Since version 4.0, we have merged our enterprise extension ("Event Script") with the Mercury v3.1 foundation codebase. It is a comprehensive toolkit to write composable applications including microservices and serverless. This technology was filed under US Patent application 18/459,307. The source code is provided as is under the Apache 2.0 license.

January 2025

A composable application is designed in 3 steps:

1. Describe your use case as an event flow diagram
2. Create a configuration file to represent the event flow
3. Write a user story for each user function

To get started, please visit Chapter 1, Developer Guide.

We will illustrate the methodology with a composable application example.

Software development is an ongoing battle against complexity. Over time, codebases can become tangled and unwieldy, hindering innovation and maintenance. This article introduces composable design patterns, a powerful approach to build applications that are modular, maintainable, and scalable.

We have all encountered it: code that resembles a plate of spaghetti – tangled dependencies, hidden logic, and a general sense of dread when approaching modifications. These codebases are difficult to test, debug, and update. Composable design patterns offer a solution.

Software development methodologies have evolved alongside hardware advancements. In the early days, developers prized efficiency, writing code from scratch due to limited libraries. The rise of frameworks brought structure and boilerplate code, but also introduced potential rigidity.

Functional programming, with its emphasis on pure functions and immutable data, paved the way for composable design. This approach encourages building applications as chains of well-defined functions, each with a clear input and output.

Event-driven architecture complements this approach by using events to trigger functions. This loose coupling promotes modularity and scalability.

At its core, composable design emphasizes two principles:

1. Self-Contained Functions: Each function is a well-defined unit, handling its own logic and transformations with minimal dependencies.
2. Event Choreography: Functions communicate through events, allowing for loose coupling and independent execution.

• Enhanced Maintainability: Isolated functions are easier to understand, test, and modify.
• Improved Reusability: Self-contained functions can be easily reused across different parts of your application.
• Superior Performance: Loose coupling reduces bottlenecks and encourages asynchronous execution.
• Streamlined Testing: Well-defined functions facilitate unit testing and isolate potential issues.
• Simplified Debugging: Independent functions make it easier to pinpoint the source of errors.
• Technology Agnostic: You may use your preferred frameworks and tools to write composable code, allowing for easier future adaptations.

While seemingly simple, implementing composable design can involve some initial complexity.

Here's a breakdown of the approach:

• Function Design: Each function serves a specific purpose, with clearly defined inputs and outputs.
• Event Communication: Functions communicate through well-defined events, avoiding direct dependencies.
• Choreography: An event manager, with a state machine and event flow configuration, sequences and triggers functions based on events.

Composable design patterns offer a powerful paradigm for building maintainable, scalable, and future-proof applications. By embracing the principles of self-contained functions and event-driven communication, you can conquer complexity and write code that is a joy to work with.

Are you ready to take your development practices to the next level? Embrace composable design now!