Listen to this Post
Vertical Slice Architecture (VSA) is an emerging pattern in software development that organizes code around features rather than technical layers. Unlike traditional layered architectures, VSA groups all components related to a single feature (e.g., business logic, validation, and data access) into a cohesive “slice.” This approach improves maintainability, reduces unnecessary abstractions, and allows flexibility in choosing the right technical implementation per feature.
Read the full article here: Vertical Slice Architecture Explained
You Should Know: Key Commands and Practices for Implementing VSA
- Setting Up a .NET Project with Vertical Slices
To implement VSA in a .NET application, start by structuring your project around features rather than layers.
dotnet new webapi -n VerticalSliceDemo cd VerticalSliceDemo mkdir Features
2. Creating a Feature Slice
Each feature should encapsulate its own request/response models, handlers, and dependencies.
// Features/Products/GetProductById.cs
public record GetProductByIdQuery(int Id) : IRequest<ProductResponse>;
public class GetProductByIdHandler : IRequestHandler<GetProductByIdQuery, ProductResponse>
{
public Task<ProductResponse> Handle(GetProductByIdQuery request, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
{
// Business logic here
}
}
3. Using MediatR for Decoupled Communication
MediatR helps manage intra-slice communication cleanly.
dotnet add package MediatR
Register MediatR in `Program.cs`:
builder.Services.AddMediatR(cfg => cfg.RegisterServicesFromAssembly(typeof(Program).Assembly));
4. Applying Clean Architecture Principles Within Slices
For complex features, apply Clean Architecture by separating domain logic from infrastructure.
Create Domain and Infrastructure projects dotnet new classlib -n Domain dotnet new classlib -n Infrastructure
5. Testing Vertical Slices
Write integration tests per feature:
[bash]
public async Task GetProductById_ReturnsProduct()
{
var client = _factory.CreateClient();
var response = await client.GetAsync("/api/products/1");
response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
}
6. Linux/Windows Commands for Development
- Linux (WSL/Ubuntu):
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y dotnet-sdk-6.0
- Windows (PowerShell):
choco install dotnetcore-sdk
What Undercode Say
Vertical Slice Architecture bridges the gap between monolithic and microservices designs by promoting feature-centric development. It allows teams to:
– Reduce boilerplate by avoiding unnecessary abstractions.
– Improve debugging with isolated feature modules.
– Scale selectively by applying different patterns (Clean Architecture, Transaction Script) per slice.
For DevOps integration, use:
Dockerize a .NET VSA app docker build -t vsa-app . docker run -p 8080:80 vsa-app
Expected Output:
A maintainable, scalable .NET API where each feature is independently developed, tested, and deployed.
Relevant URLs:
References:
Reported By: Milan Jovanovic – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
