About the course: what it is, who it is for and how it works

What is Be Software Architecture Wise?

Be Software Architecture Wise is a complete online course in software architecture: the discipline of deciding how a software system is divided into parts, how those parts work together, and which trade-offs the system makes between qualities such as speed, cost, security and ease of change. It has 13 chapters and 104 sections and runs from how software works, for people with no technical background, to the design of systems built around AI models. Every chapter opens with a narrated video introduction and every section has its own short video lesson, so you can watch, listen or read.

It covers the topics found in professional software architecture syllabuses, such as the iSAQB Foundation Level, and in university software architecture modules: requirements and quality attributes, design principles, architectural styles and patterns, documentation, and evaluation. It then goes further, into distributed systems, data architecture, security and privacy by design, resilience and observability, cloud-native infrastructure, governance and leadership, and AI-enabled systems.

You can use it in two ways. As a course, you work through the chapters, take the optional test at the end of each, then sit a final assessment and an architecture case study to earn a Be Wise Certificate of Completion. As a reference, you open any chapter or section whenever you need it, in any order, without taking any test.

Who is the course for?

The course is written for a wide range of readers. Every section opens with a short, simple explanation before it goes into professional depth, so beginners and experienced engineers can use the same pages.

What do I need before I start?

• No prior knowledge. Chapter 0 explains programs, data, networks, databases, APIs, servers and the cloud before the course turns to architecture. Being able to read a little code helps from Chapter 3 onwards, but you do not need to write any.
• A phone, tablet or computer with an up-to-date web browser. You can add the app to your home screen.
• An internet connection to read the chapters and watch the video lessons online, take tests and use ArchitectBot. Each chapter can also be downloaded as a PDF to read offline.
• Comfortable reading in English. The course is written in British English, with technical terms defined where they first appear and in the glossary.
• Time. Most people study a few hours a week; there are no deadlines.

What does the course cover?

The 13 chapters follow a natural order, each building on the ones before, but every chapter can be read on its own.

1. Chapter 0: Start Here: How Software WorksBeginnerThe groundwork for everything that follows: what a program is, how data and code are organised, how computers talk over networks, where data is stored, what APIs, servers and the cloud are, and how teams build software. No prior knowledge assumed.
2. Chapter 1: What Software Architecture IsBeginner to intermediateThe definitions that matter (ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 and the SEI), how architecture differs from design, why it decides cost and risk, what architects actually do, stakeholders, trade-offs, technical debt and where architecture sits in modern delivery.
3. Chapter 2: Quality Attributes and Architecturally Significant RequirementsIntermediateHow to turn vague wishes like 'fast' and 'secure' into precise, testable requirements: ISO/IEC 25010, quality attribute scenarios, performance, availability, modifiability, security and usability, and how to elicit, prioritise and trade them off.
4. Chapter 3: Design Principles and FundamentalsIntermediateThe principles behind every good structure: modularity, coupling and cohesion, information hiding, dependency rules, SOLID at component scale, connascence, Conway's law, simplicity and how to measure structure.
5. Chapter 4: Documenting and Communicating ArchitectureIntermediateViews and viewpoints, the C4 model, the UML that still matters, Architecture Decision Records, arc42, diagrams as code and how to present architecture to technical and non-technical audiences.
6. Chapter 5: Architectural Styles I: Monoliths and Modular DesignsIntermediateStyles for systems deployed as one unit: layered, modular monolith, pipes and filters, microkernel, hexagonal and clean architecture, domain-driven design, and when a monolith is the right answer.
7. Chapter 6: Architectural Styles II: Distributed SystemsIntermediate to advancedWhy and when to distribute, the fallacies of distributed computing, service-based and microservice architectures, event-driven systems, synchronous and asynchronous communication, CAP and PACELC, sagas, serverless and space-based designs.
8. Chapter 7: Data ArchitectureIntermediate to advancedData ownership, choosing a database, transactions and isolation, replication and partitioning, CQRS and event sourcing, caching, schema evolution, and analytics, streaming and data mesh.
9. Chapter 8: Security, Privacy and Compliance by DesignIntermediate to advancedSecurity principles, threat modelling with STRIDE, identity and access (OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect), encryption and secrets, zero trust, software supply-chain security, privacy by design under the GDPR, and security in operation.
10. Chapter 9: Performance, Scalability, Resilience and OperabilityIntermediate to advancedScaling strategies, load balancing and statelessness, queues and back pressure, timeouts, retries, circuit breakers and bulkheads, SLIs, SLOs and error budgets, observability, capacity planning and chaos engineering.
11. Chapter 10: Cloud-Native and Infrastructure ArchitectureIntermediate to advancedCloud service models, containers and Kubernetes, the twelve-factor app, infrastructure as code, CI/CD and deployment strategies, multi-region and edge, platform engineering, FinOps and lock-in as a trade-off.
12. Chapter 11: Evaluation, Decision-Making and GovernanceAdvancedHow architectures are judged and governed: ATAM and lightweight reviews, fitness functions and evolutionary architecture, governance in agile organisations, Team Topologies, legacy modernisation, leadership, ethics and the business case.
13. Chapter 12: Architecting AI-Enabled SystemsAdvancedMachine learning and large language models from an architect's point of view: where models fit, retrieval-augmented generation, agents and tool use, evaluation, guardrails, cost and latency, LLMOps and responsible AI under the EU AI Act.

See every section of every chapter.

How is the course organised, and how long does it take?

Each chapter opens with a narrated video introduction and an overview: what you will learn, what you should read first, how long it takes and the key terms. It then has eight sections. Every section follows the same pattern:

1. The video lessonA narrated video of about 4 to 6 minutes that walks you through the section, with English captions, a “Listen only (audio)” option and the full transcript.
2. The idea in briefA short, simple explanation of the topic, written for a newcomer.
3. What you need to knowThe key points in a few lines, useful for revision.
4. The full treatmentProfessional depth, with diagrams, worked examples, tables, decision guides, checklists and, where useful, short code examples.
5. Check your understandingQuestions with answers to test yourself before moving on.
6. Sources and related sectionsThe books, standards and papers the section draws on, and links to related parts of the course.

The chapters take about 40 hours to read, roughly two to four hours each. With the chapter tests (about 45 minutes each), the final examination and the case study, the whole course is about 60 hours of study. The 117 video lessons run to about 10 hours in all. It is entirely self-paced: there are no start dates, deadlines or live sessions, and you can stop and return whenever you like.

How do the chapter tests work?

Each chapter has an optional test. You can read the chapter without taking it, and take it whenever you are ready.

1. The questions20 multiple-choice questions drawn at random from a bank of 64 for that chapter, two or three from each of its eight sections, and 2 short written answers chosen from 8, on different sections. Some multiple-choice questions ask you to choose several answers, to put steps in order or to read a diagram. Because questions are drawn afresh each time, no two attempts are the same.
2. TimeThere is no countdown. You have 4 hours from starting to submit, and your answers are saved in your browser as you go, so a lost connection or a reload does not lose them.
3. Written answersEach written question shows the criteria it is marked against, worth 5 marks in total, and a minimum length. Answers shorter than the minimum are not marked, and answers that try to instruct the marker score nothing.
4. MarkingMultiple choice is marked automatically and is worth 70% of the score. Written answers are marked by an AI marker that applies the published criteria at a fixed setting, so that it marks consistently, and are worth 30%.
5. PassingYou pass with 80% overall and at least 2 out of 5 on each written answer. Your best score for each chapter is kept.
6. Your resultIf you pass, you see the correct answer and an explanation for every question you got wrong. If you do not, you see which sections to revise, and you can try again with different questions after 10 minutes. There is no limit on attempts.
7. Second marking and reportingIf you think a written answer was marked unfairly, you can ask for a second marking within 24 hours; the higher mark counts. If a question seems wrong or unclear, you can report it from the test page and it will be checked.

ArchitectBot is designed to help you understand topics rather than to answer test questions for you, and the written questions ask you to apply ideas rather than repeat them.

What is the final assessment?

When you have passed all 13 chapter tests, the final assessment opens. It has two parts, which you can take in either order.

Part 1: the final examination

60 multiple-choice questions drawn from the whole course, roughly equally from every chapter, to be submitted within 3 hours of starting. The pass mark is 70%. If you do not pass, you can try again with different questions after 24 hours.

Part 2: the architecture case study

You choose one of several realistic briefs, for example a booking platform, a payments service or an AI-assisted support system, and write the architecture you would propose: between 1,500 and 4,000 words. You do not need drawing software: describe your structures in words, lists and tables. The case study is marked out of 50 against this published rubric:

The case study is marked by an AI marker against the rubric, and you can ask for a second marking. If it does not reach the pass mark, you receive feedback against each criterion and can submit again after 24 hours.

How is the final grade worked out?

Your overall score combines three things: the average of your best scores in the 13 chapter tests (40%), your final examination score (30%) and your case study score as a percentage (30%). Everyone who passes all three parts receives a certificate, graded as follows.

What does the certificate show, and how can it be checked?

Successful learners receive a Be Wise Certificate of Completion for Be Software Architecture Wise, which you can download as a PDF. It shows:

• your name, exactly as you enter it when you claim the certificate (please check it carefully);
• the date it was issued;
• your grade: Pass, Merit or Distinction;
• a unique certificate number, in the form BWSA-2026-ABC123;
• a web address where anyone can check it.

Anyone, such as an employer, can enter the number on the certificate check page to see the name, date and grade it was issued with. To make that possible, we keep those details and the number for as long as the certificate is valid. A certificate obtained by impersonation or by submitting someone else’s work may be withdrawn, and a withdrawn certificate shows as withdrawn when checked.

Is the certificate an accredited qualification?

No. The Be Wise Certificate of Completion records that you completed this course and passed its assessments. It is not an accredited qualification, it does not carry academic credit, and it is not issued or endorsed by a university, a professional body, iSAQB, any cloud or software provider, or any author whose work the course cites. The course does not prepare you for, or replace, any external examination.

What it does show is that you worked through a substantial, demanding course and passed 13 chapter tests, a final examination and a written case study. How much weight that carries is a matter for whoever reads it, which is why the certificate can be checked and the full syllabus, rules and rubric are public on this page.

What happens to my data?

• No account. You do not need to give a name, email address or password to read the course or take tests.
• Reading progress (which sections you have read) is kept only in your own browser.
• Test results are kept on our server against a random twelve-character resume code that you receive when you first take a test, with no name or contact details (until you claim a certificate). Enter the code on another device to carry on there. Anyone who has your code can see your scores and continue as you, including claiming your certificate, so keep it private. Scores are kept for two years after your last test, or deleted sooner if you ask.
• Your answers to written questions, and your case study, are sent to an AI service to be marked. Do not include personal details in them.
• Your name is stored only if you claim a certificate, together with the date, grade and certificate number, so that the certificate can be checked.
• ArchitectBot sends your questions to AI and search services to answer them. Do not type personal or confidential information into it.
• Analytics cookies are used only if you accept them.

The Be Wise privacy notice explains who we share data with and your rights.

What is ArchitectBot?

ArchitectBot is the course’s AI study assistant. It answers questions about software architecture using the course’s own content first, and searches the web for anything newer. It explains, gives examples and points you to the relevant section. It is not a certified architect, it can make mistakes, and it will help you understand a topic rather than answer a test question for you. Treat its answers as a starting point and check anything important.

How is the content kept accurate and up to date?

Every chapter is written to a published specification, then checked in a separate review against the books, standards, papers and documentation it cites, before it is published. Sources are listed at the end of every section so that you can check them yourself. Every claim is meant to be traceable to a cited source.

Software architecture changes, particularly in cloud and AI, so chapters are updated when practice or standards move on, and each page shows when it was last changed. If you find a mistake, tell us, or report a question from the test page. Later changes to the content never affect a certificate already issued.

Who writes and maintains the course?

The course is written and maintained by Jason Donovan. He is an international commercial lawyer, not a career software architect: eight years with the international law firm Lovells, a partnership in a commercial foreign direct investment practice in Vietnam, and in-house legal counsel at Premier Oil while it was listed on the London Stock Exchange, with an LLB in European Legal Studies and a first-class master’s degree in oil and gas law.

He wrote the course because he had to learn the subject properly to build his own software. Be Wise Apps, the site you are reading, is sixteen applications he wrote, owns and maintains, including the assessment and certificate system behind this course. Chapter 0 exists because he began with no technical background, and the sections he found hardest are the ones given the most room.

The material is written with AI assistance, chiefly Claude Code, working to a specification and checked against the sources each section lists. More than 400 books, standards, papers and documentation sets are cited across the thirteen chapters, and every claim is meant to be traceable to one of them. Test questions are checked for a single defensible answer, an explanation with every answer, and a correct answer that cannot be guessed from its position.

Jason is not a certified software architect, and the course claims no accreditation or endorsement, but it has been prepared meticulously and thoroughly verified.

Which devices can I use, and is it accessible?

The course works on phones, tablets and computers in any up-to-date browser, and you can install it on your home screen like an app. Every chapter is also available as ordinary web pages and as a downloadable PDF. Every video lesson has English captions, a “Listen only (audio)” option and the full transcript. Diagrams carry text descriptions for screen readers, the pages work with browser zoom and keyboard navigation, and the text uses headings, lists and tables that assistive technology can follow. If something does not work for you, please let us know.

What the course is not

• It is educational information, not professional advice. Decisions about real systems depend on facts the course cannot know.
• It is not an accredited qualification and not preparation for any external examination.
• It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any university, professional body, certification scheme, technology company or cited author.
• It is not a coding course: you will read code examples, but the course does not teach a programming language.
• It has no live teaching: it is self-study, supported by narrated video lessons and ArchitectBot.

How much does it cost?

At present the whole course is free: every chapter, the chapter tests, ArchitectBot, the final assessment and the certificate. If that changes, the price and exactly what it includes will be shown on this page before you start anything that is charged for.

The course is supported by clearly labelled advertising. Advertisements never change the content, the questions or the marking.

Questions? Contact us.