Code Organization Overview
Purpose
This document helps development teams choose the appropriate project structure based on their application's needs, complexity, and team size.
Project Structure Types
1. Monolithic Structure
A single-project structure suitable for:
- Small to medium applications
- Small development teams (1-3 developers)
- Rapid prototyping
- Simple business domains
- Projects with limited complexity
- Single deployment unit applications
2. Clean Architecture Structure
A multi-project structure suitable for:
- Medium to large applications
- Larger development teams (4+ developers)
- Complex business domains
- Long-term maintainability requirements
- Multiple deployment units
- Applications requiring high testability
- Systems with multiple UI interfaces
Choosing the Right Structure
Consider Monolithic When:
- Time to market is crucial
- Application scope is well-defined and limited
- Team size is small
- Business rules are straightforward
- Single deployment model
- Limited external dependencies
- No plans for multiple user interfaces
Consider Clean Architecture When:
- Complex business rules exist
- Multiple teams working simultaneously
- High test coverage is required
- Multiple user interfaces planned
- Database or framework independence needed
- Microservices are being considered
- Long-term maintainability is crucial
Comparison Matrix
| Aspect |
Monolithic |
Clean Architecture |
| Initial Setup Time |
Quick |
More involved |
| Learning Curve |
Lower |
Higher |
| Code Organization |
Simple |
Complex but structured |
| Maintenance (Small) |
Easier |
Potentially overengineered |
| Maintenance (Large) |
Can become difficult |
Easier |
| Testing |
More challenging |
Easier to test |
| Team Size Support |
Small teams |
Large teams |
| Development Speed |
Initially faster |
Initially slower |
| Flexibility for Change |
Limited |
High |
| Deployment Complexity |
Simple |
Can be complex |
Migration Considerations
From Monolithic to Clean Architecture
Consider migration when:
- Application complexity is increasing
- Team size is growing
- Multiple UIs are needed
- Testing becomes difficult
- Technical debt accumulates
Migration steps overview:
- Identify core business logic
- Extract interfaces
- Separate concerns into projects
- Implement dependency injection
- Refactor gradually
Warning Signs You Need to Migrate
- Business logic scattered throughout
- Testing requires extensive setup
- Changes have unexpected side effects
- New features take longer to implement
- Multiple developers conflict frequently
- High coupling between components
Examples
Simple Task Management App
- Recommendation: Monolithic
- Reasoning:
- Single purpose
- Limited business rules
- Single UI
- Small team
Enterprise E-commerce System
- Recommendation: Clean Architecture
- Reasoning:
- Complex business rules
- Multiple interfaces (Web, Mobile, API)
- Multiple external integrations
- Large development team
Next Steps
- Review Monolithic Structure for single-project organization
- Review Clean Architecture Structure for multi-project organization
- Consider your project's:
- Current size and complexity
- Growth projections
- Team size and expertise
- Maintenance requirements
- Testing requirements
Additional Resources