papers/006.md
Artifacts and Instances
Document: papers/006.md
Volume: I — Foundations
Status: Draft 0.1
Authors
- Eduardo N. Hering
- OpenAI ChatGPT
Abstract
Previous papers established architectures as abstract objects and derivation as the operation that produces realizations while preserving architectural identity.
The ICA engineering process further revealed that the products of derivation exist at different conceptual levels.
This paper distinguishes architectural artifacts from architectural instances.
The distinction clarifies the relationship between documents, implementations, and the architecture they realize.
1. Motivation
The ICA consists of numerous constitutional documents.
The Brazil Implementation Profile consists of numerous implementation documents.
Neither collection is the architecture itself.
Likewise, an institution created according to those documents is not identical to the documents describing it.
A conceptual distinction is therefore required.
2. Observations
Observation 1
Architectural documents can exist without any institution being instantiated.
Observation 2
An institution may exist only because corresponding architectural artifacts exist.
Observation 3
Multiple institutions may be established from the same architectural documentation.
Observation 4
Updating an implementation document does not necessarily alter an existing institution.
Conversely, institutional evolution may occur without immediately modifying every artifact.
Observation 5
Architectural review primarily evaluates artifacts, whereas institutional operation concerns instances.
These activities are related but distinct.
3. Definitions
Definition 1 — Architectural Artifact
An architectural artifact is a concrete object produced or maintained as part of a derivation.
Artifacts include documents, models, specifications, procedures, software, and any other persistent representations of the architecture.
Definition 2 — Architectural Instance
An architectural instance is a concrete realization that operates according to a derived architecture.
Instances exist in the domain for which the architecture was derived.
Definition 3 — Instance Creation
Instance creation is the act by which an architectural instance comes into existence from a sufficient collection of derived artifacts.
Definition 4 — Instance Lifetime
The lifetime of an instance is independent of the lifetime of any particular artifact.
Artifacts may evolve while the instance continues to exist.
4. Discussion
Artifacts and instances occupy different ontological levels.
Artifacts are descriptions, prescriptions, or mechanisms.
Instances are operational realizations.
The distinction resembles familiar engineering relationships such as blueprint and building or source code and executing process.
However, the ICA observations suggest a stronger architectural interpretation.
Artifacts themselves are products of derivation.
Instances arise from artifacts rather than directly from the abstract architecture.
Consequently, derivation and instantiation are distinct operations.
Derivation produces artifacts.
Instantiation produces operating systems within the intended domain.
5. Propositions
Proposition 1
Architectures are not artifacts.
Proposition 2
Artifacts are not instances.
Proposition 3
Instances depend upon derived artifacts for their creation.
Proposition 4
Multiple instances may originate from the same collection of architectural artifacts.
Proposition 5
The architectural identity of an instance is inherited from the architecture through the derivation embodied by its artifacts.
6. Conjectures
Conjecture 1
The distinction between derivation and instantiation applies to every Derivable Architecture regardless of application domain.
Conjecture 2
Architectural artifacts form the observable evidence from which derivations can be scientifically studied.
Conjecture 3
The complete lifecycle of a Derivable Architecture consists of at least three conceptually distinct stages:
- architecture,
- derivation,
- instantiation.
7. Open Questions
- What minimum set of artifacts is sufficient for instance creation?
- Can multiple artifact collections instantiate architecturally equivalent systems?
- Can an instance remain architecturally valid after some artifacts become obsolete?
- Are instances themselves capable of participating in subsequent derivations?
8. Status
The distinction between architecture, artifacts, and instances establishes three separate ontological layers observed during the ICA engineering process.
This separation prepares the foundation for analyzing architectural evolution independently from architectural identity.
The next paper investigates how histories and evolution relate to derivable architectures while preserving architectural continuity.