Domain-Specific Language

DSL

Kind: pattern

Layer: Declarative Core

Record: architecture:domain-specific-language

Severity: contextual

Scope: domain, configuration, rules

Canonical: Ontology

A design pattern that expresses a domain's rules or workflows in a small language with a defined grammar and a validator.

Listed in Architecture principles, after Runtime Code Generation and before Language-Oriented Programming.

Requires

• Formal Grammar/Semantics

Reinforces

• Declarative Configuration
• Ubiquitous Language

Enables

• Domain Expressiveness

Conflicts with

• General-Purpose Boilerplate

In tension with

• Tooling/Maintenance

Tensions

• Domain-Specific Language (DSL) / Tooling/Maintenance

Violated by

• Ad-Hoc Mini-Language

Refactored by

• Validate at the Boundary

Severity

• contextual

Category

• Metaprogramming / Language-Oriented Architecture

Refactors

• Code as Data
• Language-Oriented Programming

Linked from

• Metadata / Self-Description / Declarative Systems
• Metaprogramming / Language-Oriented Architecture
• Schema / Canonical Data / Semantics
• Correctness / Determinism / Verification
• Metaprogramming / Language-Oriented Architecture
• Severity levels
• The resolutions