ARCHITECTURE CASE STUDIES — REAL-WORLD ICP APPLICATIONS

CASE STUDY 1: OPENCHAT

Architecture:

- Messaging canister: Handles messages

- User canister: Manages profiles

- Group canister: Group chat logic

- Frontend canister: UI serving

Key decisions:

- Separate canisters for different functions

- Stable memory for message history

- Internet Identity for authentication

- SNS for decentralized governance

CASE STUDY 2: SONIC DEX

Architecture:

- Swap canister: Core trading logic

- Pool canister: Liquidity management

- Factory canister: Creates new pools

- Frontend canister: Trading interface

Key decisions:

- High-performance Rust canisters

- Composite queries for price data

- ckBTC for Bitcoin liquidity

- Multiple canisters for parallel processing

CASE STUDY 3: ICPSWAP

Architecture:

- Order book canister: Limit orders

- AMM canister: Automated market making

- Governance canister: Protocol upgrades

- Analytics canister: Market data

Key decisions:

- Hybrid order book + AMM model

- Cross-canister calls for complex trades

- Stable memory for order history

- SNS governance for decentralization

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. Start simple, add complexity gradually

2. Separate concerns into different canisters

3. Use stable memory for critical data

4. Plan for upgrades from day one

5. Monitor everything

This is how real production applications are designed on ICP.

Next: Part 36 — Complete End-to-End Project

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