How do integrate “Users” in my DDD model with authenticating users?

Question

I\'m creating my first ASP.NET MVC site and have been trying to follow domain driven development. My site is a project collaboration site where users can be assigned to one or m

Answer 1

I know my answer comes a little bit late, but for future references to other colleagues having the same question.

Here is an example of Custom Authentication and Authorization using Roles as well. http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/408306/Understanding-and-Implementing-ASP-NET-Custom-Form. It's a very good article, very fresh and recent.

In my opinion, you should have this implementation as part of the infrastructure (Just create a new project Security or whatever you want to call it) and implement this example above there. Then call this mechanism from your Application Layer. Remember that the Application layer controls and orchestrate the whole operation in your application. Domain layer should be concern exclusively about business operations, not about access or data persistence, etc.. It's ignorant on how you authenticate people in your system.

Think of a brick and mortar company. The fingerprint access system implemented has nothing to do with this company's operations, but still, it's part of the infrastructure (building). As a matter of fact, it controls who have access to the company, so they can do their respective duties. You don't have two employees, one to scan his fingerprint so the other can walk in and do its job. You have only an Employee with an index finger. For "access" all you need is his finger... So, your repository, if you are going to use the same UserRepository for authentication, should contain a method for authentication. If you decided to use an AccessService instead (this is an application service, not a domain one), you need to include UserRepository so you access that user data, get his finger information (username and password) and compares it with whatever is coming from the form (finger scan). Did I explain myself right?

Most of DDD's situations apply to real life's situations... when it comes to architecture of the software.