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Enhance your Composable Frontend Architecture with Micro-Frontends

In recent years, the development of large-scale applications has increased remarkably. Organisations that once focused on building simple web applications using monolithic architecture are now developing complex applications to meet current societal and technological needs.

However, as applications become larger, developers have begun to need an architectural pattern that can facilitate collaborative development and improve delivery efficiency. This has led to the adoption of a composable architecture, which follows a modular approach, enabling autonomous team collaboration. On the frontend, this architectural approach can be facilitated through the use of Micro-Frontends.

Why does an organisation need a Composable Frontend architecture?

One major reason an organisation needs a Composable Frontend architecture is that market needs, technology, and customer preferences keep changing.

Using a traditional monolithic frontend architecture makes this nearly impossible. In a monolithic frontend application, all components are tightly coupled, so changes in one part can require extensive updates throughout the application.

In contrast, newer architectures, such as the Composable Frontend architecture, prioritise modularity. They break down the UI into reusable components, each handling its logic and display. This modular approach enables the independent development and updates of specific components without affecting the entire application.

Where do Micro-Frontends come in?

Now that you understand why you need a Composable Frontend architecture, the big question is how you can achieve this using Micro-Frontend architecture.

Micro-frontend architecture refers to the use of modular segments of a web application’s frontend that can be developed, tested, and deployed independently. This architectural style follows an approach similar to the microservices architecture by breaking down complex frontend applications into smaller, independent components.

Based on this definition, Micro-Frontends can be used as the building blocks of your Composable Frontend architecture. The whole process is like putting together a puzzle, where each piece is a tiny part of the whole picture.

Strategies for achieving true composability using Micro-Frontends

There are several approaches to achieving a truly composable architecture in frontend development. These methods fall into three main categories: development approach, orchestration methods and communication.

Communication

This step is crucial in Micro-Frontend architecture setups, ensuring that components work together smoothly and effectively. To achieve this, you can use any of the following methods: Browser API, Browser events, Global state managers, Web server API.

To wrap things up, Micro-Frontend architecture is crucial for improving Composable Frontend architectures in organisations. It boosts modularity, performance, and scalability, allowing different teams to work on various parts simultaneously with the best tools.

To know more about this topic, please check out this blog by Mia Platform. You will learn much more about the types, strategies, common challenges and etc.

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