Architecture

Note

This documentation page is a work in progress and may be incomplete or subject to change.

Patterns

Software architecture can be described using patterns. Common patterns can often be implemented in Zephyr applications using specific mechanisms and subsystems.

The table below lists some patterns and their typical implementation methods in Zephyr.

Common Architectural Patterns

Pattern	Implementation Method	Notes
Feature Toggles	KConfig (compile time)	En-/disable specific code from the source tree
Strategy	Devicetree	Switch between HW implementations via API
Adapter	Device Driver Model	Abstract HW behind unified driver API
Observer	ZBus	Decouple components via msg passing (Pub-/Sub)
State	SMF (State Machine Framework)	Handle complex system states and transitions
Factory	DEVICE_DEFINE / DT_INST_FOREACH_*	Auto-instantiate drivers from Devicetree

Note

Zephyr transforms traditional runtime design patterns into compile-time configurations, using the build system to “bake” logic into the binary for maximum speed and minimal memory footprint.