SaaS Architecture Fundamentals

Publication date: August 3, 2022 (Document revisions)

The scope, goals, and nature of running a business in a software as a service (SaaS) model can be difficult to define. The terminology and patterns that are used to characterize SaaS vary based on their origin. The goal of this document is to better define the fundamental elements of SaaS and create a clearer picture of patterns, terms, and value systems that are applied when designing and delivering a SaaS system on AWS. The broader goal is to provide a collection of foundational insights that provide customers with a clearer view of the options they should consider as they look to adopt a SaaS delivery model.

This paper is targeted at SaaS builders and architects who are at the beginning of their SaaS journey, as well as more seasoned builders who want to refine their understanding of core SaaS concepts. Some of this information can also be useful to SaaS product owners and strategists who want to get more familiar with the SaaS landscape.

Introduction

The term software as a service (SaaS) is used to describe a business and delivery model. The challenge, however, is that what it means to be SaaS is not universally understood.

While there is some agreement on some of the core pillars of SaaS, there remains some confusion around what it means to be SaaS. It’s natural to have some variation in how teams might view SaaS. At the same time, the lack of clarity around SaaS concepts and terms can create some confusion for those exploring a SaaS delivery model.

This document is focused on outlining the terminology that is used to describe core SaaS concepts. Having a shared mindset around these concepts creates a clear picture of the foundational elements of a SaaS architecture, equipping you with a shared vocabulary for describing SaaS architecture constructs. This is especially useful as you dig into additional content that builds on these themes.

This whitepaper steps back from the architecture details of multi-tenancy, and explores how we’ve defined the fundamentals of what it means to be SaaS. Ideally, this will also provide a clearer set of terminology that allows organizations to more quickly align on the flavor and nature of their SaaS solutions.

Are you Well-Architected?

The AWS Well-Architected Framework helps you understand the pros and cons of the decisions you make when building systems in the cloud. The six pillars of the Framework allow you to learn architectural best practices for designing and operating reliable, secure, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable systems. Using the AWS Well-Architected Tool, available at no charge in the AWS Management Console, you can review your workloads against these best practices by answering a set of questions for each pillar.

In the SaaS Lens, we focus on best practices for architecting your software as a service (SaaS) workloads on AWS.

For more expert guidance and best practices for your cloud architecture—reference architecture deployments, diagrams, and whitepapers—refer to the AWS Architecture Center.