What is hexagonal architecture?

Ports-and-adapters pattern isolating domain from tech details — pure core, swappable outsides.

When should I avoid hexagonal architecture?

Skip for simple CRUD, single adapters, discovery-phase apps, or perf-critical paths. Use flat structures.

Only if domain's rich and you swap adapters. Otherwise, test DBs suffice cheaper.

Often yes — especially CRUD-heavy ones. Start flat, refactor if boundaries blur.

🛠️ Developer Tools

You slapped hexagonal architecture on your CRUD app, chasing clean code. Now a simple field rename touches six files. Reality bites.

theAIcatchup Apr 10, 2026 4 min read

Hexagonal architecture adds massive overhead for simple changes like adding a field, touching 5+ files. 𝕏
Skip it for empty domains, single adapters, early prototypes, or perf-critical paths. 𝕏
It shines only in stable, logic-rich domains with real adapter swaps and large teams. 𝕏

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Community-driven. Code-first.

#clean architecture #clean code tradeoffs #domain-driven-design #hexagonal architecture #ports and adapters #software architecture #software architecture pitfalls

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Originally reported by Dev.to