Federated Architecture
Federated Architecture is a design pattern in software engineering where multiple independent systems or services operate together as a unified whole while maintaining their autonomy. It enables decentralized data management and processing across different domains, organizations, or geographical locations, often using APIs, microservices, or distributed databases to facilitate interoperability. This approach is commonly used in scenarios like data integration, multi-cloud deployments, and collaborative ecosystems where centralized control is impractical or undesirable.
Developers should learn Federated Architecture when building systems that need to integrate disparate data sources, support multi-tenant environments, or enable cross-organizational collaboration without a single point of failure. It is particularly useful in industries like healthcare, finance, and government, where data sovereignty, privacy regulations, or legacy system constraints require decentralized solutions. By adopting this pattern, teams can improve scalability, resilience, and flexibility while reducing dependencies on monolithic infrastructures.