App Architecture

App Architecture

Apps mirror the package architecture - they should be platform-agnostic outside of the entrypoint where ports are assembled with platform-specific globals.

Core Principle

Assemble all ports at the top level (composition root), then feed them down to individual modules.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     Entry Point (cli.ts)                    │
│                  Parse args, call composition root          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
                           ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Composition Root                         │
│                    (composition.ts)                         │
│         Inject platform globals → Create ports → Return     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
         ┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
         ▼                 ▼                 ▼
  ┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐
  │   Module A  │   │   Module B  │   │   Module C  │
  │ (no globals)│   │ (no globals)│   │ (no globals)│
  └─────────────┘   └─────────────┘   └─────────────┘

File Structure

apps/​{app-name}/
├── src/
│   ├── cli.ts              # Entry point (thin) - only parses args, calls composition
│   ├── composition.ts      # Composition root - assembles all ports
│   ├── types.ts            # App-specific types
│   ├── errors.ts           # Error classes (extend ConveauxError)
│   └── {domain}.ts         # Domain modules - platform-agnostic
├── CLAUDE.md               # Inline instructions for this app
├── README.md               # User documentation
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

Composition Root Pattern

The composition root is the ONLY place where platform globals appear:

// composition.ts
import type { Env } from '@scope/​contract-env';
import type { Logger } from '@scope/​contract-logger';
import type { WallClock } from '@scope/​contract-wall-clock';
import type { EphemeralScheduler } from '@scope/​contract-ephemeral-scheduler';

import { createEnv, createShellEnvSource, createStaticEnvSource } from '@scope/​port-env';
import { createEphemeralScheduler } from '@scope/​port-ephemeral-scheduler';
import { createLogger, createJsonFormatter, createPrettyFormatter } from '@scope/​port-logger';
import { createOutChannel } from '@scope/​port-outchannel';
import { createWallClock } from '@scope/​port-wall-clock';

// Define what deps the app needs
export interface RuntimeDeps {
  readonly logger: Logger;
  readonly clock: WallClock;
  readonly env: Env;
  readonly scheduler: EphemeralScheduler;
}

export interface RuntimeOptions {
  readonly json?: boolean;
  readonly verbose?: boolean;
}

// Factory that creates all deps - platform globals only appear HERE
export function createRuntimeDeps(options: RuntimeOptions = {}): RuntimeDeps {
  // Inject platform globals into ports
  const clock = createWallClock({ Date });

  const scheduler = createEphemeralScheduler({
    setTimeout: globalThis.setTimeout,
    clearTimeout: globalThis.clearTimeout,
    setInterval: globalThis.setInterval,
    clearInterval: globalThis.clearInterval,
  });

  const logChannel = createOutChannel(process.stderr);

  const formatter = options.json
    ? createJsonFormatter()
    : createPrettyFormatter({ colors: process.stderr.isTTY ?? false });

  const logger = createLogger({
    Date,
    channel: logChannel,
    clock,
    options: { formatter, minLevel: options.verbose ? 'debug' : 'info' },
  });

  const env = createEnv({
    sources: [
      createShellEnvSource(
        { getEnv: (name) => process.env[name] },
        { name: 'shell', priority: 100 }
      ),
      createStaticEnvSource(
        { DEFAULT_TIMEOUT: '30' },
        { name: 'defaults', priority: 0 }
      ),
    ],
  });

  return { logger, clock, env, scheduler };
}

Entry Point Pattern

The entry point should be thin - just parse args and call composition:

// cli.ts
#!/​usr/​bin/​env node

import type { Logger } from '@scope/​contract-logger';
import { Command } from 'commander';
import { createRuntimeDeps } from './​composition.js';
import { runApp } from './​app.js';
import { createClient } from './​client.js';

const program = new Command();

program
  .name('my-app')
  .action(async (options: CliOptions) => {
    // 1. Create all deps at the top level
    const deps = createRuntimeDeps({
      json: options.json,
      verbose: options.verbose,
    });
    const { logger, clock, env, scheduler } = deps;

    // 2. Create app-specific services, passing deps down
    const client = createClient({ logger, clock });

    // 3. Run the app, passing deps down
    const result = await runApp({ logger, clock, client, scheduler }, config);

    console.log(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
    process.exit(EXIT_CODES[result.status]);
  });

program.parse();

Domain Module Pattern

Domain modules receive deps via injection - they never use globals:

// client.ts
import type { Logger } from '@scope/​contract-logger';
import type { WallClock } from '@scope/​contract-wall-clock';

// Define what deps THIS module needs (subset of RuntimeDeps)
export interface ClientDeps {
  readonly logger: Logger;
  readonly clock: WallClock;
}

// Interface for what this module provides
export interface Client {
  fetch(url: string): Promise<Response>;
}

// Factory receives deps, returns implementation
export function createClient(deps: ClientDeps): Client {
  const { logger, clock } = deps;

  return {
    async fetch(url: string) {
      const startTime = clock.nowMs();  // Use injected clock, not Date.now()
      logger.debug('Fetching', { url });

      // ... implementation

      const durationMs = clock.nowMs() - startTime;
      logger.debug('Fetched', { url, durationMs });
      return response;
    }
  };
}

Checklist for Creating Apps

Composition Root

• Single composition.ts file that creates all runtime deps
• Platform globals (Date, setTimeout, process.env) only appear here
• Exports RuntimeDeps interface and createRuntimeDeps factory
• Options (json, verbose) are separate from deps

Entry Point

• Thin cli.ts - only arg parsing and wiring
• Calls createRuntimeDeps() once at the top
• Passes deps down to all modules
• Handles errors with proper exit codes

Domain Modules

• Each module defines its own *Deps interface
• Deps interface only includes contracts the module needs
• No direct use of globals (Date.now, console, process.env)
• Factory pattern: createX(deps): X

Types

• types.ts for shared app-specific types
• Config types separate from deps types
• Exit codes as const object

Errors

• errors.ts with classes extending UserError or RetryableError
• Actionable error messages with guidance
• Use getExitCode() for proper exit codes

Common Deps by Use Case

Anti-Patterns