Cell-Based Architecture — Architecture Pattern

Cell-based architecture in computing involves designing systems that consist of interconnected cells, each cell capable of executing tasks independently. Like the cells in a biological organism, these computing cells have their own processing units, memory, and communication capabilities. They operate in parallel, exchanging information and collaborating to solve complex problems efficiently.

Critical Elements of Cell-Based Architecture

1. Cell: A cell is the fundamental building block of this architecture. Each cell can enclose a logically connected set of services/microservices along with their dependencies like database, message-bus etc and forms a cohesive, individually deployable entity. Each cell operates autonomously, executing tasks assigned to it and interacting with other cells as needed. Each service within a cell can interact with any other service or component within a cell.
2. Interfaces: Cells communicate with each other through well-defined interfaces. Both Egress and Ingress interface for a cell need to be well defined. This ensures that cells can be developed and maintained independently of each other.
3. Inter-Cell Components: While cells are isolated components which can encompass multiple connected microservices, we need inter-cell components like Routers/Load Balancers/Message Bus to handle actions that span multiple cells.