Abstractions

In order to create some “maps of your code”, we first need a common set of abstractions that we can use to describe the static structure of a software system. In the C4 model:

A software system is made up of one or more containers (applications and data stores), each of which contains one or more components, which in turn are implemented by one or more code elements (classes, interfaces, objects, functions, etc). And people (actors, roles, personas, named individuals, etc) use the software systems that we build.

The C4 model is an “abstraction-first” approach to diagramming software architecture, based upon abstractions that reflect how software architects and developers think about and build software. The small set of abstractions and diagram types makes the C4 model easy to learn and use.