The Real Difference Between Domain and Application Layer in Clean Architecture

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen developers struggle with this question: “Should this logic go in the Domain layer or the Application layer?” Clean Architecture diagrams make it look simple, but when you’re staring at your actual codebase, the lines blur fast. You know the situation. You’ve got a business rule to implement. You open your project, see both folders, and pause. Put it in the wrong place, and six months later you’re wrestling with a mess of tangled dependencies and logic that’s impossible to test. ...

November 22, 2025 · 12 min
Diagram showing CQRS architecture in ASP.NET Core without MediatR, where controllers send commands and queries directly to their handlers without a mediator.

Implement CQRS in ASP.NET Core Without MediatR

If you’ve worked with modern ASP.NET Core, you’ve almost certainly encountered MediatR. It’s a fantastic library, and for good reason; it has become the de-facto standard for implementing the CQRS pattern in .NET, helping you build clean, decoupled, and maintainable applications. But have you ever paused to look behind the curtain? In my experience building several lean microservices, I’ve found that while MediatR is a go-to, there are times when a simpler, handcrafted approach is more effective. This post is born from that experience. ...

November 10, 2025 · Last modified: November 12, 2025 · 6 min
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