Selecting and formalizing an architectural style: A comparative study

An architectural style is characterized by their control-flow and data-flow patterns, appropriation of functionality across components, connectors, ports, and roles. Selecting an architectural style for an application is not an easy task. It is a decision-making task in which different objectives must be taken into consideration. In this study, different architectural styles are classified on the basis of many style-induced architectural properties. This classification provides additional guidance for people who lack expertise and experience to select an appropriate style for their software systems. Subsequently, an appropriate style is selected for the case study i.e., cargo router system. After selecting an appropriate style for cargo router system, it is formalized using formal modeling languages Alloy and Promela. For the model checking of these formal notations, automated verifiers such as Alloy Analyzer and SPIN are used. At the end of this study, comparison of performance between modeling languages Alloy and Promela as well as associated tools such as Alloy Analyzer and SPIN is performed.