parameters on the basis of which a particular n-tier architecture is chosen

What are the parameters on the basis of which a particular n-tier architecture is chos开发者_运维问答en for an application.

Architecture (in general, not only n-tier) is chosen basing on a set of quality attributes required for a particular application/system. The list of attributes differs slightly in each of the architectural frameworks, most of them however is focused around:

End User's view

• Performance
• Availability
• Usability
• Security

Developer's view

• Maintainability
• Portability
• Reusability
• Testability

Business Community view

• Time To Market
• Cost and Benefits
• Projected life time
• Targeted Market

In addition, in most cases there are some strictly technical/infrastructural concerns involved, like legacy systems.

You can find some helpful information in this article about quality attributes.