Architecture Documentation

This section contains the architectural documentation for the ReX (RemedyX) project, including architectural decisions, system diagrams, and implementation standards.

Overview

Architecture documentation provides a comprehensive view of the system’s structure, components, and design principles. It serves as both a guide for current development and a reference for understanding the system’s evolution.

Documentation Structure

Architecture documentation is organized into the following key areas:

• Decisions: Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) documenting significant architectural decisions
• Diagrams: Visual representations of the system architecture and component relationships
• Standards: Implementation standards, naming conventions, and best practices

Core Architectural Principles

The ReX system is built on these foundational principles:

1. Compositional Architecture: Building complex behavior through function composition rather than inheritance
2. Environment Adaptability: Adapting to different runtime environments while maintaining consistent APIs
3. Layer Separation: Maintaining clear boundaries between system layers with well-defined interfaces
4. Progressive Enhancement: Supporting basic functionality with optional enhancements when capabilities exist
5. Type Safety: Leveraging TypeScript’s type system to provide compile-time guarantees and documentation

System Layers

The system is organized into the following layers, from highest to lowest level:

1. Application Layer: React hooks, components, and user-facing abstractions
2. Store Layer: High-level content operations with middleware enhancement
3. Middleware Layer: Cross-cutting concerns and function composition
4. Adapter Layer: Storage mechanism abstraction and environment detection
5. Storage Layer: Physical persistence with environment-specific implementations

Architectural Decisions

Significant architectural decisions are documented as Architecture Decision Records (ADRs). These documents capture:

• The context and problem being addressed
• The decision made and its rationale
• Alternatives considered and why they were not chosen
• Consequences, both positive and negative, of the decision

The complete list of ADRs can be found in the Decisions section.

Implementation Standards

Architecture documentation includes standards for consistent implementation:

• Naming Conventions: Consistent naming patterns across the codebase
• Documentation Strategy: Approach for documenting code and concepts
• Implementation Standards: Coding standards and best practices

Architectural Evolution

The architecture is designed to evolve while maintaining compatibility:

1. Extension Points: The system provides clear extension points for future enhancements
2. Capability Detection: Features are activated based on detected capabilities at runtime
3. Progressive Disclosure: APIs expose essential functionality first with advanced features accessible when needed
4. Versioned Changes: Breaking changes are managed through explicit versioning and migration paths

Connections to Other Documentation

Architecture documentation is closely connected to:

• [TODO] Concepts: In-depth explanations of architectural concepts and patterns
• [TODO] Reference: Detailed API and type reference documentation
• Patterns: Reusable implementation patterns for consistent development
• Planning: Strategic direction and roadmap alignment
• Tasks: Implementation tasks derived from architectural decisions