Architecture Guide
Each quest gives you a business problem and a set of constraints. Your job: design an architecture that solves the problem and satisfies all the constraints.
Add components from the palette — tap to drop at the next open slot, or drag to place exactly. Connect them by dragging from one node's handle to another. The four health dimensions update live as you build.
When the canvas passes validation, complete the quest to reveal which architectural pattern you just built. Learning by doing, not by reading.
Compute — Application servers, workers, functions
Storage — Databases, object stores, data warehouses
Cache — In-memory caches like Redis or Memcached
Queue / Broker — Message queues, event buses, pub/sub
CDN — Content delivery networks for static assets
API Gateway — Entry point for routing, auth, rate limiting
Load Balancer — Distributes traffic across instances
External Service — Third-party APIs and legacy systems
Priority order: Compliance → Reliability → Performance → Cost.
Compliance — Regulatory and security requirements (highest priority)
Reliability — Redundancy, failover, fault tolerance
Performance — Latency, throughput, scalability
Cost Efficiency — Over-provisioning is penalized.
Briefing tells you what the system needs, not how to build it.
Watch the constraint panel — green checks mean you're on track.
Unnecessary components hurt your cost score.
Orphan nodes don't contribute to the system.
Hints carry no penalty.
Is my progress saved?
Yes. Close the tab or install the PWA; progress persists locally.
What are patterns?
Architectural patterns are named solutions to recurring design problems. You discover them by building systems — the game names what you built after you complete a quest.
Can I replay quests?
Yes. Replaying a quest keeps your best score and won't remove already-unlocked patterns.
Does this work offline?
Yes. Once loaded, Stackcraft caches its full shell. Start a new quest on a flight — the simulation runs locally.