Stop Putting App Logic in Middleware

📰 Dev.to · Artem M

Learn why putting app logic in middleware is a bad practice and how to refactor it for better maintainability

intermediate Published 11 Mar 2026

Action Steps

Identify middleware functions in your codebase
Refactor app logic out of middleware and into separate services or controllers
Use dependency injection to manage dependencies between services
Test and verify the refactored code
Apply the Single Responsibility Principle to ensure each component has a clear responsibility

Who Needs to Know This

Backend developers and software engineers can benefit from this lesson to improve their coding practices and avoid common pitfalls

Key Insight

💡 Middleware should only handle request and response processing, not app logic

Key Takeaways

Learn why putting app logic in middleware is a bad practice and how to refactor it for better maintainability

In the previous article, I argued that request context is where backend frameworks quietly go...