DTO
Also called: Data transfer object
Data Transfer Object: a simple class that describes exactly what an API sends or receives.
Definition
A DTO carries data between layers or over the network, with no business logic. Using separate request and response DTOs instead of database entities keeps the API contract stable when the database changes, exposes only the fields the client needs, and gives validation annotations a natural home.
In practice
CreateBookRequest(title, author, year) is what the app sends; BookResponse(id, title, author, year) is what it gets back.
Learn it in context
Lessons that use this term.