In this episode of the No Silver Bullet podcast, we discuss Clean Architecture and whether it's overengineering or a best practice for organizing code.

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Discussing whether Clean Architecture is overengineering or a best practice for organizing code, highlighting its benefits for complex projects and larger teams. Emphasizes separation of concerns for maintainable code, and suggests starting simple and evolving the architecture based on project needs. Related patterns like Hexagonal and Onion Architecture are also mentioned.

Is Clean Architecture Overengineering?

Vibe coder vibes, put everything in one file xD

All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.
—Paracelsus, 1538

Depends on the project. When you deal with large enterprise systems and if you have a need for an EAL 4, 5,or 6 system, then no. Clean architecture is a necessity otherwise anything below that it is all about controlling your technical debt. Only do what is necessary.

The way you (and probably almost everyone) do, yes.
But that is not clean architecture at all!
It’s not that hard: I/O injected through interfaces (for the sake of testability and changeability, if that word exists), your business logic in one place that uses those interfaces (called domain because the domain of its language is the business one, not the tech one - I usually use Mediator Pattern here because I can write code as domain questions and orders) and an user interface (or system interface, in case of an API, someone has to use it, so, * interface)
Separate those by concern, you have classic CA. Separate those by features with fewer files, you have Vertical Slices.
And that’s it.
Anything else is just overengineering.
Disclaimer: My hello world was written in January 26, 1986, so I may have a bit of knowledge in the matter.