Architecture Patterns with Python

Chapter 1. Domain Modeling

This chapter looks into how we can model business processes with code, in a way that’s highly compatible with TDD. We’ll discuss why domain modeling matters, and we’ll look at a few key patterns for modeling domains: Entity, Value Object, and Domain Service.

Figure 1-1 is a simple visual placeholder for our Domain Model pattern. We’ll fill in some details in this chapter, and as we move on to other chapters, we’ll build things around the domain model, but you should always be able to find these little shapes at the core.

Figure 1-1. A placeholder illustration of our domain model

What Is a Domain Model?

In the introduction, we used the term business logic layer to describe the central layer of a three-layered architecture. For the rest of the book, we’re going to use the term domain model instead. This is a term from the DDD community that does a better job of capturing our intended meaning (see the next sidebar for more on DDD).

The domain is a fancy way of saying the problem you’re trying to solve. Your authors currently work for an online retailer of furniture. Depending on which system you’re talking about, the domain might be purchasing and procurement, or product design, or logistics and delivery. Most programmers spend their days trying to improve or automate business processes; the domain is the set of activities that those processes support. ...