Architecture Patterns

Express Forge supports two main architecture patterns to fit your project's needs. Choosing the right one is crucial for long-term maintainability.

📦 Modular Architecture (Recommended)

This is the default and recommended pattern for medium to large applications. It organizes code by features (modules) rather than technical roles (controllers, models).

Why choose Modular?

• Scalability: Each module is self-contained, making it easier to manage as the app grows.
• Isolation: Changes to one feature are less likely to break another.
• Team-Friendly: Different developers can work on different modules without merge conflicts.

Structure:

src/
  modules/
    users/
      users.controller.ts  # Request handling
      users.service.ts     # Business logic
      users.routes.ts      # Route definitions
      users.schema.ts      # Validation schemas
    products/
      ...

---

🏛 MVC Architecture

A classic Model-View-Controller pattern. Best for smaller projects or those who prefer a traditional separation of concerns based on technical layers.

Why choose MVC?

• Familiarity: Most developers are familiar with this pattern from frameworks like Rails or Django.
• Simplicity: For very small apps, it might be quicker to navigate.

Structure:

src/
  controllers/  # All controllers in one place
  models/       # Database models
  routes/       # All route definitions
  services/     # Business logic

Which one should I use?

If you are building a production API that you expect to grow over time, Modular Architecture is almost always the better choice. It prevents the "Fat Controller" and "Fat Model" syndromes by keeping related logic close together.