How do you write Architecture Tests with libraries such as NetArchTest in .NET?

Short answer

Write unit tests that inspect assemblies and enforce architectural rules, such as preventing the Domain layer from referencing Infrastructure or requiring consistent Controller names.

Explanation

In large teams, Clean Architecture rules can be broken accidentally, such as importing SQL code into a Domain entity. NetArchTest inspects the assembly type tree programmatically. If a class in Domain inherits from or imports a class from Infrastructure, the CI test fails immediately and prevents the code from being merged before production.

Code example

[Fact]
public void Domain_Should_Not_DependOn_Infrastructure() {
    var result = Types.InAssembly(typeof(DomainEntity).Assembly)
        .ShouldNot()
        .HaveDependencyOn("Infrastructure")
        .GetResult();

    Assert.True(result.IsSuccessful);
}

Common mistakes

• Relying only on manual Code Review to find Clean Architecture violations instead of automating the checks.

Follow-up questions

• How do you organize Clean Architecture layers in .NET Enterprise solutions?

Sources

• Microsoft Learn — Common Application Architecture Design