Software architectures of the convergence of cloud computing and the Internet of Things: A systematic literature review

Context: Over the last few years, there has been an increasing interest in the convergence of cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT). Although software systems in this domain have attracted researchers to develop a large body of knowledge on software architecture designs, there is no systematic analysis of this knowledge. Objective: This study aims to identify and synthesise state-of-the-art architectural elements including the design patterns, styles, views, quality attributes, and evaluation methodologies in the convergence of cloud computing and IoT. Method: We used systematic literature review (SLR) methodology for a detailed analysis of 82 primary studies of a total of 1618 studies. Results: We extracted six architectural design patterns in this domain; among them, edge connectivity patterns stand out as the most popular choice. The service-oriented architecture is the most frequently applied style in this context. Among all applicable quality attributes, scalability, timeliness, and security were the most investigated quality attributes. In addition, we included nine cross analyses to address the relationship between architectural patterns, styles, views, and evaluation methodologies with respect to different quality attributes and application areas. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that research on software architectures in this domain is increasing. Although few studies were found in which industrial evaluations were presented, industry requires more scientific and empirically validated design frameworks to guide software engineering in this domain. This work provides an overview of the field while identifying areas for future research.