GuideArch

GuideArch helps software architects compare technology stacks using fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis. Describe decisions, alternatives, quality properties and constraints, then rank candidate architectures with fuzzy TOPSIS. Use sensitivity analysis to see which decisions and constraints affect the result.

1. Capabilities

• Edit architecture decisions, alternatives, property weights and constraints.
• Rank candidates and inspect scores, fuzzy values and comparison charts.
• Examine critical decisions and constraints.
• Load bundled examples, open scenario JSON files and save your changes.
• Choose dark or light appearance in any implementation.

2. Availability and requirements

Run GuideArch from source using the instructions below. GitHub Releases currently contains only v0.0.0-bootstrap, with no attached installers. The v1.0.0 tag and package metadata identify the development baseline; they do not establish downloadable release availability. Release build configurations are documented in the release specification.

Choose one implementation. You do not need all three toolchains.

Implementation	Requirements	Interface
Python	Git, Python 3.11+, uv	NiceGUI browser UI; optional pywebview desktop window
TypeScript	Git, Node 22+, pnpm 11+; Rust/cargo for desktop	Svelte browser UI or Tauri desktop
C#	Git, .NET 8 or 9 SDK	Avalonia desktop; WebAssembly support is planned

Python installs VMx from its pinned PyPI dependency. TypeScript and C# build VMx from the vendor/vmx/ submodule because their registry packages are not published. The language guides explain platform-specific desktop prerequisites and optional VMx co-development.

3. Run from source

Install the tools for your chosen implementation first. Each block below starts from the repository root of a fresh checkout.

git clone https://github.com/thekaveh/GuideArch.git
cd GuideArch

3.1. Python browser application

cd langs/python
uv sync
uv run guidearch

Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser. Use uv run guidearch --native for a desktop window when your platform supports pywebview. Stop the server with Ctrl+C. See Python setup for native-mode details and local development checks.

3.2. TypeScript application

From the repository root:

git submodule update --init vendor/vmx
cd langs/typescript
pnpm install
pnpm dev

Open http://localhost:1420 in your browser. Use pnpm tauri dev for the desktop application after installing its native prerequisites. Stop the development server with Ctrl+C. See TypeScript setup for builds and tests.

3.3. C# application

From the repository root:

git submodule update --init vendor/vmx
cd langs/csharp
dotnet build
dotnet run --project src/GuideArch.View

An Avalonia desktop window opens. Close it to stop the application. See C# setup for framework, runtime and test details.

4. Explore a sample

1. Select Sample SAS in the toolbar, or Open Sample SAS on the initial screen.
2. Open Results to inspect the ranked candidates. The sample's top score is 0.031180695179944085.
3. Open Properties and change a weight, such as Reliability. The rankings update after the change.
4. Inspect Critical Decisions and Critical Constraints to understand the result.
5. Use Save As… to save a temporary JSON file. Select New, then Open… that file to restore your changes.

The bundled SAS scenario contains 10 decisions, 25 alternatives and seven properties. Sample EDS provides a second example. The scenario corpus and algorithm specification explain the inputs and expected results.

5. Development and reference

Start with Contributing for the spec-first workflow and local verification. Each language guide contains its unit, integration and numerical conformance commands. Python development tools use uv sync --all-extras; uv sync installs the runtime dependencies only.

Reference	Purpose
Documentation reference	Specifications, design decisions, release process and archived audit evidence
Changelog	Development milestones and recorded changes
Contract ledger	Consumed dependencies and toolchain contracts
Security	Private vulnerability reporting
Code of conduct	Participation policy

The repository separates shared specifications (spec/), language implementations (langs/) and supporting scripts (tools/). VMx is an external submodule under vendor/vmx/; propose dependency changes upstream.

6. License

MIT — see LICENSE.