Application Architecture by Use Case
Architecture that adapts to what you're building, not what's fashionable.
This page defines how application architecture should differ based on what you are building, not what technologies are fashionable.
Web apps, mobile platforms, SaaS products, and enterprise internal systems do not fail for the same reasons—and therefore must not be architected the same way.
Architecture must be context-aware.
Why "One Architecture Fits All" Fails
Organizations commonly standardize on:
This leads to:
- over-engineered simple systems,
- under-controlled critical systems,
- unnecessary cost,
- poor developer experience,
- and fragile operations.
Clavon avoids this by anchoring architecture decisions to use case characteristics, not organizational habit.
Architecture Selection Matrix (Clavon Standard)
Before selecting an architecture, we classify the application across these axes
User Profile
External users, internal users, or both?
Interaction Style
Read-heavy, write-heavy, real-time, batch?
Data Sensitivity
Regulated, financial, personal, low-risk?
Change Frequency
Daily iteration or quarterly releases?
Scale Driver
Users, transactions, data volume, integrations?
Integration Density
Few integrations or many upstream/downstream systems?
Failure Impact
Inconvenient, costly, or catastrophic?
Architecture decisions are validated against this matrix.
Web Applications (Public-Facing or B2B)
Typical Characteristics
Recommended Architecture
Modular Monolith (default)
with:
- clear domain modules
- backend-for-frontend (BFF) where UX complexity justifies it
- REST APIs for client communication
When to Evolve
Split services when:
- a module has different scaling needs
- release cadence diverges
- ownership becomes team-specific
Common Failure Modes
Clavon Guidance
- Optimize for change speed first
- Introduce async patterns only when justified
- Treat performance as a measurable requirement
Mobile Application Backends
Typical Characteristics
- Mobile clients are unreliable (networks, latency)
- API contracts must be stable
- Backward compatibility is critical
- Authentication and authorization are central
Recommended Architecture
- API-first backend
- Clear versioning strategy
- Stateless services
- Modular monolith or microservices (depending on team maturity)
Key Design Priorities
Common Failure Modes
Clavon Guidance
Mobile clients move slower than servers. Backends must be conservative and backward-compatible.
SaaS Platforms (Multi-Tenant Systems)
Typical Characteristics
Recommended Architecture
Modular monolith or Carefully designed microservices
Key decisions:
- tenant isolation model (logical vs physical)
- data partitioning strategy
- configuration vs customization boundaries
Tenant Isolation Models
Shared DB, tenant key
Early-stage SaaS
Separate schema
Growing SaaS
Separate DB per tenant
Regulated or high-value tenants
Common Failure Modes
Clavon Guidance
- Treat multi-tenancy as a core domain
- Design isolation explicitly
- Plan migration paths between isolation levels
Enterprise Internal Systems
Typical Characteristics
Recommended Architecture
- Modular monolith with strong boundaries
- Explicit workflow orchestration
- Integration layer abstracting ERP/CRM dependencies
Key Design Priorities
Common Failure Modes
Clavon Guidance
Internal systems should reduce complexity, not mirror it.
API-First & Integration-Centric Applications
Typical Characteristics
Recommended Architecture
- API gateway + core services
- Strict contract governance
- Async events for state changes
- Synchronous APIs for commands
Common Failure Modes
Clavon Guidance
APIs are products. They require ownership, documentation, and lifecycle management.
Data-Intensive & Analytics-Driven Applications
Typical Characteristics
Recommended Architecture
- Separate transactional and analytical paths
- Event or CDC-based data ingestion
- Clear lineage and ownership
- Scalable storage and compute separation
Common Failure Modes
Clavon Guidance
Never mix operational workloads and analytics without strong boundaries.
Cross-Cutting Architecture Decisions
Authentication & Authorization
Error Handling & Resilience
Observability
Architecture Evolution Triggers (By Use Case)
Common Anti-Patterns Across Use Cases
Reusing the same architecture blindly
Designing for hypothetical future scale
Overusing async where sync is simpler
Ignoring operational reality
Treating architecture as "done"
Deliverables Clients Receive
Use-case-specific reference architectures
Decision rationale per application type
Integration and scaling strategies
Quality and operability implications
Evolution roadmap with triggers
Cross-Service Dependencies
This page directly supports related services
Integration & API Standards
QA & Test Architecture
Cloud & Platform Engineering
AI & Data Solutions
Ready to Build Context-Aware Architecture?
Let Clavon help you design architecture that fits your use case, not fashion.