hexagonal-architecture

Hexagonal architecture enables decoupling by defining strict boundaries between core domain logic and infrastructure components through ports and adapters. This modular design isolates business rules, allowing you to refactor tightly coupled legacy services into manageable, independently testable units.

Structure a new microservice using hexagonal architecture by organizing code into domain, application, and adapter layers. This pattern isolates core logic from infrastructure, ensuring your service remains scalable and thoroughly testable across different environments by substituting connectors like databases and APIs.

Ports define clear interfaces for your core domain logic, while adapters provide specific infrastructure implementations for external systems like databases or messaging. This separation enables easy substitution of connectors across multiple environments without modifying the core application logic.

Yes, hexagonal architecture is designed to refactor complex, tightly coupled codebases by progressively extracting core domain logic and wrapping external dependencies in adapters. This decoupling process transforms tangled services into manageable, modular units with clean boundaries.

Avoid hexagonal architecture for very small or simple applications where defining ports, adapters, and multiple layers introduces unnecessary overhead. If your service does not require swapping infrastructure components or strict testability, simpler architectural patterns may be more appropriate.