Efficient Software Development: When Clean Architecture and Vertical Sliced Architecture Make Sense
Published on October 30, 2024
Choosing the right software architecture is critical for the success of any project. Lukas Hartrumpf, Lead Engineer at nerdware GmbH, shares his insights on these two popular approaches, explains the problems they solve, and offers practical tips for applying them in real-world software projects.
Clean Architecture and Vertical Sliced Architecture: A Comparison
Software architecture plays a key role in determining the scalability, maintainability, and efficiency of a project. Two of today’s most popular approaches are Clean Architecture and Vertical Sliced Architecture. While Clean Architecture focuses on separating technical layers for greater flexibility, Vertical Sliced Architecture organizes the system by individual features. As Lukas explains:
"Clean Architecture is about separating technical layers as much as possible to gain flexibility. Vertical Sliced Architecture, on the other hand, organizes the system around features, so each feature can be implemented independently."
Guidelines for Choosing: When Does Each Architecture Make Sense?
Deciding between Clean Architecture and Vertical Sliced Architecture depends a lot on the problem you’re trying to solve and the structure of your team. Each architecture style has unique strengths and is suited for different scenarios:
- Clean Architecture is a great choice for projects with complex domain logic or large-scale systems. Its strict layer separation ensures long-term maintainability and flexibility. It’s particularly helpful in big teams and for managing complex, long-term projects. As Lukas Hartrumpf puts it, "For complex systems that grow over years, the extra effort often pays off later."
- Vertical Sliced Architecture shines when you need fast development and testing cycles. It’s perfect for smaller projects, small teams, or organizations working on multiple features in parallel. A developer or small team can build a feature independently from the rest of the system. However, in larger projects, it’s essential to regularly review the architecture to avoid duplication of effort.
Lukas also highlights the importance of Domain-Driven Design:
"Breaking the problem into smaller, so-called Bounded Contexts is incredibly helpful for managing complexity."
Tips for Developers: Making the Right Choice
Lukas stresses that there’s no "one-size-fits-all" solution: "The best architecture is always the one that causes the least pain." It’s important to focus on the project’s requirements and complexity instead of jumping straight into thinking about specific architectures.
"Developers often rush to technical solutions, but the right architecture depends on understanding the actual problem you’re trying to solve."
For teams, Lukas advises staying practical. You don’t always have to stick rigidly to one approach. Sometimes, it’s better to adapt a theory or mix elements from different principles if it provides a more effective solution.
His takeaway: Whether it’s Clean Architecture or Vertical Sliced Architecture, both have their pros and cons and can be tailored to the project’s specific needs. Developers and teams should make architecture decisions carefully, keeping the project’s requirements and dynamics in mind. Often, a pragmatic adjustment to an approach is the best way to create a functional, flexible, and maintainable solution for the long run.
Community Building with NERDlabs: Sharing Knowledge as Equals
With the NERDlabs format, nerdware GmbH has launched a meetup that shares knowledge on topics like software architecture, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. "NERDlabs was our first attempt to share the expertise we’ve gained from everyday project work—not just with articles but with lasting resources like whitepapers and code examples in Git repositories," says Lukas.
By the way, the next NERDlabs meetup is happening on February 7, 2025—be sure to save the date!
Sarah Grodd
Projektmanagerin
NUEDIGITAL
