Learning Domain-Driven Design by Vlad Khononov

I am always very skeptical when someone says they know the correct way to build software. Because I do not think there is one.

The lifecycle of a software product is full of unexpected turns, tight deadlines, and resource constraints. Even if two products solve the same problem or implement the same API, they will be drastically different. To give you a few examples: Linux and FreeBSD, MySQL and PostgreSQL, WhatsApp and Signal, etc. Numerous factors contribute to these differences, and the lack of use of DDD, TDD, or any other D is far from the top of the list.

Also, I have never been part of a team that consciously used DDD. We always wanted to use ubiquitous language in our product. Who would not want to use it? But it was never like “We are following DDD, therefore we use ubiquitous language”. I chose a ubiquitous language example, because the value of it is extremely obvious for technical and non-technical people. But most of it is like that. You can replace it with bounded context's (separation of concerns), or don't build things that are already available, etc. It all feels like “go to a gym” advice for depressed people.

I reread those two paragraphs, and it feels like I don't like the DDD in general, which is not the case. Most of it moved into the common-sense realm, which is why, I guess, I never consciously used DDD. And, to be honest, I find “We use ubiquitous language because it is good for our product” is much better than “We are following DDD, therefore we use ubiquitous language". On the other hand, my life would be so much easier if we had chosen the DDD. I would hand out the book during onboarding and spend the rest of my days moderating event storming.

Anyway.

The book is good. If you have never heard of DDD and want to know what it is, go for it. It reads fast and has a ton of common sense. The best part for me was when he explained how to identify the core domain in a new project for you. Look for part of the code that changes often, and looks like a ball of mud stitched together by duct tape and sticks.

Original Title: Learning Domain-Driven Design: Aligning Software Architecture and Business Strategy by Vlad Khononov

ISBN13: 9781098100131 (ISBN10: 1098100131)

GoodReads: 4.44 / 5