Delta Modeling for Software Architectures

TL;DR

This paper introduces an approach to model architectural variability in software systems using delta modeling within MontiArc, enabling modular and flexible architecture development for diverse system variants.

Contribution

It extends delta modeling to MontiArc, creating an integrated language for architectural variability and supporting proactive and extractive product line development.

Findings

Enables modular modeling of variable architectures

Supports proactive and extractive product line development

Provides a foundation for applying delta modeling in MontiArc

Abstract

Architectural modeling is an integral part of modern software development. In particular, diverse systems benefit from precise architectural models since similar components can often be reused between different system variants. However, during all phases of diverse system development, system variability has to be considered and modeled by appropriate means. Delta modeling is a language-independent approach for modeling system variability. A set of diverse systems is represented by a core system and a set of deltas specifying modifications to the core system. In this paper, we give a first sketch of how to apply delta modeling in MontiArc, an existing architecture description language, in order to obtain an integrated modeling language for architectural variability. The developed language, MontiArc, allows the modular modeling of variable software architectures and supports proactive as well as extractive product line development.