Monday, November 15, 2010

AzureDesignPatterns.com has been re-launched after a major overhaul. This site catalogues the design patterns of the Windows Azure Platform. These patterns will be covered in extended detail in my upcoming book, The Azure Handbook.



This site was originally created back in 2008 to catalog the design patterns for the just-announced Windows Azure platform. An overhaul has been long overdue: Azure has certainly come a long way since then and now contains many more features and services--and accordingly many more patterns. Originally there were about a dozen primitive patterns and now there over 70 catalogued. There are additional patterns to add but I believe this initial effort decently covers the platform including the new feature announcements based on what was shown at PDC 2010.

The first category of patterns is Compute Patterns. This includes the Windows Azure Compute Service (Web Role, Worker Role, etc.) and the new AppFabric Cache Service.



The second category of patterns is Storage Patterns. This includes the Windows Azure Storage Service (Blobs, Queues, Tables) and the Content Delivery Network.



The third category of patterns is Communication Patterns. This covers the Windows Azure AppFabric Service Bus.



The fourth category of patterns is Security Patterns. This covers the Windows Azure AppFabric Access Control Service. More patterns certainly need to be added in this area and will be over time.



The fifth category of patterns is Relational Data Patterns. This covers the SQL Azure Database Service, the new SQL Azure Reporting Service, and the DataMarket Service (formerly called Project Dallas).



The sixth category of patterns is Network Patterns. This covers the new Windows Azure Connect virtual networking feature (formerly called Project Sydney).



The original site also contained an Application Patterns section which described composite patterns created out of the primitive patterns. These are coming in the next installment.

I’d very much like to hear feedback on the pattern catalog. Are key patterns missing? Are the pattern names and descriptions and icons clear? Is the organization easy to navigate? Let me know your thoughts.