The ardalis/cleanarchitecture repository is a solution template for ASP.NET Core that demonstrates and implements Clean Architecture principles. Written in C#, it serves as a practical starting point for developers building applications using clean architecture patterns, also known as hexagonal, ports-and-adapters, or onion architecture. The template is maintained by Steve Smith (ardalis) and is associated with NimblePros, a company offering Clean Architecture and Domain-Driven Design training and implementation services.
The repository provides two distinct template variants accessible through the dotnet CLI: a full Clean Architecture template and a minimal Clean Architecture template. These templates can be installed and used as starting points for new projects, with the ability to add additional components like Ardalis.ApiEndpoints, controllers, or Razor Pages depending on project requirements. The main branch currently targets .NET 9, with NuGet package version 10.x corresponding to this version, while previous versions remain available through the releases section.
According to GitGenius activity tracking, the repository demonstrates strong community engagement with a median issue and pull request response latency of 11.7 hours across 69 tracked items. The most frequently applied issue labels are help wanted with 7 occurrences, good first issue with 6 occurrences, and .NET with 6 occurrences, indicating active community contribution and accessibility for newcomers. The primary maintainer ardalis has logged 154 events, with significant contributions from KyleMcMaster and sadukie, each with 10 events. The repository shares overlapping contributors with major projects including microsoft/vscode, dotnet/aspnetcore, and microsoft/powertoys, suggesting its influence within the broader .NET ecosystem.
The template is structured around core architectural concepts including dependency inversion, layered structure, separation of concerns, and testability. It incorporates Entity Framework for data access and emphasizes maintainability through its organizational approach. The architecture includes distinct projects for core domain logic, use cases, infrastructure concerns, and web presentation, along with a SharedKernel package and dedicated test projects. The template implements domain events as a key pattern and provides guidance on validation placement within the architecture.
The repository includes comprehensive documentation available at the official Ardalis Clean Architecture Docs site, featuring getting started guides, migration guides for upgrading from older versions, and architectural decision documentation. The README provides troubleshooting guidance for Chrome HTTPS errors related to self-signed developer certificates and references multiple learning resources including live stream recordings, podcast discussions, and the DDD Fundamentals course on Pluralsight. The project has received sponsorship from Amazon AWS's FOSS fund for a 12-month period, recognizing its value to the open-source community. The template is tagged with topics including architecture, clean-architecture, csharp, ddd, domain-driven-design, dotnet, and hacktoberfest, positioning it as a resource for developers interested in these architectural and design approaches.
