Micro front-end architecture is an increasingly popular method of front-end development architecture. It likely represents the future of front-end web development, so it is crucial to understand the key benefits such an architecture can bring to your applications and development teams.

My team and I have been using this approach for two years, and it’s time to share everything we’ve learned and the most important reasons why you should start thinking about adopting it in your next project.

Let's first look at what a micro front-end architecture is, and then dive into five reasons why it is now adopted.

Key Points

• Micro front-end architecture allows teams to work independently, using their favorite technologies, thereby improving code quality and enhancing developers.
• Using a micro front-end approach can speed up development and deployment, as smaller teams can handle different functions simultaneously, reducing communication overhead and speeding up releases.
• Micro front-end architectures can improve their maintainability by breaking down web applications into smaller, easier to manage parts, making testing and maintenance simpler and more efficient.

What is a micro front-end architecture?

In the past few years, IT companies have begun to break down large software into smaller, easier to manage blocks. The idea behind this approach is to have many services that can be independently developed, tested and deployed.

This is about the microservice architecture of backend development. But the same method can also be applied to front-end development, which is called a micro front-end architecture. On the official website of Martin Fowler, the micro front-end method is defined as:

A architectural style in which independently delivered front-end applications are combined into a larger whole.

This architectural approach for front-end web development is becoming more and more popular because it solves well-known flaws of traditional monomer methods. This is mainly because front-end software tends to develop rapidly, and when using monolithic architectures, everything becomes more difficult to maintain.

On the other hand, the micro front-end allows you to implement a less complex and tedious architecture. In particular, thanks to the micro front-end approach, you can split the entire application into small, separate parts. Each part can then be implemented by a different front-end team, and even using different technologies. This ensures the same scalability, flexibility and adaptability as backend microservice architectures. Additionally, this approach allows you to mix and use micro front-end components developed using libraries or different frameworks on the same webpage.

It is therefore no surprise that micro front-ends are now a trend in the IT world, and this approach is being adopted increasingly.

Five benefits of choosing micro front-end now

Using micro front-end for development gave me a glimpse into the real advantages of this front-end development approach.

Now, let's look at the five most relevant reasons for using it based on my experience with front-end developers (using micro front-end for more than two years).

To create a balanced picture, this article will then introduce the five most important flaws brought by micro front-end.

Extend to multiple teams

The team I work for is composed of developers with different backgrounds and skills. Some are React experts, others are Vue.js or Angular experts. Some people like to encode in JavaScript, others like to encode in TypeScript. Initially, this represents a barrier. The only solution is to find common ground, although this choice will force some developers to learn new technologies and lose their expertise. Therefore, we looked for solutions and decided to adopt a micro front-end architecture approach.

For this reason, we were able to divide the original team into multiple teams, and each person could use their talents at the best of their own. This is because different teams can make the best decisions in terms of architecture, testing and coding style based on the business logic they have to deal with. Furthermore, this approach itself results in code and style isolation, leaving each team independent of the other teams.

The micro front end is also helpful in the final result. This is something our team learned after fully adopting this approach. In fact, having multiple free small teams that can use their favorite technology means they are inherently less restrictive and therefore more motivated to write higher quality code.

Using different technology stacks

Because the micro front end consists of small, independent parts, each part can be implemented using a different technology stack. This is an incredibly huge advantage. First, because the starting team can be divided into many small teams based on the expertise of a specific technology stack, this also conforms to the single responsibility principle. Second, since many technology stacks will be used for the same project, hiring new developers is easier.

In addition, the micro front-end approach actually eliminates the phenomenon of locking on specific technologies, or at least greatly reduces this phenomenon. This is because your team can always decide to choose a new technology stack without converting previously developed content. Furthermore, each block composed of a micro front-end architecture is certainly smaller than a front-end monomer, and it takes less time to convert it into a new technology.

In addition, since our team adopted the micro front-end approach, we have been motivated to try new technologies, libraries and frameworks. In fact, whenever you have to add a new section into your application, you can decide to adopt a brand new technology stack. This represents a valuable opportunity to learn how to use many JavaScript frameworks on the market.

Faster development and deployment

Another important aspect that needs to be solved is that by adopting micro front-end, our team's front-end development process has been greatly improved. The main reason is that we are no longer a large team that is forced to deal with the inevitable communication overhead, but are now part of a smaller independent team, dealing with different functions at the same time, regardless of implementation details.

As you can imagine, this also represents a huge improvement in releasing new features. The reason is that our development process has been greatly improved, mainly because building small micro front-ends is faster and easier than large single-body software. Therefore, your deployment time will also increase significantly. In fact, whenever a team completes the work of a feature, they can deploy it online without waiting.

In other words, micro front-end applications are based on independent teams to handle independent functions simultaneously. This must represent an opportunity to achieve higher publishing rates, especially as the number of small teams increases.

It makes your web application easier to maintain

If you've ever worked on large applications, you know that they can easily become difficult to maintain, especially when they are monolithic and are destined to become huge. On the other hand, the micro front-end is based on the method of dividing and conquering. This means that by choosing this architecture for your web application, you can make each business requirement easier to test and maintain.

This is something our team learned very quickly. Testing large monolithic applications is challenging and takes a lot of time, and we all know that. But everything has changed since we took the micro front-end approach. Each team is now responsible for testing the features it develops, which are much smaller than the complete application. This speeds up the whole process and makes it easier. So no one is afraid of testing now. Additionally, each independent team is now free to use their favorite testing tools and techniques.

In addition, handling small blocks means that the process of understanding what is happening becomes more burdensome. This results in more reliable web applications built on many widgets and easier to maintain when needed.

It represents the future of front-end development

According to the 2020 microservice status report, 24% of developers use micro front-ends. This means more and more companies are leveraging the power of this approach, and expect many popular front-end applications to adopt it in the future. In other words, micro front-ends may represent the next step in front-end development.

My team has had the opportunity to deal with this issue and I have no doubt that it represents the natural evolution of the monolithic approach to front-end development. On the other hand, it is still a relatively new and somewhat immature technology that still has a long way to go. This is also why the disadvantages should be discussed (for example, some micro front-end implementations lead to duplication of dependencies). We will discuss these issues in the next article.

At the same time, web applications are also constantly evolving, and my team and I have no hesitation to say that micro front-end is a natural evolution of front-end development.

Conclusion

In this article, we explore the five most important reasons for adopting a micro front-end architecture approach based on my and my team’s experience using the micro front-end architecture approach every day for two years. The micro front-end approach allows you to split the front-end applications into small pieces that are independent of each other.

Although the microservice architecture used in back-end development is not as popular as microservice architectures, the concept behind it is almost the same. It is no surprise that micro front-end architectures are now a trend, and it may represent a natural evolution of front-end development. This is also the reason why it is essential to understand it, and the main reason why learning now adopts it is precisely the purpose of this article.

If you want to learn more about how to get started with the micro front-end framework, see our Getting Started Guide to Micro Front-end Architecture where you will build a working application.

Thank you for reading! I hope you found this article helpful. Please feel free to contact me and ask any questions, comments or suggestions.

Frequently Asked Questions on Micro Front-end Architecture

What are the key benefits of micro front-end architecture?

Micro front-end architecture provides many benefits. First, it allows for independent deployment. This means that individual components of the website can be updated or modified without affecting the entire system. Secondly, it promotes independent teams. Each team can use the technology stack they are most familiar with to handle different parts of the front end. This leads to increased productivity and efficiency. Finally, it enhances scalability. As applications grow, new features can be added as separate micro front-ends, reducing complexity and making the system easier to manage.

How to improve the user experience with the micro front-end architecture?

Micro front-end architecture can significantly enhance the user experience. It allows for faster load times, as only necessary components are loaded at a time. This results in a smoother and more responsive user interface. In addition, it can provide a more personalized user experience. Different teams can handle different parts of the user interface, allowing each component to meet the specific needs of the user.

What are the challenges of implementing micro front-end architectures?

While micro front-end architecture offers many benefits, it also presents some challenges. These challenges include: increased complexity due to the need to manage multiple code bases and teams; potential performance issues due to the overhead of running multiple micro front-ends; and the need for strong communication and coordination mechanisms between different micro front-ends.

How is the micro front-end architecture compared to the single front-end architecture?

Unlike a single front-end architecture that builds the entire front-end into a single unit, the micro front-end architecture breaks the front-end into smaller, more manageable components. This allows for greater flexibility and scalability. However, it also requires more coordination and management and may add additional complexity.

Can micro front-end architecture be used with any technology stack?

Yes, one of the main advantages of micro front-end architectures is its technical independence. It allows different teams to use the technology stack they are most familiar with to handle specific parts of the front end. This can increase productivity and efficiency.

How does the micro front-end architecture affect testing and debugging?

The micro front-end architecture may make testing and debugging more complicated because each micro front-end needs to be tested and debugged separately. However, it also allows for more targeted testing and debugging, as the problem can be isolated to a specific micro front-end.

What is the role of microservices in micro front-end architecture?

Microservices play a crucial role in micro front-end architectures. They allow the backend to be broken down into smaller, independent services that can be independently developed, deployed, and scaled. This complements the micro front-end approach, resulting in a more flexible and scalable system.

How does the micro front-end architecture affect performance?

Micro front-end architectures can improve performance by allowing faster load times. However, it can also cause performance issues due to the overhead of running multiple micro front-ends. Therefore, careful design and implementation are required to ensure optimal performance.

How does the micro front-end architecture support continuous delivery?

The micro front-end architecture supports continuous delivery by allowing individual components to be deployed independently. This means new features or updates can be introduced without affecting the entire system, reducing the risk of downtime or system-wide issues.

What are some best practices for implementing micro front-end architectures?

Some best practices for implementing micro front-end architectures include: design independence; ensuring clear communication and coordination between teams; using a consistent technology stack where possible; and carefully managing performance and complexity.

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