Athenaeum

Data Transfer Object (DTO)

A variation / interpretation of the Data Transfer Object (DTO) design pattern (Distribution Pattern). A DTO is nothing more than an object that can hold some data. Most commonly it is used for for transporting that data between systems, e.g. a client and a server. This package provides an abstraction for such DTOs.

If you don't know about DTOs, I recommend you to read Martin Fowler's descriptionopen in new window of DTO, and perhaps perform a few Google searchesopen in new window about this topic.

When to use this

  • When you need to encapsulate data that needs to be communicated between two or more systems, services or components.

A word of caution

Using DTOs will increase the complexity of your project. You should only use them when you are really sure that you need them.