GetEntity

GetEntity is a common naming convention for a function or method that retrieves a single domain entity from a data source. It is used across software development, particularly in repository patterns, data access layers, and API clients. The exact behavior of GetEntity depends on the framework, but it typically returns an object that represents a record or aggregate in the domain model, identified by a key such as an ID or by criteria expressed as a predicate.

Common characteristics include: input of an identifier or predicate; a return value representing the entity or a value indicating not found (null, None, or Optional); possible exceptions on invalid input or permission errors; potential asynchronous variants; and optional caching or lazy loading semantics; as well as possible transaction or concurrency controls.

Examples and usages: In an ORM, a repository may implement GetEntity(id) to fetch an entity by its primary key. In a service layer, GetEntity may be called by business logic to obtain the current state of a domain object. In a web API, a GET endpoint may internally call GetEntity to serve a response. In games, GetEntity might retrieve a game object by its unique identifier.

See also: Find, Get, Load, Retrieve; Repository pattern; Data access layer.