Onion Architecture is a software design pattern that promotes the separation of concerns within an application. It aims to make the application more testable, maintainable, and flexible by organizing the codebase into layers. Each layer has a specific responsibility, and each layer depends only on the layer beneath it. This creates a clean architecture that is easy to understand and modify.
In ASP.NET Core, Onion Architecture can be implemented using the following layers:
- Presentation Layer: This layer is responsible for handling user interface and user input. It includes controllers, views, and other UI-related components.
- Application Layer: This layer is responsible for implementing business logic and use cases. It includes services, repositories, and other application-specific components.
- Domain Layer: This layer defines the entities, value objects, and business rules of the application. It includes domain models and interfaces.
- Infrastructure Layer: This layer is responsible for implementing the technical details of the application, such as data access and external APIs. It includes data access components and other infrastructure-specific components.
The diagram below illustrates the Onion Architecture in ASP.NET Core:
In this diagram, the arrows indicate the direction of the dependencies. Each layer depends only on the layer immediately below it. For example, the Application Layer depends on the Domain Layer, but not the other way around.
By using Onion Architecture in ASP.NET Core, we can easily swap out components without affecting other parts of the application. This makes it easier to maintain and test the codebase, as well as adapt to changing requirements.