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Software Engineering vocabulary · Architecture, Design Patterns and Graphics

Separation of concerns

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In software engineering, separation of concerns means: A 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.

In Turkish: sorumlulukların ayrılması, ilgi alanlarının ayrılması

How it is used

Patterns such as MVC and layered architecture are ways to achieve it. Reviewers mention it when, for example, SQL queries appear inside UI code. Here a 'concern' means an area of responsibility, not a worry.

Example sentences

  1. Putting the tax rules in the controller breaks separation of concerns; move them into a service.

  2. Good separation of concerns made it easy to replace the old UI.

Common collocations

  • clear separation of concerns
  • violate separation of concerns
  • layered architecture
  • single responsibility
  • modularBuilt from separate, independent parts with clear boundaries, so each part can be understood, tested, changed or replaced without touching the others.
  • loose couplingA design in which the parts of a system depend on each other as little as possible, so a change in one part rarely forces changes in the others.
  • architectureThe high-level structure of a software system: its main parts, how they communicate with each other and the key technical decisions behind them.
  • design patternA proven, reusable solution to a common design problem in code, such as Singleton, Factory or Observer, described as a general approach rather than finished code.

More terms: Architecture, Design Patterns and Graphics

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