Killing the Aggregate (Sort of): How AxonIQ is Breaking Boundaries and Making Event Sourcing Easy

Let’s face it: aggregates have been a double-edged sword in the world of event sourcing. On the one hand, they’ve been the backbone of consistency and scalability. On the other, they’ve locked developers into rigid boundaries, leaving little room for evolution or mistakes. It’s time for a change—and AxonIQ is leading the charge with Dynamic Consistency Boundaries (DCB).

This isn’t just an iteration. It’s a revolution.

The Problem with Aggregates

For years, aggregates have been the default go-to in domain-driven design (DDD). They’re tidy, transactional, and great for sharding. But as systems scale, they reveal their cracks. Large aggregates with millions of events bog down performance, while rigid boundaries force developers into design decisions they can’t undo.

As AxonIQ CTO Allard Buijze puts it:

“Aggregates worked well in the early days, but as systems evolved, they became a trap. Too many events, too little flexibility, and a lot of regret when boundaries weren’t right.”

A Rakia-Fueled Breakthrough

The seed for DCB was planted during an AxonIQ retreat in Serbia. Sara Pellegrini , a former AxonIQ engineer, made her case—fueled by fiery passion and a little rakia:

“She wanted to kill the aggregate,” recalls AxonIQ's Milan Savic . “At first, it sounded absurd. But the more we explored it, the more it made sense.”

The idea was simple: what if boundaries weren’t so rigid? What if developers could redefine their aggregates as their understanding of the domain evolved? What if mistakes weren’t the end of the world but a stepping stone to better design?

Enter Dynamic Consistency Boundaries

DCB is AxonIQ’s answer to these questions. It loosens the reins on aggregates, giving developers the freedom to:

• Adjust boundaries as their systems evolve
• Scale systems without massive performance hits
• Experiment and learn without catastrophic consequences

This isn’t about chaos. It’s about control. Common sense still applies—DCB just makes it easier to adapt when the real world doesn’t follow your design documents.

Making Event Sourcing Easier

At its heart, DCB is about simplifying event sourcing. Axon Framework Lead Developer Steven Beelen, van sums it up best:

“Event sourcing is supposed to give you flexibility, but that flexibility stopped at the command side. DCB changes that. Now, you can evolve your design as your domain evolves. No more praying to the ‘aggregate gods’ every time your system grows.”

A Call to the Community

This isn’t just AxonIQ’s journey—it’s yours too. We want your stories:

• The aggregate designs you regret
• The domain shifts that left you scrambling
• The moments you wished you could undo a decision

Your experiences will help us refine DCB and make event sourcing even easier for the next generation of developers.

What’s Next?

AxonIQ isn’t just about solving today’s problems. We’re about paving the way for the future. Dynamic Consistency Boundaries are the first step in making event sourcing truly flexible, scalable, and developer-friendly.

Ready to see what’s possible? Watch the full fireside chat with the AxonIQ team and join the conversation.