Describe the concept of architectural design patterns and provide examples of commonly used design patterns in software architecture.

Concept of Architectural Design Patterns

Architectural design patterns are reusable solutions to common problems that software architects encounter during the design phase of a project. These patterns provide a structured approach to organizing and designing software systems, ensuring that they are flexible, scalable, and maintainable.

Commonly Used Design Patterns in Software Architecture

There are several design patterns commonly used in software architecture, including:

1. Model-View-Controller (MVC): Separates the user interface (View), data (Model), and application logic (Controller) of a software application.
2. Layered Architecture: Organizes software components into distinct layers (e.g., presentation, business logic, data access) to promote modularity and maintainability.
3. Repository Pattern: Encapsulates data access logic in a separate component, improving testability and flexibility in software systems.
4. Singleton Pattern: Ensures a class has only one instance and provides a global point of access to it, useful for managing shared resources.
5. Factory Pattern: Defines an interface for creating objects and allows subclasses to alter the type of objects that will be created.

By leveraging these design patterns in software architecture, developers can build robust and scalable systems that are easier to maintain and extend over time.