# Event-driven architecture · Glossary
A software design in which systems communicate by publishing and reacting to events, such as ‘order placed’ or ‘claim submitted’, rather than calling each other directly.
[Glossary](/glossary) · Platform and software engineering

# Event-driven architecture

     A software design in which systems communicate by publishing and reacting to events, such as ‘order placed’ or ‘claim submitted’, rather than calling each other directly. It lets services respond to changes as they happen and evolve independently.

## Why it matters

     Event-driven designs support real-time processes and make it easier to add new consumers, such as an analytics feed or an AI triage step, without changing the system that produces the event.

     They also introduce complexity: events must be well defined, delivered reliably, processed safely if repeated and traceable end to end.

## In practice

     For example, a UK specialist lender might publish an event when an application is submitted. Separate services then run identity checks, request documents, update the analytics platform and start the underwriting workflow, each independently.

## Where Rodan fits

     Rodan uses event-driven patterns to build responsive [Governed Workflow Platforms](https://rodan.io/what-we-build/governed-workflow-platforms).

## Related terms

- [Stream processing](/glossary/stream-processing)

- [Change data capture (CDC)](/glossary/change-data-capture)

- [Workflow orchestration](/glossary#workflow-orchestration)

- [API (application programming interface)](/glossary/api)

- [Real-time analytics](/glossary/real-time-analytics)
HTML: https://rodan.io/glossary/event-driven-architecture