What is Clean Architecture?
I often see programmers complaining about clients’ changing requirements. They want to write the code once and never receive a request for modifications again.
Is this mindset correct? Definitely not!
We call what we create software for a reason. Why was this term chosen? Because software is soft! It should always be changeable. If applications were meant to remain unchanged, we would have called them hardware instead!
The requirements of a software project are never meant to be static.
What’s the solution? How can we write flexible code?
The solution comes down to two key aspects:
- Clean Architecture
- Clean Code
Architecture means structure. Software applications are not made up of small building blocks like bricks; instead, they are made of themselves! That means large software systems are built from smaller software components, which in turn are built from even smaller ones. Therefore, the architecture should be designed in a way that establishes clear boundaries between the system’s changeable parts. These smaller software components that form the larger system should be independently developable and modifiable.
However, even if we have a great structure, but our code is messy, we’ll still end up with an ugly and unmaintainable system—like a house with a great blueprint but poorly placed bricks! This is where Clean Code comes into play. No matter what, our code must be clean at all costs.
The book Clean Architecture by Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob) is an excellent resource for understanding how to distinguish a clean architecture from a dirty one.
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Programmers must understand that what they do is a full-fledged engineering discipline. Engineering work cannot be done without criteria, principles, and careful planning.
Imagine a company where programmers work day and night without sleep, constantly writing code, but they don’t think! The part of their brain that should focus on clean architecture and clean code is asleep. They are not really producing software; they are producing chaos!
Programming is not just about writing code; it’s about engineering code. In such a structured approach, we can truly enjoy our profession.