What are the best ways to design software architecture that follows the DRY principle?

Modular design, reusable functions/libraries, abstraction, template systems, configuration files, OOP principles, and code generators enable adherence to the DRY principle in software architecture.

Imagine your code has duplicated functionality everywhere. Isn't it becoming spaghetti. Instead, forge reusable components, encapsulating common logic with the abstractions in place. Slice and dice the code into self contained independent units to make it modular.

I really love the beauty of modularity both in terms of functional programming and OOP. When I say "modularity", it doesn't mean it's only for the separation of code into separate files are modules. What I meant is the concept of reusability in terms of functions and classes. These paradigms help us easily implement the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle. This is one of the most used and common yet crucial ones in designing scalable applications/projects. This can be done by identifying a piece of code (or) the procedure that repeats itself and can have different variable values. This is similar to how you identify recursive operations but instead of the call itself, we perform custom operations by isolating the common parts.

Be very careful with all alphabet soup. Firstly, you need to understand what is behind the principle before applying it. A little duplication isn`t the worth thing in the world; it can be clearer and it is better than the wrong abstraction.

The DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle encourages developers to avoid duplicating code by identifying common functionality. Some common software development practices to follow for identifying & achieve this are : Code Analysis: Regularly review your codebase for redundancy. Look for repeated patterns, logic, or functionality that appears in multiple places. Code Smells: Be aware of code smells that may indicate duplicated code, such as copy-pasting, identical or similar blocks of code, and inconsistent naming conventions. Refactoring: When you identify duplicated code, consider refactoring it into a reusable function, method, or class. Ensure that the refactored code is modular and has a single responsibility.

Using design patterns significantly reduces repetition. In fact there are multiple patterns that are already implemented by programming languages to provide some functionalities out of the box. E.g. publisher-subscriber(or producer - consumer) pattern is provided out of the box as an event-delegate model. Iterator pattern used in collection libraries etc

In my experience, employing design patterns is a crucial strategy to adhere to the DRY principle in software architecture. Design patterns provide standardized solutions to common problems, promoting reusable and maintainable code. For instance, in a recent project, we implemented the Singleton pattern to ensure a single instance of a class responsible for managing database connections. This not only eliminated redundancy in connection code across the application but also enhanced the scalability and performance of our system.

We employ design patterns to improve code understandability. A Factory is known for creating objects and only it. This concept can help you not to repeat the creation step on multiple files; Despite this, design patterns serve to establish a unique communication between the developers who are developing it and those who will maintain it, in addition to making its architecture testable.

I think that the best pattern for reuse arises from the simplicity of the first principle of SOLID, where we must apply single responsability to our components/entities. This concept is very strong, and applies to any programming paradigm. Segregating responsabilities to only perform what is due make reuse easier and more dynamic. Obviously this is not a true premise, I have seen execution block with more than one functionality being reused in several components, but the problem is that theses componentes are full of conditions(if/else), which make reuse complicated and consequently maintenance will be costly. Besides, reuse need to ber more than a simple block of instructions, reuse needs to be at the component and artifact level

The DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle encourages developers to avoid duplicating code by following design patterns and abstractions. Abstraction: Identify opportunities for abstraction. Look for commonalities in data structures, algorithms, or business logic that can be abstracted into shared components. Design Patterns: Use design patterns to address recurring design problems. Design patterns provide proven solutions to common issues, and their application often leads to more modular and reusable code.

Please don't refactor your code unnecessarily. This just introduces new problems and can break production software. We have techniques for refactoring code, but first of all you have to identify your hotspots, align yourself with your team and then propose a refactoring.

Regularly reviewing and restructuring code helps eliminate duplications, making the software more efficient and easier to maintain. In a recent scenario, we refactored a complex module by extracting common functionalities into separate methods. This not only improved code readability but also reduced the chances of introducing bugs during future modifications. Code refactoring is an ongoing process that, when integrated into the development workflow, ensures continuous adherence to the DRY principle.

One thing I find useful is to keep in mind that the smallest unit for refactoring is a variable. As the objective is refactoring for reuse, the first activity I do is to collect all variables that are fixed and create them as constants with names that make sense. the second unit is the method, reading a method allows you to break it into a block of smaller instructions, and thus create methods that make sense only for that context, at this point unnecessary variables and implementations that could be simplified are always found. With this break, each instruction block can be placed in a new method, with a name that makes sense only for that context. This makes it possible for other instruction blocks to reuse it.

Leveraging existing libraries and frameworks is a key strategy for adhering to the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle. Here's how it helps: Functionality Encapsulation: Libraries and frameworks encapsulate common functionalities, providing pre-built, reusable components. Optimised Code: Established libraries and frameworks are typically well-tested and optimised. Consistent Design: Libraries and frameworks often follow consistent design patterns and coding standards. Community Contributions: Popular libraries and frameworks usually have active communities. Easier Maintenance: Libraries and frameworks are maintained by dedicated teams.

Using official libraries is a great way to apply reuse, but corporate guidelines do not always allow the use of a library other than those available in internal catalogs. One thing that I consider relevant is that all code produced should be thought of as if it were the production of a library, generating cohesive interfaces with reusable artifacts.

I recently worked on a project where modularization played a pivotal role. Instead of duplicating code across different components, I created reusable modules encapsulating common functionalities. For instance, authentication logic was extracted into a standalone module that various parts of the system utilized. This not only ensured consistency but also simplified maintenance and updates. Embracing the DRY principle in this manner enhanced code readability, reduced redundancy, and facilitated a more efficient development process, showcasing the practical impact of this principle in real-world software architecture.

Libraries can help you reduce the effort of performing a certain action. For example, you can use a paging library instead of creating your own. Instead of importing it throughout your code, you can create an anti-corruption layer. With it, you can have the best of two words: first you can use a library to reduce the cost of having a desired behavior, and lastly you can create a way to quickly switch between libraries without impacting your entire base of code.

Even though it is a good practice to use libraries/frameworks for complex tasks or repeating ones, it is not always recommended to use a library. The reason is that often third party libraries are not being maintained or the maintainer might stop maintaining in future. So you should choose libraries and frameworks carefully and prefer official ones. In case your needs aren't satisfied by any library out there, just create one yourself and publish it, as it will contribute a lot to your learning and community.

Documenting a software architecture is a bit of exhausting work and takes a good amount of time. However documenting software goes a long way and it helps your team members identify what each part of the code or feature does, along with any bug fixing in future. If you can't create a whole separate documentation, just keep leaving good and comprehensive comments in your code.

To design software architecture following the DRY principle: ? Modularization: Break down the system into reusable modules. ? Abstraction: Use abstraction to encapsulate common functionalities. ? Code Generators: Implement code generators for repetitive tasks. ? Template Engines: Utilize template engines for consistent structures. ? Library and Framework Usage: Leverage existing solutions. ? Continuous Refactoring: Regularly review and eliminate redundancy. ? Documentation: Clearly document code and reusable components. ? Code Reviews: Identify and address violations during reviews. ? Automated Testing: Ensure modifications don't introduce redundancy. ? Version Control: Use version control to track changes and manage code evolution.