A classification and comparison framework for software architecture description languages

Software architectures shift the focus of developers from lines-of-code to coarser-grained architectural elements and their overall interconnection st ructure. Architecture description languages (ADLs) have been proposed as mo deling notations to support architecture-based development. There is, howev er, little consensus in the research community on what is an ADL, what aspe cts of an architecture should be modeled in an ADL, and which of several po ssible ADLs is best suited for a particular problem. Furthermore, the disti nction is rarely made between ADLs on one hand and formal specification, mo dule interconnection, simulation, and programming languages on the other. T his paper attempts to provide an answer to these questions. It motivates an d presents a definition and a classification framework for ADLs. The utilit y of the definition is demonstrated by using it to differentiate ADLs from other modeling notations. The framework is used to classify and compare sev eral existing ADLs, enabling us, in the process, to identify key properties of ADLs. The comparison highlights areas where existing ADLs provide exten sive support and those in which they are deficient, suggesting a research a genda for the future.