Laravel DDD: Actions, DTOs & Value Objects | Mohamed Said [ ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MH.png) Mohamed Said Laravel Backend Engineer ](https://msaied.com) [ Home ](https://msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://msaied.com#contact-section) [ ](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [ Home ](https://msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://msaied.com#contact-section) [ home ](https://msaied.com) [ articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) Domain-Driven Design in Laravel: Actions, DTOs, and Value Objects Without Bloat On this page 1. [ The Problem With "DDD" in Most Laravel Codebases ](#the-problem-with-quotdddquot-in-most-laravel-codebases) 2. [ Value Objects: Enforce Invariants, Not Just Types ](#value-objects-enforce-invariants-not-just-types) 3. [ DTOs: Structured Input, Not Fancy Arrays ](#dtos-structured-input-not-fancy-arrays) 4. [ Actions: One Class, One Job ](#actions-one-class-one-job) 5. [ Testing the Stack Without a Browser ](#testing-the-stack-without-a-browser) 6. [ Key Takeaways ](#key-takeaways) ![Domain-Driven Design in Laravel: Actions, DTOs, and Value Objects Without Bloat](https://cdn.msaied.com/256/71fdcae1e266ff11ac3f005eebfaf51c.png) #laravel #ddd #clean-architecture #php Domain-Driven Design in Laravel: Actions, DTOs, and Value Objects Without Bloat ================================================================================= 21 Jun 2026 4 min read ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MJ.jpg) Mohamed Said Table of contents 1. [ 01 The Problem With "DDD" in Most Laravel Codebases ](#the-problem-with-quotdddquot-in-most-laravel-codebases) 2. [ 02 Value Objects: Enforce Invariants, Not Just Types ](#value-objects-enforce-invariants-not-just-types) 3. [ 03 DTOs: Structured Input, Not Fancy Arrays ](#dtos-structured-input-not-fancy-arrays) 4. [ 04 Actions: One Class, One Job ](#actions-one-class-one-job) 5. [ 05 Testing the Stack Without a Browser ](#testing-the-stack-without-a-browser) 6. [ 06 Key Takeaways ](#key-takeaways) The Problem With "DDD" in Most Laravel Codebases ------------------------------------------------ Most teams reach for a DDD vocabulary — Actions, DTOs, Value Objects — and end up with three extra abstraction layers that do nothing except shuffle arrays between classes. The goal of this article is to show you what each concept is *actually for*, and how to implement each one with just enough code to earn its keep. --- Value Objects: Enforce Invariants, Not Just Types ------------------------------------------------- A Value Object is not a typed array. It is a small, immutable object whose equality is defined by its *value*, not its identity, and which enforces its own invariants at construction time. ```php final class Money { public function __construct( public readonly int $amountInCents, public readonly string $currency, ) { if ($amountInCents < 0) { throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Amount cannot be negative.'); } if (!in_array($currency, ['USD', 'EUR', 'GBP'], true)) { throw new \InvalidArgumentException("Unsupported currency: {$currency}"); } } public function add(self $other): self { if ($this->currency !== $other->currency) { throw new \LogicException('Cannot add different currencies.'); } return new self($this->amountInCents + $other->amountInCents, $this->currency); } public function equals(self $other): bool { return $this->amountInCents === $other->amountInCents && $this->currency === $other->currency; } } ``` Pair this with a custom Eloquent cast so the persistence layer stays transparent: ```php class MoneyCast implements CastsAttributes { public function get($model, $key, $value, $attributes): Money { return new Money((int) $attributes['amount_in_cents'], $attributes['currency']); } public function set($model, $key, $value, $attributes): array { return [ 'amount_in_cents' => $value->amountInCents, 'currency' => $value->currency, ]; } } ``` Now `$order->total` is always a valid `Money` object — no validation scattered across controllers. --- DTOs: Structured Input, Not Fancy Arrays ---------------------------------------- A DTO carries validated, typed data across a boundary. In Laravel, the natural boundary is the HTTP layer → domain layer. Use PHP 8 readonly properties and a static factory that reads from a `FormRequest`: ```php final readonly class CreateOrderData { public function __construct( public int $customerId, public Money $total, public string $notes, ) {} public static function fromRequest(CreateOrderRequest $request): self { return new self( customerId: $request->integer('customer_id'), total: new Money( $request->integer('amount_in_cents'), $request->string('currency')->toString(), ), notes: $request->string('notes')->trim()->toString(), ); } } ``` No base class, no macro magic — just a plain PHP object that is trivially constructable in tests. --- Actions: One Class, One Job --------------------------- An Action encapsulates a single use-case. It is not a service class with ten methods. It is not a job. It is the orchestration layer between your DTO and your domain models. ```php final class CreateOrder { public function __construct( private readonly OrderRepository $orders, private readonly EventDispatcher $events, ) {} public function execute(CreateOrderData $data): Order { $order = Order::create([ 'customer_id' => $data->customerId, 'total' => $data->total, 'notes' => $data->notes, ]); $this->events->dispatch(new OrderCreated($order)); return $order; } } ``` Wire it through the service container and call it from your controller: ```php class OrderController extends Controller { public function store(CreateOrderRequest $request, CreateOrder $action): JsonResponse { $order = $action->execute(CreateOrderData::fromRequest($request)); return OrderResource::make($order)->response()->setStatusCode(201); } } ``` The controller has zero business logic. The action has zero HTTP knowledge. Both are independently testable. --- Testing the Stack Without a Browser ----------------------------------- ```php it('creates an order and dispatches OrderCreated', function () { Event::fake([OrderCreated::class]); $data = new CreateOrderData( customerId: 1, total: new Money(5000, 'USD'), notes: 'Rush delivery', ); $order = app(CreateOrder::class)->execute($data); expect($order->total->amountInCents)->toBe(5000); Event::assertDispatched(OrderCreated::class); }); ``` No HTTP overhead, no form parsing — just domain logic under test. --- Key Takeaways ------------- - **Value Objects** enforce invariants at construction; pair them with Eloquent casts to keep models clean. - **DTOs** are typed, immutable data carriers — static factory methods on `FormRequest` keep the boundary explicit. - **Actions** are single-responsibility orchestrators; inject dependencies via the constructor, not the `execute` method. - Avoid base classes and trait soup — each concept earns its keep through simplicity, not inheritance. - The entire stack is unit-testable without booting HTTP or a browser. Found this useful? [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmsaied.com%2Farticles%2Fdomain-driven-design-in-laravel-actions-dtos-and-value-objects-without-bloat-2&text=Domain-Driven+Design+in+Laravel%3A+Actions%2C+DTOs%2C+and+Value+Objects+Without+Bloat) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmsaied.com%2Farticles%2Fdomain-driven-design-in-laravel-actions-dtos-and-value-objects-without-bloat-2) Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------- 3 questions Q01 Should Actions be dispatched as jobs or called synchronously? Actions should be synchronous orchestrators. If you need async execution, wrap the Action call inside a dedicated Job class rather than making the Action itself a job — this keeps the two concerns separate and the Action fully unit-testable. Q02 Do I need a package like lorisleiva/laravel-actions for this pattern? No. The pattern described here uses plain PHP classes resolved from Laravel's service container. Third-party action packages add convenience features but also coupling. Start with plain classes and reach for a package only when the ergonomics genuinely justify the dependency. Q03 Where should Value Object validation live — in the VO constructor or in a FormRequest? Both, for different reasons. The FormRequest validates user-facing input and returns friendly error messages. The Value Object constructor enforces domain invariants and throws exceptions — it is the last line of defence regardless of how the object was constructed. Continue reading More Articles --------------- [ View all ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ ![Laravel AI SDK: Tool-Calling Agents and Conversation Persistence](https://cdn.msaied.com/260/8c84f424e42da01993c9ba4b8eb19655.png) laravel ai agents ### Laravel AI SDK: Tool-Calling Agents and Conversation Persistence Build reliable tool-calling AI agents in Laravel using the Prism package. 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