home / skills / bbeierle12 / skill-mcp-claude / software-architecture
This skill helps you design robust software architectures by applying SOLID, Clean Architecture, and common patterns to structure systems and reviews.
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---
name: software-architecture
description: Implements design patterns including Clean Architecture, SOLID principles, and comprehensive software design best practices. Use when designing systems, reviewing architecture, establishing patterns, or making structural decisions.
---
# Software Architecture
## SOLID Principles
### Single Responsibility Principle (SRP)
A class should have only one reason to change.
```typescript
// ❌ Bad: Multiple responsibilities
class User {
saveToDatabase() { }
sendEmail() { }
generateReport() { }
}
// ✅ Good: Single responsibility
class User { }
class UserRepository { save(user: User) { } }
class EmailService { send(to: string) { } }
class ReportGenerator { generate(user: User) { } }
```
### Open/Closed Principle (OCP)
Open for extension, closed for modification.
```typescript
// ❌ Bad: Requires modification for new types
function calculateArea(shape: Shape) {
if (shape.type === 'circle') {
return Math.PI * shape.radius ** 2;
} else if (shape.type === 'rectangle') {
return shape.width * shape.height;
}
// Need to modify for new shapes
}
// ✅ Good: Extend without modification
interface Shape {
area(): number;
}
class Circle implements Shape {
constructor(private radius: number) {}
area() { return Math.PI * this.radius ** 2; }
}
class Rectangle implements Shape {
constructor(private width: number, private height: number) {}
area() { return this.width * this.height; }
}
```
### Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP)
Subtypes must be substitutable for their base types.
```typescript
// ❌ Bad: Square violates Rectangle's contract
class Rectangle {
setWidth(w: number) { this.width = w; }
setHeight(h: number) { this.height = h; }
}
class Square extends Rectangle {
setWidth(w: number) { this.width = w; this.height = w; } // Violates LSP
}
// ✅ Good: Separate hierarchies
interface Shape {
area(): number;
}
class Rectangle implements Shape { }
class Square implements Shape { }
```
### Interface Segregation Principle (ISP)
Clients shouldn't depend on interfaces they don't use.
```typescript
// ❌ Bad: Fat interface
interface Worker {
work(): void;
eat(): void;
sleep(): void;
}
// ✅ Good: Segregated interfaces
interface Workable { work(): void; }
interface Eatable { eat(): void; }
interface Sleepable { sleep(): void; }
class Human implements Workable, Eatable, Sleepable { }
class Robot implements Workable { }
```
### Dependency Inversion Principle (DIP)
Depend on abstractions, not concretions.
```typescript
// ❌ Bad: High-level depends on low-level
class UserService {
private database = new MySQLDatabase();
}
// ✅ Good: Both depend on abstraction
interface Database {
save(data: any): Promise<void>;
find(id: string): Promise<any>;
}
class UserService {
constructor(private database: Database) {}
}
// Now can inject any implementation
const service = new UserService(new MySQLDatabase());
const testService = new UserService(new MockDatabase());
```
## Clean Architecture
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Frameworks │
│ (Express, React, Database Drivers) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Interface Adapters │
│ (Controllers, Presenters, Gateways) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Application Layer │
│ (Use Cases, Application Services) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Domain Layer │
│ (Entities, Value Objects, Domain Services) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Dependencies point INWARD only.
Inner layers know nothing about outer layers.
```
### Domain Layer (Innermost)
```typescript
// entities/User.ts
export class User {
constructor(
public readonly id: string,
public readonly email: Email,
public name: string,
private password: HashedPassword
) {}
changeName(newName: string): void {
if (newName.length < 2) {
throw new DomainError('Name too short');
}
this.name = newName;
}
verifyPassword(plaintext: string): boolean {
return this.password.verify(plaintext);
}
}
// value-objects/Email.ts
export class Email {
constructor(private readonly value: string) {
if (!this.isValid(value)) {
throw new DomainError('Invalid email');
}
}
private isValid(email: string): boolean {
return /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(email);
}
toString(): string {
return this.value;
}
}
```
### Application Layer (Use Cases)
```typescript
// use-cases/CreateUser.ts
interface CreateUserInput {
email: string;
password: string;
name: string;
}
interface CreateUserOutput {
id: string;
email: string;
name: string;
}
export class CreateUserUseCase {
constructor(
private userRepository: UserRepository,
private passwordHasher: PasswordHasher,
private emailService: EmailService
) {}
async execute(input: CreateUserInput): Promise<CreateUserOutput> {
// Validate email uniqueness
const existing = await this.userRepository.findByEmail(input.email);
if (existing) {
throw new ApplicationError('Email already exists');
}
// Create domain object
const hashedPassword = await this.passwordHasher.hash(input.password);
const user = new User(
generateId(),
new Email(input.email),
input.name,
hashedPassword
);
// Persist
await this.userRepository.save(user);
// Side effects
await this.emailService.sendWelcome(user.email);
return {
id: user.id,
email: user.email.toString(),
name: user.name,
};
}
}
```
### Interface Adapters
```typescript
// controllers/UserController.ts
export class UserController {
constructor(private createUserUseCase: CreateUserUseCase) {}
async create(req: Request, res: Response): Promise<void> {
const result = await this.createUserUseCase.execute({
email: req.body.email,
password: req.body.password,
name: req.body.name,
});
res.status(201).json(result);
}
}
// repositories/PrismaUserRepository.ts
export class PrismaUserRepository implements UserRepository {
async save(user: User): Promise<void> {
await prisma.user.create({
data: {
id: user.id,
email: user.email.toString(),
name: user.name,
},
});
}
async findByEmail(email: string): Promise<User | null> {
const data = await prisma.user.findUnique({
where: { email },
});
return data ? this.toDomain(data) : null;
}
private toDomain(data: PrismaUser): User {
return new User(
data.id,
new Email(data.email),
data.name,
new HashedPassword(data.password)
);
}
}
```
## Design Patterns
### Repository Pattern
```typescript
interface Repository<T> {
findById(id: string): Promise<T | null>;
findAll(): Promise<T[]>;
save(entity: T): Promise<void>;
delete(id: string): Promise<void>;
}
```
### Factory Pattern
```typescript
interface PaymentProcessor {
process(amount: number): Promise<void>;
}
class PaymentProcessorFactory {
create(type: 'stripe' | 'paypal'): PaymentProcessor {
switch (type) {
case 'stripe': return new StripeProcessor();
case 'paypal': return new PayPalProcessor();
}
}
}
```
### Strategy Pattern
```typescript
interface PricingStrategy {
calculate(basePrice: number): number;
}
class RegularPricing implements PricingStrategy {
calculate(basePrice: number) { return basePrice; }
}
class PremiumPricing implements PricingStrategy {
calculate(basePrice: number) { return basePrice * 0.9; }
}
class Order {
constructor(private pricingStrategy: PricingStrategy) {}
getTotal(basePrice: number) {
return this.pricingStrategy.calculate(basePrice);
}
}
```
### Observer Pattern
```typescript
interface Observer<T> {
update(data: T): void;
}
class EventEmitter<T> {
private observers: Observer<T>[] = [];
subscribe(observer: Observer<T>): void {
this.observers.push(observer);
}
notify(data: T): void {
this.observers.forEach(o => o.update(data));
}
}
```
## Architecture Decision Records (ADR)
Document significant decisions:
```markdown
# ADR-001: Use PostgreSQL for Primary Database
## Status
Accepted
## Context
Need to choose a primary database for user data storage.
## Decision
Use PostgreSQL.
## Consequences
### Positive
- Strong consistency guarantees
- Rich query capabilities
- Well-supported ORMs
### Negative
- Requires more operational overhead than SQLite
- Horizontal scaling more complex than NoSQL
```
## Anti-Patterns to Avoid
### God Object
❌ One class that does everything
### Spaghetti Code
❌ No clear structure or flow
### Golden Hammer
❌ Using same solution for every problem
### Premature Optimization
❌ Optimizing before measuring
### Cargo Cult Programming
❌ Using patterns without understanding why
This skill implements proven software architecture patterns and principles for JavaScript systems, including Clean Architecture and the SOLID principles. It helps design modular, testable, and maintainable systems by providing concrete patterns (repositories, factories, strategies, observers) and layer separation guidance. Use it to establish structure, evaluate architecture, and guide implementation choices.
The skill inspects system designs and recommends structural changes aligned with domain-driven boundaries and dependency direction (inward dependencies for Clean Architecture). It enforces SOLID practices by suggesting refactors: single responsibility splits, interface segregation, dependency inversion via abstractions, and extension-friendly designs. It also maps use cases to application and interface adapter layers and proposes concrete patterns for persistence, factories, strategies, and eventing.
How do I start applying Clean Architecture to an existing project?
Identify core domain models and move them to a domain layer; extract use cases into an application layer; replace direct framework calls with adapters and introduce repository/service interfaces to invert dependencies.
When should I split an interface or class?
Split when a client depends only on part of the behavior or when a class has multiple reasons to change. Prefer small, focused interfaces to avoid forcing unrelated implementations to satisfy unused methods.