blockform

Blockform is a modular framework for defining and composing computational units called blocks, where each block's behavior is described by a blockform. A blockform is a declarative template that specifies the block's input and output types, required and optional fields, validation rules, side-effect constraints, and metadata such as version and authorship. Blocks are instantiated from blockforms and connected into pipelines or graphs, enabling type-checked data flow and composability.

Blockforms describe interfaces, execution semantics, and provenance. They support versioning and immutability; changes yield new versions and allow concurrent usage. The runtime enforces constraints, isolates side effects, and records execution traces for auditing. Blockforms can refer to other blockforms, forming nested or composite blocks. This enables building reusable components with clear contracts.

In practice, Blockform-based systems support data processing pipelines, configuration management, and modular service orchestration. A typical use case is a data pipeline where a blockform defines an extract block (reads data), a transform block (applies rules), and a load block (persists results); together, they form a directed acyclic graph.

History and reception: The concept emerged in software architecture discussions during the 2010s as a way to formalize component interfaces. Implementations and libraries have appeared in several ecosystems, often under permissive licenses, and are used to improve reusability, testability, and traceability of complex workflows.