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ArchUnitTS Technical Deep Dive

ArchUnitTS Logo

This document provides a technical overview of how ArchUnitTS works under the hood.

🏗️ Architecture Overview

ArchUnitTS is built on top of the TypeScript Compiler, Node's File System and more. It uses graph analysis techniques to enforce architectural rules.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  User API Layer                     │
│  (projectFiles(), classes(), metrics())             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              Rule Definition & Fluent API           │
│     (shouldNot(), dependOn(), haveNoCycles())       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                Graph Extraction                     │
│     (TypeScript AST → Dependency Graph)             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│               Analysis & Validation                 │
│  (Cycle Detection, Dependency Analysis, Metrics)    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              TypeScript Compiler API                │
│        (AST Parsing, Type Checking, etc.)           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🔍 Core Components Deep Dive

1. Graph Extraction Engine

The heart of ArchUnitTS lies in src/common/extraction/extract-graph.ts. This module transforms TypeScript source code into a navigable dependency graph using the TypeScript Compiler API.

TypeScript Compiler API Integration

Key TypeScript APIs Used:

  • ts.createProgram(): Creates a program instance that represents a compilation unit
  • TypeChecker: Provides semantic analysis capabilities (type resolution, symbol lookup)
  • SourceFile.forEachChild(): Traverses the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST)
  • ts.SyntaxKind: Identifies different node types in the AST

AST Traversal and Analysis

Pseudo Code of the extraction process visits every node in the TypeScript AST:

function visitNode(node: ts.Node, sourceFile: ts.SourceFile) {
  switch (node.kind) {
    case ts.SyntaxKind.ImportDeclaration:
      handleImportDeclaration(node as ts.ImportDeclaration);
      break;
    case ts.SyntaxKind.ClassDeclaration:
      handleClassDeclaration(node as ts.ClassDeclaration);
      break;
    case ts.SyntaxKind.CallExpression:
      handleCallExpression(node as ts.CallExpression);
      break;
    // ... more node types
  }
  ts.forEachChild(node, (child) => visitNode(child, sourceFile));
}

2. Import Resolution and Classification

ArchUnitTS categorizes imports into different types using src/common/util/import-kinds-helper.ts.

Import Analysis Process

  1. Parse Import Statements: Extract module specifiers from ImportDeclaration nodes
  2. Resolve Module Paths: Use TypeScript's module resolution to find actual file paths
  3. Classify Dependencies: Determine if import is external, internal, or built-in
  4. Build Dependency Edges: Create graph connections between files

3. Dependency Graph Construction

The dependency graph is the core data structure that powers all architectural analysis. It's defined in src/common/extraction/graph.ts.

Graph Building Algorithm

  1. Node Creation: Each TypeScript file becomes a graph node
  2. Edge Creation: Import statements create directed edges between nodes
  3. Metadata Extraction: Collect classes, functions, and other code elements

4. Class Information Extraction

The src/metrics/extraction/extract-class-info.ts module analyzes TypeScript classes to extract structural information:

Analyzed Elements

  • Methods: Public, private, static methods with complexity metrics
  • Properties: Field declarations and their access modifiers
  • Inheritance: Base classes and implemented interfaces
  • Dependencies: Classes referenced within the class body

5. Cycle Detection Algorithm

ArchUnitTS implements efficient cycle detection using Tarjan's Strongly Connected Components algorithm.

6. Rule Engine and Validation

The rule engine in src/files/fluentapi/files.ts provides a fluent API for defining architectural constraints:

7. Metrics Collection and Analysis

The metrics system analyzes code quality indicators:

Supported Metrics

  1. Lines of Code (LOC): Physical and logical line counts
  2. Cyclomatic Complexity: Measure of code complexity
  3. LCOM (Lack of Cohesion of Methods): Class cohesion metric
  4. Dependency Counts: Number of incoming/outgoing dependencies
  5. Afferent/Efferent Coupling: Package-level coupling metrics

8. Testing Framework Integration

ArchUnitTS provides seamless integration with popular testing frameworks through custom matchers:

Jest Integration

Simplified pseudo code:

declare global {
  namespace jest {
    interface Matchers<R> {
      toPassAsync(): Promise<R>;
    }
  }
}

expect.extend({
  async toPassAsync(rule: ArchRule) {
    const violations = await rule.evaluate();

    return {
      pass: violations.length === 0,
      message: () =>
        violations.length > 0
          ? `Architecture rule failed:\n${violations.map((v) => v.message).join('\n')}`
          : 'Architecture rule passed',
    };
  },
});

Execution Flow

Here's how ArchUnitTS processes your architectural rules:

1. Initialization Phase

// User calls projectFiles()
const files = projectFiles().inFolder('src');
  1. Workspace Discovery: Scan for TypeScript/JavaScript files
  2. Configuration Loading: Read tsconfig.json and project settings
  3. File Filtering: Apply folder and pattern filters

2. Analysis Phase

// User defines rule
const rule = files.should().haveNoCycles();
  1. Graph Extraction: Parse all files and build dependency graph
  2. Rule Compilation: Convert fluent API calls into executable rules
  3. Optimization: Cache results and optimize analysis order

3. Validation Phase

// User executes rule
await expect(rule).toPassAsync();
  1. Rule Execution: Run validation algorithms on the graph
  2. Violation Collection: Gather all rule violations
  3. Result Formatting: Prepare human-readable error messages

Performance Optimizations

ArchUnitTS implements several optimizations for large codebases including caching and lazy loading.

All Files Inclusion

ArchUnitTS ensures that all project files appear in the dependency graph, even if they don't import other project files. This is achieved by adding self-referencing edges for every file in the project.

Why this matters:

  • Standalone utility files are included in architectural analysis
  • Entry point files without imports are visible in the graph
  • Complete project coverage for architectural rules
  • No files are accidentally excluded from analysis

Example:

// Even if utils.ts doesn't import anything from your project,
// it will still appear in the graph with a self-edge: utils.ts -> utils.ts

// This ensures files like these are always analyzed:
// - Configuration files
// - Standalone utilities
// - Entry points
// - Constants files
// - Type definition files

The graph will contain:

  • Import edges: Real dependencies between files (A imports B)
  • Self edges: Every project file references itself (ensures inclusion)

This guarantees comprehensive architectural analysis across your entire codebase.