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Software Engineering vocabulary · Architecture, Design Patterns and Graphics

Command-query separation

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In software engineering, command-query separation means: A design principle that separates operations which change state from operations which return information without changing state.

In Turkish: komut-sorgu ayrımı

How it is used

Used in interface design. It does not by itself require separate databases or independently deployed services.

Example sentences

  1. Applying command-query separation stopped the balance getter from silently creating an account.

    A read operation should not hide a state-changing action under this principle.

  2. We followed command-query separation while keeping both operations in the same module.

    Separating responsibilities does not require separating deployment or storage.

Common collocations

  • apply command-query separation
  • command-query separation principle
  • separation of concernsA design principle saying that each part of a program should handle one clear job, such as showing data, applying business rules or storing data, without mixing them.
  • interfaceIn programming, a list of methods that a class promises to provide, without saying how they work. More generally, the point where two systems, or a user and a system, meet.

More terms: Architecture, Design Patterns and Graphics

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