Pulsar glossary
This is the canonical vocabulary for Start and Architecture. Search recognizes common aliases for UseCase, DTO, VO/value object, CLI/command, and integration/Adapter.
Layers and types
| Term | Canonical definition |
|---|---|
| Service | A delivery boundary scoped to a consumer audience, not a microservice or deployment unit. |
| Module | A feature slice within a Service. |
| Controller | A thin HTTP inbound adapter that calls exactly one UseCase. |
| Request | An HTTP validation and authorization type. |
| Resource | HTTP response shaping for Models, DTOs, and Value Objects. |
| UseCase (Use Case) | An application workflow that owns transaction boundaries and emits domain events. |
| Operation | A reusable workflow fragment called only by UseCases; it owns no transaction and emits no event. |
| Job | An idempotent queued inbound adapter that calls one UseCase. |
| Command (CLI) | An authorized CLI or scheduler inbound adapter that calls one UseCase. |
| Domain | A Laravel-aware business capability shared across Services and independent of delivery concerns. |
| Contract | A Domain-owned port for a stable capability or outbound dependency. |
| Model | An Eloquent domain entity. |
| Action | An atomic business operation, usually over one aggregate. |
| DTO (data transfer object) | A data transfer object. |
| Policy | Model-aware authorization with default-deny methods. |
| Event | An immutable, versioned domain fact emitted by a UseCase. |
| Listener | A Domain reaction to an Event. |
| Notification | A Domain outbound notification carrying DTO or Value Object data. |
| Mailable | A Domain outbound mail representation carrying DTO or Value Object data. |
| Enum | Domain state represented by a closed set. |
| Value Object (VO) | An immutable, validated domain primitive. |
| Domain Exception | A business-rule violation generated under a Domain Exceptions directory. |
| Query | A read-only Domain query. |
| Adapter (integration) | An Infrastructure implementation of a Domain Contract that translates vendor or framework failures at the boundary. |
FAQ
Is a Service a microservice? No. It is an audience boundary. Is the Domain framework-independent? No. It is independent of delivery concerns, not Laravel.