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gh-cubical6-melly/skills/c4model-c2/container-types-reference.md
Zhongwei Li c0cd55ad8d Initial commit
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Container Types Reference

This document provides comprehensive reference for all C4 Model Level 2 (Container) types with detailed examples and runtime characteristics.

Type 1: Single-Page Application (SPA)

Type: spa

Description: Client-side web application that runs entirely in the browser

Technology Indicators:

  • React, Vue, Angular, Svelte
  • Webpack, Vite, or similar bundler
  • Build output to static files (HTML/CSS/JS)

Runtime:

  • Environment: browser
  • Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
  • Containerized: false (static files)

Example:

{
  "id": "customer-portal-spa",
  "name": "Customer Portal SPA",
  "type": "spa",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "TypeScript",
    "framework": "React 18.2.0",
    "libraries": [
      {"name": "React Router", "version": "6.14.0", "purpose": "Client-side routing"},
      {"name": "Redux Toolkit", "version": "1.9.5", "purpose": "State management"},
      {"name": "Axios", "version": "1.4.0", "purpose": "HTTP client"}
    ]
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "browser",
    "platform": "Modern browsers (Chrome 90+, Firefox 88+, Safari 14+)",
    "containerized": false
  }
}

Type 2: API Server / Application Server

Type: app-server or api

Description: Server-side application that exposes APIs or serves requests

Technology Indicators:

  • Express, NestJS, Fastify (Node.js)
  • Django, Flask, FastAPI (Python)
  • Spring Boot, Quarkus (Java)
  • Runs on server, listens on port

Runtime:

  • Environment: server
  • Platform: Linux, Node.js 18, Python 3.11, JVM 17
  • Containerized: true (usually)

Example:

{
  "id": "ecommerce-api",
  "name": "E-Commerce REST API",
  "type": "api",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "TypeScript",
    "framework": "NestJS 10.0.0",
    "libraries": [
      {"name": "Prisma", "version": "5.0.0", "purpose": "ORM"},
      {"name": "Passport", "version": "0.6.0", "purpose": "Authentication"},
      {"name": "class-validator", "version": "0.14.0", "purpose": "Validation"}
    ]
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "server",
    "platform": "Linux x64, Node.js 18.16.0",
    "containerized": true,
    "container_technology": "Docker",
    "deployment_model": "Kubernetes (3 replicas)"
  }
}

Type 3: Database

Type: database

Description: Data persistence layer (relational or NoSQL)

Technology Indicators:

  • PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB (relational)
  • MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB (NoSQL)
  • Docker image or managed service

Runtime:

  • Environment: server or cloud
  • Platform: Linux, Docker
  • Containerized: true (often)

Example:

{
  "id": "main-database",
  "name": "Main PostgreSQL Database",
  "type": "database",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "SQL",
    "framework": "PostgreSQL 15.3",
    "libraries": []
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "server",
    "platform": "Linux x64, Docker",
    "containerized": true,
    "container_technology": "Docker",
    "deployment_model": "Single instance with volume persistence"
  }
}

Type 4: Cache

Type: cache

Description: In-memory data store for caching and session management

Technology Indicators:

  • Redis, Memcached
  • In-memory key-value store
  • TTL-based expiration

Runtime:

  • Environment: server
  • Platform: Linux
  • Containerized: true (usually)

Example:

{
  "id": "session-cache",
  "name": "Redis Session Cache",
  "type": "cache",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "N/A",
    "framework": "Redis 7.0",
    "libraries": []
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "server",
    "platform": "Linux x64",
    "containerized": true,
    "container_technology": "Docker"
  }
}

Type 5: Message Broker

Type: message-broker

Description: Message queue or event streaming platform

Technology Indicators:

  • RabbitMQ, Apache Kafka, AWS SQS, Redis Pub/Sub
  • Async message passing
  • Producers and consumers

Runtime:

  • Environment: server or cloud
  • Platform: Linux, Docker, or managed cloud service
  • Containerized: true (usually)

Example:

{
  "id": "event-broker",
  "name": "RabbitMQ Message Broker",
  "type": "message-broker",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "N/A",
    "framework": "RabbitMQ 3.12",
    "libraries": []
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "server",
    "platform": "Linux x64",
    "containerized": true,
    "container_technology": "Kubernetes"
  }
}

Type 6: Web Server / Reverse Proxy

Type: web-server

Description: HTTP server, reverse proxy, or load balancer

Technology Indicators:

  • Nginx, Apache, Traefik
  • Serves static files
  • Reverse proxy to backend services

Runtime:

  • Environment: server
  • Platform: Linux
  • Containerized: true (usually)

Example:

{
  "id": "nginx-proxy",
  "name": "Nginx Reverse Proxy",
  "type": "web-server",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "N/A",
    "framework": "Nginx 1.25",
    "libraries": []
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "server",
    "platform": "Linux x64",
    "containerized": true,
    "container_technology": "Kubernetes"
  }
}

Type 7: Worker / Background Service

Type: worker

Description: Background job processor, cron jobs, queue consumers

Technology Indicators:

  • Celery workers, Sidekiq, Bull queue
  • Processes background tasks
  • Often queue-based

Runtime:

  • Environment: server
  • Platform: Linux, Python, Ruby, Node.js
  • Containerized: true (usually)

Example:

{
  "id": "email-worker",
  "name": "Email Processing Worker",
  "type": "worker",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "Python",
    "framework": "Celery 5.3.0",
    "libraries": [
      {"name": "sendgrid", "version": "6.10.0", "purpose": "Email sending"}
    ]
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "server",
    "platform": "Linux x64, Python 3.11",
    "containerized": true,
    "container_technology": "Kubernetes"
  }
}

Type 8: Mobile Application

Type: mobile-app

Description: Native or hybrid mobile application

Technology Indicators:

  • React Native, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin
  • Runs on mobile devices
  • Platform-specific build outputs

Runtime:

  • Environment: mobile
  • Platform: iOS, Android
  • Containerized: false

Example:

{
  "id": "shopping-mobile-app",
  "name": "Shopping Mobile App",
  "type": "mobile-app",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "TypeScript",
    "framework": "React Native 0.72.0",
    "libraries": [
      {"name": "React Navigation", "version": "6.1.0", "purpose": "Navigation"}
    ]
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "mobile",
    "platform": "iOS 14+, Android 11+",
    "containerized": false
  }
}

Type 9: Desktop Application

Type: desktop-app

Description: Desktop application for Windows, macOS, or Linux

Technology Indicators:

  • Electron, Tauri, Qt
  • Native desktop frameworks
  • Installable applications

Runtime:

  • Environment: desktop
  • Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Containerized: false

Example:

{
  "id": "admin-desktop-app",
  "name": "Admin Desktop Application",
  "type": "desktop-app",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "TypeScript",
    "framework": "Electron 25.0.0",
    "libraries": []
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "desktop",
    "platform": "Windows 10+, macOS 11+, Linux",
    "containerized": false
  }
}

Type 10: File Storage

Type: file-storage

Description: Object storage, file system, or CDN

Technology Indicators:

  • AWS S3, MinIO, Azure Blob Storage
  • File upload/download
  • Static asset storage

Runtime:

  • Environment: cloud or server
  • Platform: Cloud provider or self-hosted
  • Containerized: varies

Example:

{
  "id": "media-storage",
  "name": "S3 Media Storage",
  "type": "file-storage",
  "technology": {
    "primary_language": "N/A",
    "framework": "AWS S3",
    "libraries": []
  },
  "runtime": {
    "environment": "cloud",
    "platform": "AWS",
    "containerized": false
  }
}

Type Selection Guide

Decision Tree

  1. Runs in browser? → SPA (Type 1)
  2. Exposes API/HTTP endpoints? → API Server (Type 2)
  3. Stores persistent data? → Database (Type 3)
  4. In-memory caching? → Cache (Type 4)
  5. Async messaging? → Message Broker (Type 5)
  6. Proxies/serves static files? → Web Server (Type 6)
  7. Background jobs? → Worker (Type 7)
  8. Mobile device? → Mobile App (Type 8)
  9. Desktop application? → Desktop App (Type 9)
  10. File/object storage? → File Storage (Type 10)

Common Combinations

Typical Web App:

  • SPA (frontend)
  • API Server (backend)
  • Database (persistence)
  • Cache (session/performance)

Microservices:

  • Multiple API Servers (services)
  • Message Broker (async communication)
  • Multiple Databases (per-service)
  • Web Server (gateway/proxy)

Full-Stack Application:

  • API Server with SSR (Next.js/Nuxt)
  • Database
  • Cache
  • File Storage (uploads)

Enterprise System:

  • SPA (admin portal)
  • Mobile App (customer app)
  • Multiple API Servers (microservices)
  • Worker (background jobs)
  • Message Broker (events)
  • Multiple Databases
  • Cache
  • File Storage

Best Practices

  1. One container = one deployable unit - Don't split unnecessarily
  2. Runtime matters - Document where container actually runs
  3. Technology precision - Include versions (React 18, not just React)
  4. Containerization awareness - Note Docker/K8s deployment
  5. Communication patterns - Document how containers interact
  6. Scaling characteristics - Note replicas, stateful vs stateless
  7. Dependencies - Capture required infrastructure containers

Common Pitfalls

  1. Confusing container with system - Container is ONE deployable unit within a system
  2. Too granular - Don't break down below deployment boundary
  3. Missing infrastructure - Don't forget databases, caches, brokers
  4. Generic types - Be specific (FastAPI API, not "Python app")
  5. Ignoring deployment - Runtime and deployment model matter
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