API Module

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Also known as

Context

Forces

Problem

How to reduce build time coupling between modules?

Solution

Each domain module consists of an API module and an implementation module. e.g. customers-api and and customers

A domain module’s clients only depend on the API module. Clients are tested using mocks/stubs of the API module.

Implementation module depends on the API module.

interface CustomersApi {
  CustomerDTO getCustomer(String customerId);
}

record CustomerDTO(...) {}

Variation

A module can have multiple API modules in accordance with the Interface segregation principle.

Resulting context

Benefits

Changing the module’s implementation will not require clients to be rebuilt/retested.

  • Using mocks/stubs in tests can simplify testing.

Drawbacks

  • Fast deployment pipeline
    • Unlike when using microservices: Additive changes to an API, which cause (kinda-transitive) clients to be rebuilt/retested.
    • Changing a widely used API module, e.g. money-api, might require many modules to be rebuilt/retested.
  • Risk that the mock/stub doesn’t match the real implementation. e.g. Unhandled enum value (in result DTO) should break the build

Issues

Motivating patterns

Alternatives

‘Successor patterns’



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