Use a Model Mapper to convert entities to DTOs and vice versa

• Status: accepted
• Deciders: [Q-tal Enpro Team]
• Date: [2020-06-04]

Context and Problem Statement

Due to the use of two different object types for transfering and storing data, the conversion between the types becomes a necessity. Therefore we need means to perform the respective conversion.

Considered Options

• Manually written conversion methods
• Model Mapper
• MapStruct

Decision Outcome

Chosen option: “Model Mapper”, because it fulfils our requirements, is highly configurable and less error prone then manually written converters.

Positive Consequences

• Less boilerplate code

Pros and Cons of the Alternatives

Manually written conversion methods

• + Requires no extensions
• + No performace overhead
• - Hard to maintain
• - Prone to errors and bugs

Model Mapper

• + Easy to use
• + Very powerful
• + Does not require any extensions
• + Works without errors, if configured properly
• - Since it’s based on reflection, it may be slower than the other two options considered

MapStruct

• + Very Fast
• + Easy to use
• + Works without errors, if configured properly
• - The approach is based on code generaion, like Lombok.
• - Needs a seperate plugin for the IDE and Maven to work properly