Event-driven architecture (EDA) is a software design pattern where the production, detection, consumption, and reaction to events are central to the architecture. It enables loosely coupled systems by allowing components to communicate asynchronously through the exchange of events, facilitating scalability, resilience, and responsiveness in distributed systems.

In EDA, components of the system emit and listen for events to trigger actions or processes. This architecture allows for loosely coupled, scalable, and responsive systems, as components react to events asynchronously rather than relying on direct interactions. EDA is commonly used in real-time data processing, microservices architectures, and applications that require high scalability and flexibility. It enables efficient handling of complex workflows and improves system responsiveness by processing events as they occur.