What Is Micro Frontend Architecture? When and Why Should You Use It?

In the ever-shifting landscape of web development, scalability, maintainability, and efficiency have driven the course of development. Increasingly complex applications usually stretch the traditional monolith architecture for frontends to the limit, making it hard to keep up with modern software development. 

Adopting micro front-ends helps organizations become more agile, speed up development cycles, and scale more efficiently. When different teams take responsibility for various features and functionalities, the work atmosphere becomes more cooperative and responsive. 

Knowledge of micro frontend architecture is vital for solving modern frontend challenges, whether modernizing a legacy system or building a scalable new application. This blog will deep dive into the meaning of micro frontends, how they work, their core concepts, their underlying architecture, and so much more.  

What are micro frontends? 

Micro frontends are an architectural style that extends the principles of microservices to the frontend world. Generally, they decompose a web application frontend into small, more digestible, independently deployable units.

Micro frontends were created to bring order to the challenges faced by large-scale web applications. As applications grow, the frontend codebase naturally becomes cumbersome to handle, extremely hard to test, and very problematic to deploy. 

Micro frontends help break down the front end into smaller parts so that teams can work more easily and deploy faster. This ensures increased scalability, maintainability, and fast delivery of new features to end-users. 

Growth of micro frontends

Micro frontends represent one of the newer architectural approaches to frontend development, which took inspiration from the principles of microservices and were noticeably outlined in the ThoughtWorks Technology Radar in November 2016. They allow teams to create and launch independent frontend applications that can be combined to create a single user experience. 

Different teams can work on different components separately by breaking down the frontend into smaller parts. This results in faster development and easier maintenance, even though it makes managing dependencies and integrating the components more complex.

How do they work? 

Micro frontend works by breaking down a monolithic frontend application into smaller units, independent of each other and in charge of specific user interface features or parts. The units are called micro frontends and are independently developed, tested, and deployed.

Each micro frontend might use different technologies and frameworks; therefore, teams can use the best tools to solve particular problems. These micro frontends get dynamically composed and loaded together in a browser at runtime, composing a cohesive application.

Intercommunication between micro frontends is usually done through shared APIs, state management at a global level, or event-based systems so that different pieces work together seamlessly while remaining autonomous for the application. This allows quicker development cycles, easier maintenance, and improved scalability over more traditional monolithic frontends. 

Fundamental principles of micro frontends 

In order to implement micro frontends effectively, having a solid understanding of their fundamental principles is essential; 

1. Technology Independence:

Every team working on a micro frontend is free to decide on the technology stack. This freedom allows teams to use optimal tools and frameworks for the particular use case without being restricted by a unified choice of technology for the whole application. 

That independence enables diverse implementation, probably resulting in efficient development processes. 

Pros; 

• Optimized Workflows: Teams can choose the appropriate technology stack that best suits their needs and preferences, thus improving workflows.
• Fostering Innovation: Organizations can drive innovation within their teams by allowing experimentation with new technologies without the constraints of a unified stack.

2. Isolated Application Code:

In a micro-frontend architecture, every micro-frontend works independently, without a shared run time or global variables. This isolation ensures a separate application state, reducing dependencies and conflicts. 

Modifications in one micro-frontend do not affect the others, making maintenance and deployment easier. The structure enhances the readability and reusability of the code since each module is developed and tested in isolation.

Pros;

• Less Interference Risk: Since every micro-frontend works independently, changes made in one micro-frontend do not affect the others.
• Simplified Testing and Maintenance: Testing becomes easier because of the small, self-contained codebases. Teams can focus on testing individual micro-frontend areas, reducing testing time complexity.

Micro Frontend Architecture 

Monolithic Frontends:

In traditional monolithic frontend architecture, a single team is in charge of developing and maintaining the entire application: back-end, front-end, and shared databases. While offering a centering of development, it leads to a series of challenges when the application grows.

In that manner, the monolith grows in size and complexity, making anyone struggle to understand it. Another drawback is the difficulty of implementing changes quickly and correctly since a slight change in the frontend code may affect the whole website. Moreover, every change to the frontend code results in the recompilation of the entire application. Eventually, the time to implement changes increases.

Front & Back Architecture:

In order to offset some of the problems apparent in the monolithic front end, the monolithic application is typically divided into two parts: the front end and the back end. A different team manages each of these parts. That means one team works on the front end and another on the back end. This division tends to spread the workload but still does not resolve the intrinsic limitations of a monolithic system. Scalability remains limited, and the application can still be cumbersome to manage.

Microservices Backend:

The need for scalability again drove the backend architecture’s evolution toward a microservices model. In such an approach, the back end will be split into smaller independent services managed by different teams. This would bring flexibility and scalability since each micro-service can be developed, deployed, and scaled.

 Though this evolution helps the back end, it still needs to confront the bottleneck of the monolithic front end. This will make it hard to integrate microservices into a monolithic front end, forming a single point of failure and shifting all the disadvantages of a monolithic system forward.

Vertical Organization with Micro Frontends:

The introduction of micro frontends brings a new approach: vertical organization. Here, the model breaks down the application into smaller independent functions and gives each to a different team. Such teams handle the entire stack for their function, from the backend to the front end, bringing less complexity and improved scalability, whereby every micro frontend can now be developed, deployed, and maintained independently.

This vertical organization solves the problems of the monolithic approach to a large degree. Like the backend, the front end becomes more scalable, flexible, and adaptable. The application is less cumbersome and easier to manage, having a more user-friendly interface. Moreover, each micro frontend could be developed with different frameworks, allowing teams to work with their preferred technology stack.

Types of micro frontends 

The following are the three primary types of micro frontends;

1. Monorepository:

All micro frontend projects are placed inside one repository using the mono repository approach. This central repository contains the codebase of each micro frontend, enabling shared configuration, tooling, and dependencies.

Advantages:

• Consistency: It guarantees that coding standards, dependencies, and tooling are identical in all micro frontends.
• Easy Integration: It is easy to manage changes across micro frontends; since all code is in one repository, it becomes easy to handle and integrate those changes.
• Shared Libraries: This enables easy sharing of standard libraries or components between different micro frontends.

Disadvantages:

• Scalability Issues: As the codebase grows, the mono repo becomes huge, and build and test times start to increase.
• Complexity Issues: As the micro frontend grows in size, managing it can be quite complex.

2. Multirepository:

All micro frontend projects are placed inside separate repositories. This allows teams to work on their micro frontends independently without interfering with each other.

Advantages:

• Autonomy: Teams can work on the micro frontends independently, with independent development, deployment, and scaling.

• Reduced Complexity: Building and testing happen faster because each repository is now small and easy to handle.

• Fault Isolation: If one micro frontend gets faulty, this doesn’t affect the others. It makes the application still more resilient.

Disadvantages:

• Integration Complexity: Changes must be synchronized among several different repositories, requiring robust CI/CD pipelines.

• Inconsistency: Other teams could be using different tools, libraries, or standards that create inconsistencies across micro frontends.

3. Metarepository:

The metarepository approach mixes the two previous types: monorepository and multirepository. It consists of multiple repositories, each having its individual micro frontend while also providing a central point of coordination. 

Advantages:

• Centralized Management: This offers a balance between autonomy and centralized control, allowing for coordinated releases and dependency management.
• Flexibility: Depending on the needs, this will enable teams to work in a mono or multi-repo-like manner.

Disadvantages:

• Complexity: Managing the meta-repo and coordinating the different micro frontend repositories can be complex.
• Overhead: Extra tooling and process to make things run smoothly add overhead.

Micro Frontend Framework 

Several frameworks and tools can be used in building micro frontends, such as the following;

1. Single Page Application-SPA:

Single-SPAs such as Vue, ReactJS, Angular, Svelte, etc., facilitate the development and management of multiple micro frontends within one application by handling the links between them efficiently. They provide routing, composition, and lifecycle management, making it easier to integrate different micro frontends.

2. Module Federation (Webpack):

Module Federation is a feature of Webpack that enables you to share code between different micro frontends. It allows micro frontends to dynamically import modules from other micro frontends, reducing duplication and improving performance.

3. Nx:

Nx is a built framework supporting micro-frontends with tools for managing mono repos. You can put all your micro-frontends in a single mono repo, which makes it easier to share code and dependencies between different micro-frontend projects.

4. Piral:

Piral is a micro frontend framework for developing modular applications. Its main features include routing, state management, and extension points, which help you realize a flexible and extensible micro-frontend architecture.

Merits of micro frontends 

Micro frontends provide several advantages over monolithic architectures and are becoming more popular in modern web development. Here are a few;

1. Scalability and Team Independence: The micro frontend architecture allows multiple teams to work independently on different components. This feature encourages parallel development, reducing bottlenecks. This independence increases productivity, which in turn helps deliver features more rapidly.
2. Performance and User Experience: It can improve the initial load times by loading only the necessary components on demand and enhancing user experience. Having modularity in such a way enables applications to respond faster with quick updates.
3. Flexibility and Maintainability: Micro frontends enable teams to choose their technology stacks and offer flexibility in incorporating skills to manage distinctly different problems. Smaller and manageable codebases simplify maintenance, testing, and debugging.
4. Continuous Integration and Deployment: Micro frontends support continuous integration and deployment practices, allowing a team to release updates frequently and with less risk. Fault isolation ensures that failures in one component do not affect the whole application.
5. Reusability and Efficiency: Standard functionalities can be developed as a reusable micro frontend to save time and resources. The modular approach provides appropriate organization of code and ensures a clear separation of concerns, making it easier to manage complex applications.

Demerits of micro frontends

Despite their merits, micro frontends have certain limitations that organizations need to be aware of; 

1. Higher Development Costs: Implementing micro frontends can increase development costs; most would be added from the initial stages. This could result in higher expenses because more infrastructure, tooling, and coordination are required. Hence, one should work out whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
2. Fragmentation Potential: If not adequately coordinated, micro-frontends could lead to fragmentation, where parts of the application may feel disconnected from each other. This type of fragmentation results in inconsistent user experience and washes away most of the benefits associated with micro frontends.
3. Challenges in Testing: Testing micro frontends is more challenging than testing monolithic frontends. Teams should ensure that each micro frontend is tested independently and in combination with other micro frontends. This requires a robust testing strategy and tools that support cross-micro frontend testing.

When to implement micro frontends? 

Micro frontends are particularly effective in a few cases. The following are the significant factors in when to adopt them;

• Project Size: Micro frontends are suitable for medium to large-size projects. If an application is vast and has numerous teams working on varied features, then the application following a micro frontend architecture would scale better and roll out features rapidly without jeopardizing the entire application.

• Team Independence and Productivity: If maximizing productivity is paramount, micro frontends give independent teams the ability to develop, test, and deploy their components simultaneously. This could be a key to reducing the time spent on dependencies, thereby improving process management.

• Complex User Interfaces: If applications have various complex UIs, micro frontends can help manage such complexity. Basically, they break down the interface into manageable parts that can independently be updated with less risk of affecting other parts.

• Continuous Deployment: In high-frequency releases and continuous deployment cases, micro frontends support teams’ independent deployment of components. This can result in faster iterations and quicker responses to user feedback.

Best techniques to implement micro frontend 

The best practices and techniques to be followed in order to achieve the successful implementation of micro frontends are as follows;

• Establish clear boundaries:

Clearly define the scope of every micro frontend so that different applications can be loosely coupled, independently developed, and deployed without any overlaps, hence less confusion between teams. 

• Use a common integration layer:

Introduce a shared integration layer. This can be done through an API gateway, allowing shared libraries to manage communication between micro frontends in order to create coordination and maintain consistency throughout the application. 

• Implement a consistent design system:

Ensure the system is uniformly designed among all the micro frontends for a consistent user interface and user experience. This can be obtained through a shared set of designed libraries or strict adherence to design guidelines, which help maintain visual harmony. 

• Enable independent deployment:

Each micro frontend must be independently deployable, which enables teams to release updates frequently and independently, further enhancing agility and reducing the risk of breaking changes. This can be obtained by setting up robust CI/CD pipelines for each micro frontend. 

• Monitor and log errors consistently:

Establish consistency in error-monitoring and logging practices among all the micro frontends. This helps in the early and quick identification and resolution of errors, which ensures increased application reliability.

Final Thoughts

Micro frontends are a powerful solution for the challenges of modern web development. By breaking down the frontend monolith into smaller, manageable units, micro frontends drive greater scalability, higher autonomy, and resilience. 

However, implementing micro frontends requires detailed planning, coordination, and deep knowledge of principles and architecture.

Micro frontends are not for all applications, but when used correctly, they will benefit your organization and your entire team of developers. Following the best practices and principles described in this guide will ensure that you implement micro frontends into your application successfully and that all the capabilities from such a modern style are unlocked for you.

VisionX’s custom software development services allow you to create tailored solutions that incorporate micro frontend architecture. By leveraging our expertise, you can build modular applications where different teams can work independently on various features, enhancing your business’s agility and scalability..