Is software engineer the same as software architect?

21 December 2021
Marta López
Marta López

Head of Marketing and Communication

The technology sector is one of the labour markets with the most job opportunities. Many professions, which until a few years ago were totally unthinkable, are now in great demand by all types of companies.

Data scientistweb designer, ethical hackerData engineer, data engineer, cybersecurity analyst... are just a few examples of these technology experts.

Professionals who, a priori, may appear to be the same; but nothing to do with reality. 

Thus, in this post we are going to resolve one of the most frequently asked questions by the community. Specifically, the following question: "Is a software engineer the same as a software architect? We have already told you no.

However, in order to understand the differences between the two jobs, it is important to know first of all, what is software architecture.

Software architecture: definition

Broadly speaking, software architecture defines all the necessary patterns that serve to build a piece of software (a program or application, for example).

In other words, software architecture encompasses both the design and the structure of software code and serves as a guide for all IT professionals. Indeed, this is the case for software engineers and software architects, among others.

Characteristics of the software architecture

It is important to note that in order to optimally design and implement the architecture of a softwareThe following key points should be borne in mind:

  • Project planning
  • Risk analysis
  • Organisation
  • Development process
  • Working cycles
  • Hardware
  • Quality assurance
  • Requirements

These tips will be essential for software engineers and architects.who are in the process of developing a project. In the middle of creating and implementing a software architecture.

What is the difference between a software architect and a software engineer?

So, is a software engineer the same as a software architect? Let's look at how these software experts differ:

Software Engineer

On the one hand, a software engineer is the professional who is in charge of the control and development process of a software. He/she will be the expert who will be in charge of the entire software development process and life cycleand the tests to be carried out.

Indeed, software engineers are involved in all stages of software development.. Their functions include programming. They are the professionals who are in charge of testing the software code and appreciate any possible faults.

Software Architect

On the other hand, the software architect - as the name implies - is the expert in charge of software design. In other words, a software architect determines the platform, the environment and even the business strategy. 

In short, he or she is one of those responsible for the project and decides on the strategy and the actions to be developed: from the type of technology to be implemented to the type of framework to be used.

A software architect is also responsible for programming tasks; while a software engineer can act as an administrator. In this way, we can say that software engineers work on the strategy of software architects.

And if you are wondering how to become a software architect or software engineer, we recommend you to read on.

Are you interested in software development engineering?

Have you already understood that software engineer is not the same as software architect? At IMMUNE we know very well how important it is to be specialised. That is why, in addition to telling you in this post what the difference between software engineering and architecture is, we offer you the following training courses.

Our Degree in Software Development Engineering will provide you with a multitude of job opportunities within the technology sector; in addition, the Web Development Bootcamp is a training in which you are going to go deeper into programming languages, Backend or Frontend, among others.

Take a look at our training catalogue and become a systems architecture professional with us.

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