Learning about multi-tier architectures
Multi-tier architectures, also known as n-tier architectures, are a way to categorize software architectures based on the number and kind of tiers (or layers) encompassing the components of such a system. A tier is a logical grouping of the software components, and it's usually also reflected in the physical deployment of the components. One way of designing applications is to define the number of tiers composing them and how they communicate with each other. Then, you can define which component belongs to which tier. The most common types of multi-tier applications are defined in the following list:
- The simplest (and most useless) examples are single-tier applications, where every component falls into the same layer. So, you have what is called a monolithic application.
- Things get slightly more interesting in the next iteration, that is, two-tier applications. These are commonly implemented as client-server systems. You will...
