Implementing Clean Architecture with Riverpod

Introduction

Implementing Clean Architecture in a Flutter mobile development project clarifies dependencies, improves testability, and separates UI from business rules. Riverpod complements Clean Architecture by providing a predictable, compile-safe way to inject dependencies and manage state without entangling layers. This tutorial shows a practical layering approach, wiring with Riverpod, and patterns for small-to-medium apps.

Architecture Layers

Clean Architecture splits code into three primary layers: Presentation, Domain, and Data. Keep dependencies pointing inward: Presentation -> Domain -> Data.

• Presentation: Flutter widgets, Riverpod providers, StateNotifiers, UI models.

• Domain: Entities, repository interfaces, use cases (business rules). No Flutter imports here.

• Data: Implementations of repository interfaces, remote/local datasources, network models.

This separation makes mobile development maintainable: the UI can change without affecting business logic, and remote/data logic can be mocked for tests.

Building the Domain

Define plain Dart classes for entities and repository interfaces. Use concise use-case classes that accept repository interfaces. Keep domain code framework-agnostic so you can test use cases with simple mocks.

Example domain repository interface:

abstract class TodoRepository {
  Future<List<Todo>> fetchTodos();
}

class FetchTodosUseCase {
  final TodoRepository repo;
  FetchTodosUseCase(this.repo);
  Future<List<Todo>> call() => repo.fetchTodos();
}

This file contains no Flutter imports (ideal for unit testing and reuse across platforms).

Wiring with Riverpod

Riverpod is ideal for dependency inversion: provide concrete data implementations at the top-level and keep domain code unaware of Riverpod internals.

• Provide repository implementations with Provider or Provider.family.

• Expose use cases as Providers that read the repository provider.

• Use StateNotifierProvider (or AsyncNotifier) to manage UI state and call use cases.

Example: bind an HTTP repository to the domain interface and create a StateNotifier that fetches todos.

final todoRepoProvider = Provider<TodoRepository>((ref) => HttpTodoRepository());
final fetchTodosProvider = Provider((ref) => FetchTodosUseCase(ref.read(todoRepoProvider)));
final todoListProvider = StateNotifierProvider<TodoListNotifier, AsyncValue<List<Todo>>>((ref) {
  return TodoListNotifier(ref.read(fetchTodosProvider));
});

Then, in a widget, consume the state with ref.watch(todoListProvider) and render AsyncValue states (loading/data/error). This pattern keeps UI minimal and testable.

State Management Patterns

Prefer AsyncValue and StateNotifier for predictable states. Use immutable state classes for complex scenarios. Keep side effects (network, DB) in the Data layer and invoked from use cases or notifiers. Example responsibilities:

• StateNotifier: coordinates UI-focused flows (pagination, caching strategy) and calls use cases.

• UseCase: encapsulates a single business operation and returns domain objects.

• Repository: hides network/DB complexity and maps data models to entities.

Use Provider scope scoping to create environment-specific bindings: dev vs prod, or tests. For example, in tests override todoRepoProvider with an in-memory implementation via ProviderScope(overrides: [...]).

Testing and Dependency Injection

Testing becomes straightforward: override providers with fakes. Because repositories implement interfaces (abstract classes), you can inject a fake repository that returns deterministic results. For widget tests, wrap widgets with ProviderScope and override the repository provider.

Keep unit tests focused: test use cases by injecting a fake repository; test notifiers by injecting a fake use case; test widgets by providing a fake notifier or use the real flow with in-memory data sources. This reduces flakiness and improves iteration speed.

Tips for mobile development with this stack:

• Avoid UI logic in repositories or use cases; only return plain domain objects.

• Keep mapping logic in data layer mappers so domain entities remain clean.

• Use small, single-responsibility use case classes — easy to combine and mock.

• Leverage Riverpod's autoDispose when appropriate for ephemeral UI state to conserve resources on mobile devices.

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Conclusion

Combining Clean Architecture with Riverpod produces a clear, testable structure for Flutter mobile development. Separate domain rules from data concerns, expose implementations via Riverpod providers, and manage UI state with StateNotifier/AsyncValue. The result is an app codebase that is easier to test, maintain, and evolve as requirements change.