This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan for scalability", "make technical decisions", or "review system design". Use for
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This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan for scalability", "make technical decisions", or "review system design". Use for
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</> SKILL.md
senior-architect.SKILL.md
---name: "senior-architect"
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan for scalability", "make technical decisions", or "review system design". Use for architecture decision records (ADRs), tech stack evaluation, system design reviews, dependency analysis, and generating architecture diagrams in Mermaid, PlantUML, or ASCII format.
---# Senior Architect
Architecture design and analysis tools for making informed technical decisions.
## Table of Contents
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Tools Overview](#tools-overview)
- [Architecture Diagram Generator](#1-architecture-diagram-generator)
- [Dependency Analyzer](#2-dependency-analyzer)
- [Project Architect](#3-project-architect)
- [Decision Workflows](#decision-workflows)
- [Database Selection](#database-selection-workflow)
- [Architecture Pattern Selection](#architecture-pattern-selection-workflow)
- [Monolith vs Microservices](#monolith-vs-microservices-decision)
- [Reference Documentation](#reference-documentation)
- [Tech Stack Coverage](#tech-stack-coverage)
- [Common Commands](#common-commands)
---## Quick Start
See `references/architecture_patterns.md` for detailed pattern descriptions.
---
### Monolith vs Microservices Decision
**Choose Monolith when:**
- [ ] Team is small (<10 developers)
- [ ] Domain boundaries are unclear
- [ ] Rapid iteration is priority
- [ ] Operational complexity must be minimized
- [ ] Shared database is acceptable
**Choose Microservices when:**
- [ ] Teams can own services end-to-end
- [ ] Independent deployment is critical
- [ ] Different scaling requirements per component
- [ ] Technology diversity is needed
- [ ] Domain boundaries are well understood
**Hybrid approach:**
Start with a modular monolith. Extract services only when:
1. A module has significantly different scaling needs
2. A team needs independent deployment
3. Technology constraints require separation
---
## Reference Documentation
Load these files for detailed information:
| File | Contains | Load when user asks about |
|------|----------|--------------------------|
| `references/architecture_patterns.md` | 9 architecture patterns with trade-offs, code examples, and when to use | "which pattern?", "microservices vs monolith", "event-driven", "CQRS" |
| `references/system_design_workflows.md` | 6 step-by-step workflows for system design tasks | "how to design?", "capacity planning", "API design", "migration" |
