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Architecture

This section is the platform's decision record: what was decided, what is currently proposed, and the carefully-scripted procedures for enabling safety-critical changes.

In plain English: software teams write down big design decisions in short numbered documents called ADRs (architecture decision records) so that, years later, anyone can answer "why is it built this way?" without archaeology. Reading an ADR's Context and Decision sections is usually enough; the Consequences section tells you what trade-offs were accepted.

Current program: the first-class module transformation​

The active architecture program (ADRs 033–039, Phase 1 landed August 2026) promotes the alphaswarm Python namespace into a stable public domain/application kernel behind a compatibility facade:

What lives here​

KindWhat it isExamples
ADRsNumbered, immutable decision records (superseded rather than edited)001 static export over SSR → 039 Nautilus adapter boundary
RFCsProposals under discussionForecast/scenario domain types
Plans & analysesMulti-ADR programs and platform analysesTransformation plan, Minimum AWS coverage
Safety runbooksScripted enablement of dangerous flagsHalt propagation staging enablement, Tenancy RLS enforcement enablement
SpecificationsDetailed subsystem specsPreprocessing spec
GuidesHow to extend the architectureEnhancement guide

Reading order for newcomers​

  1. Concepts → Architecture — the system map (this section assumes you've seen it).
  2. ADRs 005 separated control plane, 029 catalog-first data object model, 032 graph data pillar, and 036 plane boundaries — the four decisions that most shape everything else.
  3. The current program above.