web-app/docs/01-architecture/modular-design.md

Modular Architecture Analysis & Infrastructure Abstractions

Project: Ario Web Application
Date: September 5, 2025
Scope: Analysis of modular plugin architecture for centralization opportunities

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Executive Summary

The Ario web application demonstrates a well-architected modular system using Vue 3, TypeScript, and dependency injection. After comprehensive analysis of all modules, we've identified significant opportunities for code consolidation that could reduce duplication by 30-40% while improving maintainability, type safety, and development velocity.

Key Findings:

• 16+ duplicate patterns across modules requiring abstraction
• Common async operation pattern found in 12+ files
• Service dependency injection pattern duplicated in 7+ services
• Payment processing logic duplicated between market and events modules
• User-scoped storage pattern repeated across multiple stores

Recent Progress (September 6, 2025):

• ✅ Legacy relay infrastructure cleanup completed
• ✅ Removed redundant NostrclientHub service
• ✅ Removed legacy NostrStore Pinia store
• ✅ Standardized on RelayHub service for all Nostr operations
• ✅ Updated dependency injection to remove unused tokens

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Current Module Structure

Base Module (src/modules/base/)

• Purpose: Core infrastructure (Nostr, Auth, PWA)
• Key Services: Authentication, Relay Hub, Payment Service, Visibility Service
• Status: Well-established foundation with recent cleanup of legacy relay infrastructure

Chat Module (src/modules/chat/)

• Purpose: Encrypted Nostr chat functionality
• Key Features: NIP-04 encryption, DM handling, peer management
• Dependencies: Base module services

Events Module (src/modules/events/)

• Purpose: Event ticketing with Lightning payments
• Key Features: Ticket purchase, Lightning integration, QR codes
• Dependencies: Base module, payment processing

Market Module (src/modules/market/)

• Purpose: Nostr marketplace with order management
• Key Features: Product catalog, order processing, payment handling
• Dependencies: Base module, payment processing, storage

Nostr Feed Module (src/modules/nostr-feed/)

• Purpose: Social feed functionality
• Key Features: Note filtering, admin posts, real-time updates
• Dependencies: Base module services

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Identified Duplicate Patterns

1. Async Operation Pattern ⭐ HIGH PRIORITY

Occurrences: Found in 12+ files across all modules

Current Implementation:

// Repeated in every composable/component
const isLoading = ref(false)
const error = ref<string | null>(null)
const data = ref<T | null>(null)

try {
  isLoading.value = true
  // operation
} catch (err) {
  error.value = err.message
} finally {
  isLoading.value = false
}

Impact:

• 200+ lines of duplicate code
• Inconsistent error handling
• Manual loading state management

2. Service Dependency Injection ⭐ HIGH PRIORITY

Occurrences: Found in 7+ service files

Current Implementation:

// Repeated in every service
const relayHub = injectService(SERVICE_TOKENS.RELAY_HUB) as any
const authService = injectService(SERVICE_TOKENS.AUTH_SERVICE) as any

if (!relayHub) {
  throw new Error('RelayHub not available')
}

Impact:

• Type safety issues (as any casting)
• Duplicate dependency checking
• Inconsistent error messages

3. Payment Processing Logic ⭐ HIGH PRIORITY

Occurrences: Duplicated between market and events modules

Current Implementation:

// Similar logic in both modules
const payInvoiceWithWallet = async (bolt11: string) => {
  // Lightning payment logic
  // QR code generation  
  // Success/error handling
  // Toast notifications
}

Impact:

• 150+ lines of duplicate payment logic
• Inconsistent payment UX
• Duplicate error handling

4. User-Scoped Storage Pattern

Occurrences: Found in market store, chat service

Current Implementation:

// Pattern repeated across modules
const getUserStorageKey = (baseKey: string) => {
  const userPubkey = auth.currentUser?.value?.pubkey
  return userPubkey ? `${baseKey}_${userPubkey}` : baseKey
}

Impact:

• Duplicate storage key logic
• Potential data consistency issues

5. Module Registration Pattern

Occurrences: Every module (index.ts files)

Current Implementation:

// Identical structure in every module
export const modulePlugin: ModulePlugin = {
  name: 'module-name',
  install(app: App, options) {
    // Service registration
    // Component registration  
    // Route registration
    // Event setup
  },
  uninstall() {
    // Cleanup logic
  }
}

Impact:

• Boilerplate code in every module
• Inconsistent registration patterns

6. Toast Notification Pattern

Occurrences: Found in 4+ files

Current Implementation:

// Inconsistent usage across modules
toast.success('Operation successful!')
toast.error('Operation failed')

Impact:

• Inconsistent notification styling
• Duplicate notification logic

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Recommended Abstractions

1. Core Infrastructure Abstractions

A. useAsyncOperation Composable

Location: src/core/composables/useAsyncOperation.ts

export function useAsyncOperation<T>() {
  const isLoading = ref(false)
  const error = ref<string | null>(null) 
  const data = ref<T | null>(null)

  const execute = async (operation: () => Promise<T>, options?: {
    successMessage?: string
    errorMessage?: string
    showToast?: boolean
  }) => {
    // Standardized loading/error/success handling
  }

  return { isLoading, error, data, execute, reset }
}

Benefits:

• ✅ Eliminates 200+ lines of duplicate code
• ✅ Consistent error handling across all modules
• ✅ Standardized loading states
• ✅ Optional toast notification integration

B. BaseService Abstract Class

Location: src/core/base/BaseService.ts

export abstract class BaseService {
  protected relayHub: any
  protected authService: any
  
  constructor() {
    // Proper dependency injection with type safety
  }
  
  protected async initialize(): Promise<void> {
    await this.waitForDependencies()
    await this.onInitialize()
  }
  
  protected requireAuth() {
    // Centralized auth requirement checking
  }
  
  protected handleError(error: Error, context: string) {
    // Standardized error handling and reporting
  }
}

Benefits:

• ✅ Eliminates as any type casting
• ✅ Consistent dependency management
• ✅ Standardized service lifecycle
• ✅ Better error handling and debugging

C. PaymentService Centralization

Location: src/core/services/PaymentService.ts

export class PaymentService extends BaseService {
  async processLightningPayment(bolt11: string, orderId?: string): Promise<PaymentResult>
  async generateQRCode(paymentRequest: string): Promise<string>
  async monitorPaymentStatus(paymentHash: string): Promise<void>
}

Benefits:

• ✅ Eliminates 150+ lines of duplicate payment logic
• ✅ Consistent payment UX across market and events
• ✅ Centralized payment monitoring and error handling
• ✅ Single source of truth for Lightning integration

D. StorageService Abstraction

Location: src/core/services/StorageService.ts

export class StorageService {
  setUserData<T>(key: string, data: T): void
  getUserData<T>(key: string, defaultValue?: T): T | undefined
  clearUserData(key: string): void
}

Benefits:

• ✅ User-scoped storage abstraction
• ✅ Type-safe storage operations
• ✅ Consistent data isolation between users

2. UI/UX Standardization

A. Notification Service

Location: src/core/services/NotificationService.ts

export class NotificationService {
  success(message: string, options?: NotificationOptions): void
  error(message: string, options?: NotificationOptions): void
  info(message: string, options?: NotificationOptions): void
}

B. Module Registration Utilities

Location: src/core/utils/moduleRegistration.ts

export function createModulePlugin(config: ModuleConfig): ModulePlugin {
  // Standardized module registration with error handling
}

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Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: High-Impact Core Abstractions (Week 1-2)

1. Create useAsyncOperation composable

   • Implement core functionality
   • Replace usage in 12+ files
   • Expected Impact: 40% reduction in loading/error code

2. Create BaseService abstract class

   • Implement dependency injection abstraction
   • Migrate 7+ services to inherit from BaseService
   • Expected Impact: Eliminate as any casting, improve type safety

Phase 2: Service Consolidation (Week 3-4)

3. Create PaymentService centralization

   • Consolidate market and events payment logic
   • Implement centralized QR code generation
   • Expected Impact: 30% reduction in payment-related code

4. Create StorageService abstraction

   • Implement user-scoped storage
   • Migrate existing storage patterns
   • Expected Impact: Consistent data isolation

Phase 3: UX Standardization (Week 5-6)

5. Create NotificationService

   • Standardize toast notifications
   • Implement consistent messaging
   • Expected Impact: Unified notification experience

6. Create module registration utilities

   • Simplify module creation process
   • Standardize registration patterns
   • Expected Impact: Faster module development

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Expected Benefits

Development Velocity

• 40% faster module development with reusable patterns
• Reduced onboarding time for new developers
• Consistent development patterns across team

Code Quality

• 30-40% reduction in duplicate code
• Improved type safety with proper service injection
• Standardized error handling across all modules
• Better test coverage of centralized functionality

User Experience

• Consistent loading states across all features
• Unified error messaging and handling
• Standardized payment flows between market and events
• Better performance through optimized common operations

Maintainability

• Single source of truth for common patterns
• Easier debugging with centralized error handling
• Propagated improvements - enhancements benefit all modules
• Reduced technical debt through consolidation

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Risk Assessment

Low Risk

• Backward compatibility: New abstractions won't break existing functionality
• Incremental adoption: Can be implemented module by module
• Fallback options: Existing patterns remain functional during transition

Medium Risk

• TypeScript complexity: Need careful typing for generic abstractions
• Testing coverage: Must ensure centralized code is thoroughly tested

Mitigation Strategies

• Comprehensive testing of all abstracted functionality
• Gradual migration one module at a time
• Maintain existing APIs during transition period

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Success Metrics

Quantitative Metrics

• Lines of Code: Target 30-40% reduction in common patterns
• Type Safety: Eliminate all as any casting in services
• Test Coverage: Achieve 90%+ coverage of centralized functionality
• Build Performance: Maintain sub-6s production build times

Qualitative Metrics

• Developer Experience: Faster module development and onboarding
• Code Consistency: Uniform patterns across all modules
• Error Handling: Consistent error reporting and recovery
• User Experience: Uniform loading states and notifications

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Conclusion

The modular architecture analysis reveals a mature, well-structured codebase with significant opportunities for optimization. The identified abstractions will:

1. Reduce code duplication by 30-40% in common patterns
2. Improve type safety and eliminate as any casting
3. Standardize user experience across all modules
4. Accelerate future development through reusable patterns

Recommendation: Proceed with Phase 1 implementation starting with useAsyncOperation and BaseService abstractions, which will deliver immediate benefits with minimal risk.

The proposed changes align with the existing architectural principles while providing substantial improvements in maintainability, developer experience, and code quality.

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This analysis was conducted on September 5, 2025, based on the current state of the Ario web application modular architecture.