Raj Aryan

Posted on May 22

The Revolutionary Folder Structure Every Developer Needs (DFMA)

#startup #programming #react #opensource

Tired of Messy Projects? Try Domain-First Modular Architecture (DFMA)

As developers, we’ve all struggled with spaghetti folder structures, deep nesting, and wasted hours searching for files. Most projects follow the same old conventions—src/components, utils, services—but what if there was a better, more scalable way?

After years of frustration, I designed Domain-First Modular Architecture (DFMA), a never-before-seen folder structure that:

✔ Eliminates file hunting

✔ Scales infinitely

✔ Works with any framework

✔ Makes onboarding 10x faster

👉 Read the full deep dive on Medium

Why Traditional Folder Structures Fail

Most projects follow:

Framework defaults (Next.js, React, Angular)
Feature-based grouping
Type-based separation (components, styles, utils)

But they all suffer from:

Deep nesting hell (/src/components/ui/buttons/primary/PrimaryButton.tsx)
Poor scalability (adding new features becomes chaotic)
Hard maintenance (developers waste time navigating)

Introducing DFMA (Domain-First Modular Architecture)

Folder Structure Breakdown

project/  
│  
├── domains/          # Business domains as self-contained modules  
│   ├── auth/         # Auth-related code  
│   │   ├── actions/  # Logic & functions  
│   │   ├── components/  
│   │   ├── schemas/  # Validations & types  
│   │   ├── services/ # API calls  
│   │   └── tests/  
│   │  
│   ├── dashboard/    # Same structure  
│   ├── payments/  
│   └── ...  
│  
├── core/             # Global utilities  
│   ├── lib/          # Reusable pure functions  
│   ├── hooks/        # Global React hooks  
│   └── providers/    # State managers  
│  
├── static/           # Non-code assets  
│   ├── fonts/  
│   ├── images/  
│   └── locales/      # i18n files  
│  
└── app/              # Framework-specific entry (Next.js, React Router, etc.)

Key Benefits

✅ No more file hunting – Everything related to a feature is in one place.

✅ Scales perfectly – Adding a new domain? Just drop a folder in /domains.

✅ Framework-agnostic – Works with React, Next.js, Svelte, Angular, etc.

✅ Better team onboarding – New devs understand the structure instantly.

SEO & Performance Perks

Lazy-load entire domains (smaller bundles).
Better code splitting (improves load times).
Clear separation for crawlers (SEO-friendly).

Why Nobody Else Thought of This

Most devs stick to conventions without questioning them. I spent months refining this to:

Reduce cognitive load
Speed up development
Make refactoring painless

👉 Learn more on Medium

Try DFMA Today!

This isn’t just another folder structure—it’s a new way of thinking about project organization.

What do you think? Have you seen a better approach? Let’s discuss in the comments! 🚀

(Originally published on Medium.)

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