microfrontend-documentation

Decision Tree for Implementing Micro Frontends

Related Topics: Overview

Best Practices

Frameworks and Libraries

When to use Micro Frontends?

• Multiple teams: Your architecture scales with multiple teams working on a single product simultaneously
• Medium-to-large projects: Projects with significant complexity and scope
• Legacy modernization: Old, large monoliths that need to be rebuilt incrementally
• Autonomous teams: Teams with existing good CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Different tech stacks: Teams want to use different technologies and frameworks
• Independent deployments: Need for independent release cycles and deployments
• Domain boundaries: Clear business domain boundaries can be identified

When not to use Micro Frontends?

• Small projects: Projects with limited scope and complexity
• Single team: Single team working on a single product
• Unclear boundaries: No clear bounded context or domain boundaries defined
• Premature optimization: Adding complexity without clear benefits
• Limited resources: Insufficient DevOps capabilities or team expertise
• Tight coupling: High interdependencies between different parts of the application

The following decision tree provides a structured approach to evaluating whether Micro Frontends are suitable for your project and guiding you through key considerations during implementation.

1. Project Scope and Team Structure

Are different teams working on different parts of the frontend?

• Yes: Consider Micro Frontends for independent development and deployment.
• No: Stick with a Monolithic Frontend unless other benefits of Micro Frontends are crucial.

2. Granularity

Do you need to split by business domain (e.g., product, checkout, user management)?

• Yes: Use Vertical Split.
• No: Evaluate other criteria.

3. Integration Approach

Do you require build-time integration for shared resources?

• Yes: Consider Build-time Integration using tools like Module Federation (Webpack 5).
• No: Proceed to runtime considerations.

4. Runtime Integration

Do you need runtime flexibility and independent deployments?

• Yes: Use Run-time Integration. Choose between:
  • Client-side Integration (e.g., Single-SPA)
  • Server-side Integration (e.g., Edge Side Includes - ESI)
• No: Build-time integration might suffice.

5. Framework and Tool Selection

Do you have a preferred JavaScript framework?

• Yes: Ensure the chosen framework is compatible with tools like Single-SPA or Module Federation.

• No: Evaluate the following

  • Single-SPA for a framework-agnostic solution.
  • Module Federation (Webpack 5) for robust module sharing.

6. Communication Between Micro Frontends

Is shared state or global communication required?

• Yes: Implement Shared State Management using tools like Redux or Context API.
• No: Use Custom Events for loose coupling.

7. Deployment Strategy

Do you need independent deployment pipelines?

• Yes: Implement Independent Deployment with separate CI/CD pipelines.
• No: Use a Monolithic Deployment pipeline with versioning and coordinated releases.

8. Performance Considerations

Is performance a critical concern?

• Yes: Optimize with Lazy Loading, Code Splitting, and effective Caching strategies.
• No: Standard optimization techniques can be applied as needed.

9. Security Requirements

Do you have specific security constraints (e.g., CORS, authentication)?

• Yes: Ensure proper CORS Configuration, implement robust Authentication and Authorization mechanisms.
• No: Apply general security best practices.

10. Data Management Strategy

How will data be shared between micro frontends?

• Shared API: Use a common API layer for data access
• Event-driven: Implement event-based communication for data synchronization
• Database per micro frontend: Each micro frontend manages its own data
• Shared state management: Use centralized state management solutions

11. Testing Strategy

What testing approach will you use?

• Isolated testing: Test each micro frontend independently
• Integration testing: Test micro frontends together
• Contract testing: Use API contracts for testing interfaces
• End-to-end testing: Full application testing across micro frontends

12. Monitoring and Observability

How will you monitor the micro frontend architecture?

• Centralized logging: Aggregate logs from all micro frontends
• Distributed tracing: Track requests across micro frontends
• Performance monitoring: Monitor each micro frontend’s performance
• Error tracking: Centralized error reporting and analysis

Detailed Decision Points

Project Scope and Team Structure

• Independent Teams: If multiple teams are responsible for different sections of the frontend, Micro Frontends enable them to work autonomously and deploy independently. Single Team: If one team handles the entire frontend, the complexity of Micro Frontends might outweigh the benefits.

Granularity

• Vertical Split: Suitable when dividing by business domain, allowing each domain to be developed, deployed, and scaled independently.
• Horizontal Split: Consider for technical capabilities or page sections, such as header, footer, or feature flags.

Integration Approach

• Build-time Integration: Suitable when you need tight coupling and shared resources at build time. Tools like Webpack’s Module Federation allow different parts to share code seamlessly.
• Run-time Integration: Best for highly dynamic applications where parts need to be integrated at runtime, offering greater flexibility and independent deployments.

Framework and Tool Selection

• Single-SPA: A versatile framework that supports various JavaScript libraries and frameworks, allowing multiple frameworks to coexist in a single application.
• Module Federation: Allows dynamic imports and shared modules, promoting reusability and reducing duplication.

Communication Between Micro Frontends

• Shared State Management: For applications requiring a unified state across micro frontends, use state management libraries.
• Custom Events: For more decoupled communication, custom events provide a lightweight method for interaction.

Deployment Strategy

• Independent Deployment: Each Micro Frontend can be developed and deployed separately, enabling quicker releases and isolated updates.
• Monolithic Deployment: A coordinated approach where all parts are deployed together, suitable for tightly coupled frontends.

Performance Considerations

• Lazy Loading: Load components only when needed to improve initial load times.
• Code Splitting: Split code into smaller bundles to optimize load times and performance.
• Caching: Implement effective caching strategies to reduce load times and improve user experience. Security Requirements
• CORS: Properly configure Cross-Origin Resource Sharing for secure communication between different origins. Authentication/Authorization: Ensure secure user authentication and authorization mechanisms across all Micro Frontends.