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+# Tech Architecture Document
+
+## Stack
+
+| Layer | Technology | Version / Notes |
+|---|---|---|
+| Runtime | Node.js | LTS (≥ 20.x) |
+| Language | TypeScript | ≥ 5.x, compiled to CommonJS or ESM for execution |
+| Framework | Express.js | ≥ 4.x |
+| Test runner | Jest or Vitest | Unit tests for counting logic |
+| Build tooling | `tsc` (TypeScript compiler) | No bundler required |
+| Package manager | npm | Standard `npm install && npm start` workflow |
+
+## Components
+
+### 1. HTTP Server (`src/server.ts`)
+Bootstraps the Express application, registers middleware (JSON body-parser, error handler), mounts routes, and starts listening on `process.env.PORT` (default `3000`).
+
+### 2. Router (`src/routes/count.ts`, `src/routes/health.ts`)
+Declares the two route handlers:
+- **POST /count** — validates the request body, calls the counting service, and returns the result.
+- **GET /health** — returns `{ "status": "ok" }` with HTTP 200.
+
+### 3. Counting Service (`src/services/counter.ts`)
+Pure functions with no side-effects:
+- `countWords(text: string): number` — trims the input, splits on `/\s+/`, filters empty tokens, returns the token count.
+- `countCharacters(text: string): number` — returns `text.length` (UTF-16 code units, spaces included).
+
+### 4. Validation Middleware (`src/middleware/validateCount.ts`)
+Express middleware applied to `POST /count` that checks:
+1. Body is present and `Content-Type: application/json` was parsed successfully.
+2. `text` field exists.
+3. `text` is of type `string`.
+Returns HTTP 400 with a descriptive `{ "error": string }` payload on any violation.
+
+### 5. Error Handler (`src/middleware/errorHandler.ts`)
+Global Express error-handling middleware (four-argument signature) that catches any unhandled errors — including JSON parse errors emitted by `express.json()` — and returns a 400 response with a descriptive message.
+
+### 6. Unit Tests (`src/__tests__/counter.test.ts`)
+Tests for `countWords` and `countCharacters` covering: normal input, multiple/consecutive whitespace, leading/trailing whitespace, empty string, and character count including spaces.
+
+## Data Model
+
+No persistence layer exists. All data is transient per request.
+
+### Request — `POST /count`
+```json
+{
+  "text": "hello world"
+}
+```
+
+### Response — `POST /count` (HTTP 200)
+```json
+{
+  "words": 2,
+  "characters": 11
+}
+```
+
+### Response — `GET /health` (HTTP 200)
+```json
+{
+  "status": "ok"
+}
+```
+
+### Error Response (HTTP 400)
+```json
+{
+  "error": "<descriptive message>"
+}
+```
+
+## Integrations
+
+None. The service is fully self-contained with no external APIs, databases, message queues, or third-party services.
+
+## Architecture Diagram
+
+```mermaid
+graph TD
+    Client["HTTP Client\n(curl / test suite / browser)"]
+
+    subgraph "WCNT API (Node.js / Express)"
+        Server["Express App\nsrc/server.ts"]
+        HealthRoute["GET /health\nsrc/routes/health.ts"]
+        CountRoute["POST /count\nsrc/routes/count.ts"]
+        ValidateMW["Validation Middleware\nsrc/middleware/validateCount.ts"]
+        ErrMW["Error Handler\nsrc/middleware/errorHandler.ts"]
+        CounterSvc["Counting Service\nsrc/services/counter.ts\ncountWords() · countCharacters()"]
+    end
+
+    Client -->|HTTP request| Server
+    Server --> HealthRoute
+    Server --> ValidateMW
+    ValidateMW -->|valid| CountRoute
+    ValidateMW -->|invalid| ErrMW
+    CountRoute --> CounterSvc
+    CounterSvc -->|result| CountRoute
+    CountRoute -->|200 JSON| Client
+    HealthRoute -->|200 JSON| Client
+    ErrMW -->|400 JSON| Client
+```
+
+## Request / Response Data Flow
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant C as HTTP Client
+    participant E as Express App
+    participant V as Validation MW
+    participant R as /count Route
+    participant S as Counter Service
+
+    C->>E: POST /count  { "text": "hello world" }
+    E->>V: parse JSON body
+    alt body invalid or text missing/non-string
+        V-->>C: HTTP 400  { "error": "..." }
+    else body valid
+        V->>R: next()
+        R->>S: countWords(text), countCharacters(text)
+        S-->>R: { words: 2, characters: 11 }
+        R-->>C: HTTP 200  { "words": 2, "characters": 11 }
+    end
+```
+
+## NFRs
+
+| ID | Category | How Addressed |
+|---|---|---|
+| NFR-1 | Runtime | Node.js LTS; TypeScript source compiled via `tsc` before execution. |
+| NFR-2 | Framework | Express.js; `express.json()` middleware for body parsing. |
+| NFR-3 | Persistence | No database; all state is request-scoped and discarded after the response. |
+| NFR-4 | Security | No auth layer; endpoint is open by design for demo use. |
+| NFR-5 | Testing | Jest/Vitest unit tests for `countWords` and `countCharacters`; executed in CI via `npm test`. |
+| NFR-6 | Simplicity | Single repository; zero non-Node dependencies beyond Express and the test runner. |
+| NFR-7 | Portability | No native add-ons or OS-specific code; runs inside any standard `node:lts` Docker image or bare Node environment. |
+
+## Risks
+
+| ID | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| R-1 | Unicode surrogate pairs counted as 2 characters | Low | Low | Documented as Assumption A4; acceptable for demo scope. Upgrade to `Intl.Segmenter` if true grapheme count is ever required. |
+| R-2 | Malformed `Content-Type` header bypasses JSON parsing | Low | Low | Global error handler catches `SyntaxError` from `express.json()` and returns 400. |
+| R-3 | Port conflict on default `3000` | Medium | Low | `PORT` environment variable allows any port; documented in README / startup instructions. |
+| R-4 | Dependency vulnerabilities in Express | Medium | Medium | Kept on latest stable Express 4.x; `npm audit` run in CI; minimal transitive dependency surface. |