DTO

DTO is a readonly data-transfer type for moving explicit runtime data.

Generated facts

Layer: domain
Generated path: app/Pulsar/Domain/{Domain}/DTOs/{Name}.php
Generator command: make:dto
Workflow method: None
Stability: Current manifest surface (Pulsar 0.4.1)

Canonical example

Generated src/stubs/dto.stub — canonical synchronized stub.

<?php

namespace {{namespace}};

readonly class {{name}}
{
    public function __construct(
        //
    ) {}

    public static function from(array $data): self
    {
        return new self(
            //
        );
    }
}

Responsibility

DTO owns the responsibility stated above; it must not absorb delivery, transaction, or unrelated cross-layer behavior.

Placement and dependencies

Keep this type in its generated Domain path. Domain is independent of delivery concerns; Infrastructure implements Domain-owned Contracts at its boundary.

Workflow and tests

DTO is consumed by the owning Domain or Service workflow and returns a delivery-neutral result. Test its direct contract, its rejected boundary cases, and the caller or callee that proves the rule in application flow.

Three pitfalls

❌ Prohibited: move this responsibility into a neighboring type merely because it is nearby.
✅ Correct: keep the generated placement and depend only on the documented layer direction.
✅ Correct: test the boundary through the caller and the return or side effect visible to its callee.

Boundaries

❌ Prohibited: Do not treat a DTO as validated domain identity or mutable persistence state.

✅ Correct: Use DTOs at explicit boundaries and keep validated primitives in Value Objects.

DTO ​