# alibaba/COLA

🥤 COLA: Clean Object-oriented & Layered Architecture

Repository: https://github.com/alibaba/COLA
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/cola
Language: Java
License: LGPL-2.1
License Family: copyleft
Topics: cola, architecture, clean
Last push: 2025-06-09T03:26:02+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 34/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 25, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3130, "days_push": 450, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 13007, forks 3234 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:01.685852+00:00)

## What it is
COLA (Clean Object-oriented & Layered Architecture) is a Java framework from Alibaba that defines a clean, layered application architecture along with reusable components like DTO, exception handling, and command gating. It provides Maven archetypes to quickly scaffold applications following its architecture best practices.

## Use cases
- structure a Java backend application with clean layered architecture
- scaffold a new Spring Boot project using COLA archetype
- separate business logic from technical complexity in enterprise apps
- apply DDD and hexagonal architecture principles in Java
- reuse standard components like DTO and exception handling across services

## When to choose
- building a Java business application that benefits from disciplined layering
- you want a ready-made archetype enforcing clean architecture conventions
- team needs shared architectural components and guidance

## When to avoid
- small scripts or simple services where layered architecture is overkill
- non-JVM projects
- teams unwilling to adopt opinionated structure

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: stable
- function: middleware, developer-tools, boilerplate
- domain: backend, web-development, developer-tools
- platform: jvm, cross-platform
- tags: clean-architecture, layered-architecture, ddd, maven-archetype, java, architecture

## Member repositories
- alibaba/COLA (main) score 34

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:01.685852+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:13:36.149364+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/alibaba/COLA (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:01.685852+00:00, sha 77f31e65f910)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.