Principles of Data-Oriented Programming | Yehonathan Sharvit

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2022-06-24 05:30:04

Now that my book is completed, I have a better understanding of the core principles of Data-Oriented Programming. This article is a rewrite of my previous article about DOP Principles from September 2020.

Data-oriented programming (DOP) is a programming paradigm aimed at simplifying the design and implementation of software systems, where information is at the center in systems such as frontend or backend web applications and web services, for example. Instead of designing information systems around software constructs that combine code and data (e.g., objects instantiated from classes), DOP encourages the separation of code from data. Moreover, DOP provides guidelines about how to represent and manipulate data.

The essence of DOP is that it treats data as a first-class citizen. It gives developers the ability to manipulate data inside a program with the same simplicity as they manipulate numbers or strings. Treating data as a first-class citizen is made possible by adhering to four core principles:

When these four principles are combined, they form a cohesive whole. Systems built using DOP are simpler and easier to understand, so the developer experience is significantly improved.

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