Wrapper and DTO Patterns for Apex Responses

Returning raw sObjects directly works, but a wrapper class (often called a DTO — Data Transfer Object) is frequently the better choice: it decouples the component from the exact shape of the underlying object, avoids accidentally exposing fields the component doesn't need, and lets you combine data from multiple objects into one clean shape.

public with sharing class AccountSummary {
    @AuraEnabled public Id accountId;
    @AuraEnabled public String accountName;
    @AuraEnabled public Integer openOpportunityCount;

    public AccountSummary(Id accountId, String accountName, Integer openOpportunityCount) {
        this.accountId = accountId;
        this.accountName = accountName;
        this.openOpportunityCount = openOpportunityCount;
    }
}

Each field that should be visible to LWC needs its own @AuraEnabled annotation — not just the class or method. This combines an Account's Name with a computed Opportunity count, something no single sObject query could return directly.

Apex-to-JSON serialization for @AuraEnabled properties is automatic — the property names are preserved exactly as declared in Apex when they arrive in JavaScript. There's no manual JSON-building step required, unlike calling a raw REST API from JavaScript.

Returning a raw List<Account> directly ties the component to whatever fields happen to be queried; a wrapper class makes the contract between Apex and LWC explicit and stable, which matters a great deal as a project grows past a handful of components.