Reference

Architecture & Compliance Glossary

Plain-English definitions for enterprise architecture, compliance, and AI-native code generation terms — the language of Archiet's platform and the documents it produces.

ArchiMate: ArchiMate is an open, independent enterprise architecture modeling language published by The Open Group. It provides a uniform notation for describing, analyzing, and communicating architecture across business, application, and technology layers. ArchiMate 3.2 is the current standard. Archiet uses ArchiMate as the backbone of its formal genome model, ensuring generated code and documentation trace to a verifiable, standard representation of the architecture.
See also: TOGAF, Genome
TOGAF: TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework) is a framework and methodology for enterprise architecture development. Its Architecture Development Method (ADM) guides the creation of business, data, application, and technology architectures. TOGAF 10 is the current edition. Archiet generates TOGAF-aligned architecture documentation — including phase outputs, ADRs, and a traceability matrix — as part of every customer delivery.
See also: ArchiMate, ADR (Architecture Decision Record)
ADR (Architecture Decision Record): An Architecture Decision Record (ADR) is a short document that captures a significant architectural decision: the context, the decision itself, its consequences, and the alternatives considered. ADRs form a living decision log — new architects read the history to understand WHY the system is built the way it is. Archiet generates a full set of ADRs deterministically from the customer's genome, covering auth strategy, data model, API design, security posture, and compliance.
See also: Genome, TOGAF
Genome: In Archiet, the genome is the typed, formal model compiled from a customer's product description (PRD). It encodes every architectural decision — entities, capabilities, business rules, compliance requirements, stack choice — as a structured document. The genome is the single source of truth: all code, docs, and compliance artefacts are rendered deterministically from it. Editing the genome and regenerating produces a coherent, fully-updated delivery.
See also: ArchiMate, Deterministic Code Generation
Deterministic Code Generation: Deterministic code generation means that the same input (genome or architecture model) always produces the same output. No randomness, no LLM hallucination in the rendering path. Archiet's code generator is deterministic: given the same genome, every generation produces byte-identical source files. This is a hard requirement for enterprise customers who need auditable, reproducible outputs — prompt-to-app tools (Lovable, Bolt, v0) are inherently non-deterministic because they call LLMs in the rendering path.
See also: Genome
PRD (Product Requirements Document): A Product Requirements Document (PRD) describes what a software product should do — its features, user types, business rules, and constraints — without specifying how it should be built. Archiet accepts a PRD (plain English text or uploaded document) as its primary input and compiles it into a formal architectural genome, then renders a complete, stack-specific application from that genome.
See also: Genome
SOC 2: SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2) is a security and compliance framework defined by the AICPA. It evaluates a company's controls across five Trust Service Criteria: Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. A SOC 2 Type II report — based on an audit over 6–12 months — is a common procurement requirement for SaaS vendors. Archiet generates SOC 2-ready documentation for every delivery: control matrices, data-flow diagrams, and incident-response runbooks.
See also: HIPAA, GDPR
HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is US federal law that establishes privacy and security standards for Protected Health Information (PHI). Software that handles PHI must implement Technical Safeguards (encryption, access control, audit logs) and Administrative Safeguards (workforce training, incident response). Archiet generates HIPAA-aligned documentation and configuration stubs — encryption-at-rest settings, audit log setup, and access control design — for any genome that touches health data.
See also: SOC 2, GDPR
GDPR: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU regulation governing how personal data is collected, stored, and processed. It requires explicit consent, the right to erasure (Article 17), data portability (Article 20), and mandatory breach notification within 72 hours. Archiet generates GDPR-aligned code stubs — consent management, DSAR runbook, data-deletion endpoints — and a data-processing map for every customer delivery.
See also: SOC 2, HIPAA
Flask: Flask is a lightweight Python web framework. It is Archiet's primary production-ready stack: Flask + Next.js is the combination where Archiet produces fully audited, shippable output today. The generated Flask app includes SQLAlchemy ORM with Alembic migrations, Flask-JWT-Extended for httpOnly cookie auth, Celery for background tasks, and a Docker + nginx production configuration.
See also: FastAPI, NestJS
FastAPI: FastAPI is a modern, high-performance Python web framework built on Starlette and Pydantic. It generates OpenAPI documentation automatically. Archiet supports FastAPI + Next.js as an active beta stack — meaning the generator produces complete, bootable code, but the stack has not yet received the same production audit depth as Flask + Next.js.
See also: Flask, NestJS
NestJS: NestJS is a TypeScript Node.js framework that brings Angular-style architecture patterns (modules, decorators, dependency injection) to server-side development. NestJS + Next.js is an active beta stack in Archiet — the generator produces complete, bootable code. Enterprises with Node.js-first teams prefer this stack for its type safety and familiarity.
See also: Flask, FastAPI
Traceability Matrix: A traceability matrix maps every requirement to the code, test, or documentation artefact that satisfies it. In enterprise software delivery, it is required for compliance audits (ISO 27001, SOC 2) and regulated industries (healthcare, finance). Archiet generates a populated traceability matrix from the genome — each entity, business rule, and compliance requirement is mapped to the code file and test that implements it.
See also: ADR (Architecture Decision Record), SOC 2
Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable configuration files rather than manual processes. Tools like Terraform, Pulumi, and Bicep express cloud resources as code, enabling reproducible, version-controlled deployments. Archiet generates a docker-compose.yml for local development and a production-ready nginx + Dockerfile configuration in every delivery.
See also: Genome
Microservices Architecture: Microservices architecture decomposes an application into small, independently deployable services — each owning its own data store, exposing a well-defined API, and communicating over a network. Contrast with monolithic architecture, where all components share a single deployment unit. Archiet supports microservices as an architecture style: when the genome specifies `architecture_style: microservices`, the generator emits per-service Dockerfiles, an API gateway configuration, and inter-service contracts.
See also: Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Zero-Touch Deployment: Zero-touch deployment means a generated application can be deployed without any manual configuration or code changes — the developer runs a single command (e.g. `docker compose up -d`) and the fully-configured application starts. This is Archiet's product promise: every generated ZIP is zero-touch deployable. The delivery gate verifies this before releasing a ZIP to the customer.
See also: Deterministic Code Generation, Genome

See these concepts in action

Archiet compiles a PRD into a formal genome, renders production code, and ships ADRs, a traceability matrix, and compliance artefacts — all deterministically.

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