Behavior-based architecture conformance checking

In the past years several approaches for static-based architecture conformance checking were proposed. These pose important limitations when considering modern systems, typically composed of several interacting processes. Ever since the advent of object orientation and due to the shift from monolith architectures to componentized ones, the complexity of software systems has moved from structure to behavior. With ARAMIS we propose a solution for behavior-based architecture conformance checking. First, the intended architecture description of the system under analysis is expressed using an ARAMIS-specific meta-model. This encompasses the architecture units constituting the system and the communication rules governing these. Next, interactions are extracted during the system's execution using third party monitoring tools. Given that a holistic analysis of the behavior of a system is impossible in general, we proposed several indicators to assess whether the captured interactions represent an adequate basis for checking the conformance of the system as a whole. The interactions are consequently elevated to depict communication between the units defined in the system's intended architecture description and validated to check their conformance to the formulated communication rules. The results constitute a description of the implemented architecture of the system, characterized by its drift from the intended one. This can subsequently be explored using several mechanisms such as user-defined architecture views and perspectives or dedicated visualizations. Last but not least, processes for guiding the activities involved in behavior-based conformance checking were developed and described.