SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE

C4 Component View for an Order Service

This C4 component diagram looks inside an order-service container. Requests enter through an API gateway and pass through an order controller and validator before reaching the order service. The service persists through a repository and collaborates with inventory, payment, event and audit components. That division helps teams discuss ownership, test boundaries and failure handling without dropping down to class diagrams. In a real system, some of the named collaborators may be internal components while others are external services; adjust the boundary labels accordingly. Keep this view focused on significant responsibilities. For endpoint signatures or method calls, move to code documentation rather than adding every helper class here.

UPDATED 2026-09-24
EXAMPLEC4 Component View for an Order Service
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CASE ANALYSIS

Scenario

C4 component design

Key decisions

  • Request boundary: Uses a controller and validator before business logic.
  • Persistence boundary: Isolates database access in an order repository.
  • External collaborations: Makes inventory, payment, events and audit dependencies explicit.

When to reuse this

Use this component view when explaining the responsibilities inside an order-service container.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

When should I use a C4 component view?01
Use it when a container is important enough to explain its major internal responsibilities and dependencies.
What is the role of a repository?02
It isolates persistence operations so business logic does not depend directly on the database.
Does C4 prescribe component names?03
No. Names should describe meaningful responsibilities in the software being documented.
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