Step 1: Understanding the Software
Architect Role
A software architect is a software technology expert who makes high-
level design choices and dictates technical standards, including software
coding standards, tools, and platforms. The leading expert is referred to
as the chief architect. Their day-to-day tasks include:
Creating a design for a business problem
Creating software architecture documents
Deciding the best design choice between different options
Consider future changes
Being able to consider both functional and non-functional
requirements for creating a design
Must be a technical expert in latest design patterns
Must be a technical expert in latest frameworks or COTS
components
Step 2: Understanding the Java Software
Architect Role
A Java software architect should have knowledge in the following areas:
Java SE
Threads
Concurrency
Applet
Java Webstart Application
Java EE
JSP
Servlet
JSF
EJB
JPA
JAX-RS
JAX-WS
JNDI
Application Servers
Web Servers
Java EE 7 Changes
Web Socket API
Cocnurrency API in Java EE
Batch API in Java EE
Java ME
MIDLETs
Design Patterns
UML
Step 3: Improve Your Java Design Skills
The best way to improve your Java architecture skills is by reading more
patterns and frameworks. You can find tons of patterns and framework
solutions for the Java EE platform on the web.
1. List the patterns used so far in your projects
2. Search on the web and find patterns for Java SE and Java EE
3. Draw a class diagram and sequence diagram for these patterns
4. Just create a few code examples to run and understand the flow
5. Download open-source projects, analyze the code, and create
design diagrams
6. List down the patterns used in the projects and consider applying
your patterns to improve better
Step 4: Improve Your Architecture Skills
In general, a software architect must have knowledge in many areas,
especially technology used. You may need to have general knowledge —
starting from hardware sizing to coding. This could include:
1. Compare web technologies (PHP, ASP, JSP) and compare pros and
cos
2. Compare enterprise application technologies (Legacy, Java EE…)
and compare pros and cos
3. Compare database integration technologies (JPA, Hibernate…etc)
and compare pros and cos
4. Compare security technologies, like SSO, Encryption/Decryption,
SSL, etc.
5. Compare different type of attacks (SQL Injection, DoS attack, etc.)
6. Compare different type of hardware architecture (web server at
DMZ, web server inside DMZ, application server inside DMZ, etc.)
7. Compare different type of load balancing design (Clustering…)