A data transfer object (DTO) is a Design Pattern used to transfer data between software applications. It is often used in Object-Oriented Programming to transfer data between layers of an application or between applications. A DTO is a simple object that contains the data that needs to be transferred, and does not contain any business logic or other functionality.
The main purpose of using a DTO is to minimize the amount of data that needs to be transferred between applications. This can be particularly useful in distributed systems, where different parts of the system may be running on different machines or in different locations. By using a DTO, the amount of data that needs to be transferred can be reduced, which can improve the performance and efficiency of the system.
Another advantage of using a DTO is that it can help to decouple the different layers of an application. Because a DTO contains only the data that needs to be transferred, it can be used to transfer data between different parts of the system without the need for those parts to be aware of each other's internal implementation. This can make it easier to maintain and update the different parts of the system independently.
In summary, a DTO is a simple object that is used to transfer data between applications. It is used to minimize the amount of data that needs to be transferred and to decouple the different layers of an application. This can improve the performance and maintainability of a system.