Architecture-based models are the prevalent approaches for the software reliability estimation. The failure behavior and the relationship between software modules are essential for the approaches. This paper presents an overview of architecture-based models and the assessment methods during the reliability estimation. Firstly

architecture-based models are classified as composite and hierarchical according to the solution method. Then

depending on the approach for application we advance the principle of analyzing software architecture and the modules’ interaction

assessing the module’s reliability

estimating the transferring probabilities. The approach will be practice in a real system’s reliability estimation.