Architecture

The architecture documents explain how SOF is shaped as infrastructure software rather than as a generic Solana SDK.

These pages are mainly for maintainers and for users who need a deeper view of runtime design or integration behavior.

Core Themes

• ingress, runtime, and consumption are separate layers
• queues and failure surfaces are explicit
• local control-plane state is part of the runtime model
• replayable and restart-safe stateful consumers are separate from observational plugins
• performance decisions are documented as architecture, not hidden as trivia
• performance changes are expected to be measured, not assumed

For the actual performance lineage and measured examples across releases, use Performance and Measurement.

Start with System Overview if you want the shortest diagram-first view.