Refers to the design of any
system composed of separate components that can be connected together. The beauty of modular
architecture is that you can replace or add any one component (
module) without affecting the rest of the system. The opposite of a modular architecture is an
integrated architecture, in which no clear divisions exist between components.
The term modular can apply to both hardware and software. Modular software design, for example, refers to a design strategy in which a system is composed of relatively small and autonomous routines that fit together.
