Architecting Omega Systems
Build scalable, resilient, and future-proof systems following the 7 Omega Principles for platform-grade architecture.
Quick Start
# 1. Define architectural requirements
Architecture:
Name: "E-commerce Platform"
Scale: "1M+ concurrent users"
Principles: [leverage, abstraction, agentic, antifragile]
# 2. Apply Omega decision framework
Decision:
Question: "Monolith or microservices?"
Omega_Check:
- Leverage: "Does this multiply capability?"
- Scale: "Zero-marginal-cost at 1000x?"
- Resilience: "Self-healing under stress?"
# 3. Design with antifragility
Pattern: Event-Driven + Circuit Breakers + Auto-Scaling
Features
| Feature |
Description |
Guide |
| 7 Omega Principles |
Core architectural tenets for scalable systems |
Apply all 7 to every decision |
| Leverage Architecture |
Systems that amplify effort, not add to it |
Build frameworks, not features |
| Agentic Services |
Autonomous, self-healing microservices |
Circuit breakers + health monitors |
| Zero-Marginal-Cost |
Platform economics at scale |
Edge compute + aggressive caching |
| Event-Driven Design |
Loose coupling via event bus |
Kafka/Redis streams + sagas |
| Antifragile Patterns |
Systems that strengthen under stress |
Chaos engineering + adaptive config |
| Decision Framework |
Systematic architecture evaluation |
Omega checklist for every choice |
Common Patterns
The 7 Omega Principles
1. LEVERAGE MULTIPLICATION - Build systems that amplify effort
2. TRANSCENDENT ABSTRACTION - Solve classes of problems
3. AGENTIC DECOMPOSITION - Autonomous, self-managing services
4. RECURSIVE IMPROVEMENT - Systems that optimize themselves
5. ZERO-MARGINAL-COST - No cost per user at scale
6. ANTIFRAGILE DESIGN - Grow stronger under stress
7. COMPOSABLE PRIMITIVES - Lego blocks that combine infinitely
Leverage Architecture Pattern
// ONE implementation handles ALL entity types
class LeveragedEntitySystem {
async create<T>(type: string, data: T): Promise<T> {
const validated = await this.validators.get(type)?.validate(data);
await this.runHooks(type, 'beforeCreate', validated);
const result = await this.storage.create(type, validated);
await this.runHooks(type, 'afterCreate', result);
return result as T;
}
// New entity = configuration, not code
registerEntityType(type: string, config: EntityConfig): void {
this.validators.set(type, createValidator(config.schema));
}
}
Agentic Service Pattern
abstract class AgenticService {
private circuitBreaker: CircuitBreaker;
private healthMonitor: HealthMonitor;
private autoScaler: AutoScaler;
constructor() {
// Self-monitoring
this.healthMonitor = new HealthMonitor({
onUnhealthy: () => this.selfHeal()
});
// Self-protecting
this.circuitBreaker = new CircuitBreaker({
failureThreshold: 5,
onOpen: () => this.notifyDegradation()
});
}
protected async executeWithResilience<T>(
operation: () => Promise<T>,
fallback?: () => T
): Promise<T> {
return this.circuitBreaker.execute(operation, fallback);
}
}
Zero-Marginal-Cost Pattern
// Edge-first architecture
const platformConfig = {
compute: { provider: 'cloudflare-workers', pricing: 'per-invocation' },
storage: { provider: 'r2', cdn: { enabled: true, ttl: '1y' } },
database: { provider: 'planetscale', sharding: 'automatic' },
cache: {
layers: [
{ type: 'browser', ttl: '1h' },
{ type: 'cdn-edge', ttl: '24h' },
{ type: 'origin', ttl: '5m' }
]
}
};
Event-Driven Saga Pattern
class OrderSaga {
constructor(eventBus: EventBus) {
eventBus.subscribe('order.created', this.handleOrderCreated);
eventBus.subscribe('payment.failed', this.handlePaymentFailed);
}
handleOrderCreated = async (event: DomainEvent<Order>) => {
await this.eventBus.publish({
type: 'inventory.reserve',
data: { orderId: event.data.id, items: event.data.items },
correlationId: event.correlationId
});
};
handlePaymentFailed = async (event: DomainEvent) => {
// Compensating action
await this.eventBus.publish({ type: 'inventory.release', ... });
await this.eventBus.publish({ type: 'order.cancelled', ... });
};
}
Architecture Decision Template
## Omega Architecture Decision
### Context
[Problem and constraints]
### Omega Principles Check
| Principle | Question | Assessment |
|-----------|----------|------------|
| Leverage | Does this multiply capability? | |
| Abstraction | Solving class of problems? | |
| Agentic | Can it operate autonomously? | |
| Recursive | Will it self-improve? | |
| Zero-Marginal | Sub-linear cost scaling? | |
| Antifragile | Stronger under stress? | |
| Composable | Combines with other components? | |
### Scale Analysis
- 10x load: [Impact]
- 100x load: [Impact]
- 1000x load: [Impact]
### Decision
[Chosen approach with rationale]
Best Practices
| Do |
Avoid |
| Apply all 7 Omega principles to every decision |
Building monoliths that cannot decompose |
| Design for 1000x scale from day one |
Tight coupling between services |
| Use event-driven patterns for loose coupling |
Ignoring failure modes in design |
| Implement circuit breakers at all boundaries |
Scaling vertically when horizontal is possible |
| Build self-healing capabilities into services |
Hardcoding configuration values |
| Measure and optimize cost per transaction |
Skipping capacity planning |
| Document decisions using ADR template |
Deploying without health checks |
| Test failure scenarios with chaos engineering |
Synchronous calls for non-critical paths |
| Use infrastructure as code |
Ignoring data consistency requirements |
| Implement observability everywhere |
Underestimating distributed system complexity |