each entry is a documented blueprint: the problem, the component shape, key decisions and trade-offs, failure modes, when not to use it, and a scaling path. No account, no lock-in.

What's in the catalog

20 architectures across 7 categories: AI, Backend, Cloud, Data, Integration, SaaS, Web. Entries are harvested from ARC Google Drive folders (AWS Professor streaming labs, Operator AI, Labs products, CITH, Experience Intelligence, FoodMesh) and written to be copied and adapted directly into your own work.

How to use a architecture

  1. Read When not to use first — it saves you from copying the wrong shape.
  2. Use Shape (including the ASCII diagram) as the starting diagram.
  3. Treat Failure modes as a pre-mortem checklist, not optional color.
  4. Follow the Scaling path instead of over-building on day one.
  5. Keep origin notes if you adapt the write-up — they are the audit trail back to Drive.

API

Read-only JSON, no key required:

GET /api/catalog                     # list all
GET /api/catalog?category=<name>     # filter by category
GET /api/catalog?slug=<slug>         # a single architecture

Every field is also available in the open content repo.

CLI

npm run catalog                      # list every architecture
npm run catalog -- "search term"     # search
npm run catalog -- --category="Name"
npm run catalog -- --json            # machine-readable

Contributing

Everything is open. Add a new entry to lib/catalog/data.ts, mirror it as a Markdown file under content/, and open a PR on GitHub.