Explain clean architecture in .NET and identify signs that the abstraction layers have become unnecessary ceremony.

Clean Architecture keeps business rules independent of delivery and infrastructure details. Dependencies point inward: the domain knows no database or web framework; application use cases define ports; infrastructure implements them; the API composes the system. Example: public interface IOrderRepository { Task<Order?> GetAsync(OrderId id, CancellationToken ct); } The interface should reflect a domain need, not mirror every ORM method. Keep controllers thin, place transaction boundaries around use cases, and map transport DTOs at the edge. Avoid creating layers that merely forward calls. Architecture is successful when important rules are testable without a server/database and infrastructure can change without rewriting the domain.

Backbencher Developer · 2026-09-26 · 0 likes