On the C4 Model and why I like it
I recommend the C4 model for anyone interested in IT architecture, from beginner to expert. I feel it has just the right amount of architecture to represent the IT system you are trying to describe. It doesn't burdened you with creating too many artifacts. You don't have to learn a lot of rules (e.g. which arrow to use for different forms of relationship). The C4 model lets' you focus on what's essential to communicate to others and avoid debates about nomenclature. You can represent your IT architectures at all levels, from conceptual to physical, which means you can use it through the entire lifecycle of your IT system. In addition, you can represent your architecture with many different diagrams, from system context diagrams to deployment diagrams. And while it's meant for software architects, it is suitable for any IT architect.
Another nice thing about the C4 model diagrams is that they are supported with PlantUML. That allows you to have your diagrams as code. I love that. Each time you diagram your architecture using PlantUML, you can push your .puml (PlantUML) files into a source code repository. A repository like github gives you greater traceability and accountability. You could have each change be a pull request that can be reviewed and approved before being accepted. And each change can come with a reason for why the architecture is changing (e.g., new requirement, constraint or architectural decision). The result is better architectures and better IT Systems.
I'll be writing more on the C4 Model here. Meanwhile go check it out at the link above.
