This article explores combining multiple actors and splitting actors by messaging interfaces in software architecture. The publication examines the relation between structural diagrams and common types of systems of actors and services using ASS coordinates. The vertical axis maps abstraction, whereas the horizontal axis resolves subdomains in an arbitrary order. The Z-axis corresponds to sharding and shows multiple instances of modules. The article also covers inter-instance communication and why it is avoided. It analyzes various basic shapes in an ASS coordinate system and matches them to well-known architectural patterns with some coverage of common variants.
