MS Docs Architecture Overview

Introduction

This document provides a comprehensive overview of the architecture powering the MS Docs platform. Our goal is to build a robust, scalable, and maintainable system capable of handling a vast amount of documentation and user interactions.

The architecture is designed with a microservices approach, emphasizing modularity, independent deployability, and fault tolerance. This allows us to iterate quickly, scale specific services as needed, and leverage different technologies for different parts of the system.

Core Components

The MS Docs architecture is composed of several key interconnected components:

Data Flow

User requests typically flow through the following stages:

  1. A user interacts with the Frontend Application.
  2. The Frontend makes an HTTP request to the API Gateway.
  3. The API Gateway authenticates the user and routes the request to the appropriate Microservice.
  4. The Microservice processes the request, potentially interacting with its dedicated Database or other services via the Message Queue.
  5. The Microservice returns a response to the API Gateway.
  6. The API Gateway forwards the response back to the Frontend Application.
  7. The Frontend updates the UI.
Architecture Diagram

Conceptual data flow diagram.

API Gateway

The API Gateway serves as the unified interface for all clients. It handles cross-cutting concerns such as:

We utilize technologies like Nginx, Kong, or a cloud-native API Gateway solution for this layer.

Microservices

Each microservice is designed to be a small, self-contained unit responsible for a specific business capability. Key microservices include:

Document Service

Manages the creation, retrieval, update, and deletion of documentation content. It interacts with a content management system or a dedicated document store.

GET /api/v1/docs/{id}
POST /api/v1/docs
PUT /api/v1/docs/{id}

Search Service

Provides full-text search capabilities across all documentation. Often powered by search engines like Elasticsearch or Solr.

GET /api/v1/search?q=architecture

User Service

Handles user profiles, authentication credentials, and role management.

Additional services may include a Contribution Service, Versioning Service, and Notification Service.

Database Strategy

We adopt a polyglot persistence strategy, where each microservice owns its data and can choose the database technology best suited for its needs. This includes:

Inter-service communication regarding data is typically done via APIs or asynchronous events, avoiding direct database access between services.

Authentication & Authorization

User authentication is managed centrally, often through the User Service or a dedicated Identity Provider. We leverage industry-standard protocols like OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect.

Authorization is handled at the API Gateway and within individual microservices, ensuring that users only have access to the resources they are permitted to see or modify. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a common pattern.

Deployment

Our deployment strategy is built around containerization and orchestration:

Monitoring & Logging

Robust monitoring and logging are critical for maintaining system health and diagnosing issues: