Vertical Slice Architecture (C#, .NET, MediatR, PostgreSQL, Docker) overview

A C# application organized by feature slices rather than technical layers, where each vertical slice contains its own handler, validation, data access, and response mapping. MediatR dispatches commands and queries to their respective slice handlers, eliminating cross-cutting service classes that bloat traditional layered architectures. Entity Framework Core provides PostgreSQL access, FluentValidation enforces input rules per-slice, and AutoMapper handles DTO projection. Docker containers target the .NET runtime. The tradeoff is code duplication across slices and the need for team discipline to avoid slices growing into mini-monoliths, but the pattern excels at enabling parallel feature development.