Micro frontends are a software architecture pattern where frontend applications are broken down into smaller, more manageable parts. Each part, or micro frontend, is developed and deployed independently, allowing teams to work more efficiently and deploy updates faster. Micro-frontends are similar to microservices in that they promote modularity and flexibility in software development.

Each micro frontend is responsible for rendering a specific portion of the user interface while communicating with each other through a well-defined API. This allows teams to work on different parts of the application without conflict making it easier to add new features or make changes to the user interface.

Micro frontends can be implemented using various technologies, including web components, iframes, and server-side includes. They can be deployed independently or as part of a larger application and are often used in combination with microservices to create a complete and modular architecture.

For example, E-commerce websites— A typical e-commerce website has multiple pages including a product catalog, shopping cart, checkout page, and user account pages. In a micro frontend architecture, each of these pages can be developed as a separate micro frontend.

Using this architecture, these different pages can be used effectively to serve specific purposes. The product catalog micro frontend may be required specifically for displaying the list of products, allowing users to filter, and search for products. The shopping cart micro frontend, on the other hand, may be responsible for displaying the items in the cart, updating the cart as users add or remove items, and calculating the total price. Finally, the checkout micro frontend may be used for collecting user information, tracking payment details, and submitting the order to the backend.

Each of these micro frontends can be developed independently by different teams and deployed separately. This makes it easier to scale and maintain the application as changes to one micro frontend do not affect the others. It also allows for faster development and deployment of new features.

Monolithic architecture

Monolithic architecture is a software design pattern where an entire application is built as a single, self-contained unit. In a monolithic architecture, all the components of the application, such as the user interface, business logic, and data storage, are tightly integrated and communicate with each other directly.

This approach contrasts with a microservices architecture, where an application is broken down into smaller, independent services that communicate with each other through APIs.

One advantage of a monolithic architecture is that it can be simpler to develop and deploy, since there is only one codebase to manage. However, this simplicity can also make the application more difficult to scale and maintain as any changes or updates to one component of the application may require changes to the entire codebase.

Overall, whether to use a monolithic or microservices (Micro-Frontend) architecture is totally dependent on the specific needs and goals of the application, as well as the resources available to develop and maintain it.

Advantages:

Monolith architectures aren’t necessarily that bad and provide a few advantages such as:

• Simplicity: Monolithic architectures are simpler to design, develop, and deploy as compared to other architectures, such as micro-frontend. This is because there is only one codebase to manage, and all the components of the application are tightly integrated.
• Easier testing: Since all the components of the application are integrated into a monolithic architecture, it is easier to test the application as a whole. This makes it easier to identify and fix any issues or bugs that arise during testing.
• Efficient resource usage: Monolithic architectures can be more efficient in terms of resource usage, such as CPU and memory, compared to other architectures. This is because there are no overheads associated with communication between different services or components.
• Cost-effective: Monolithic architectures are generally less expensive to develop and maintain as compared to other architectures as there is only one codebase to manage.

Disadvantages:

• Scalability: Monolithic architectures can be difficult to scale horizontally, or in other words, it can be challenging to add more computing resources to handle increased demand. This is because all the components of the application are tightly integrated, making it difficult to scale individual components separately.
• Flexibility: Since all the components of the application are tightly integrated in a monolithic architecture, it can be challenging to adopt new technologies or update individual components without affecting the entire codebase.
• Complexity: As the size of the codebase grows, monolithic architectures can become more complex and difficult to maintain. This is because any changes or updates to one component of the application may require changes to the entire codebase, thereby adding layers of complexities.
• Single point of failure: Monolithic architectures have a single point of failure, meaning that if one component of the application fails, the entire application can be affected.
• Limited autonomy: Monolithic architectures can limit the autonomy of development teams, as all teams must work within the same codebase and coordinate changes to individual components.

How Micro Frontends works: its core ideas and integration patterns

Micro-Frontend is a software architectural pattern that involves breaking down a frontends application into smaller, independent parts, each developed and deployed by a separate team. The key idea behind micro frontends is to apply the same principles of microservices to the frontends to enable teams to work independently on different parts of the application, while still maintaining a consistent user experience.

Here are some of the core ideas and integration patterns of Micro frontends:

• Decomposition: Micro frontends involve breaking down a frontends application into smaller, independent parts, each with its own functionality and user interface. These parts can be developed and deployed independently, thereby facilitating different teams to work on different parts of the application.
• Integration: To maintain a consistent user experience, micro frontends need to be integrated with each other. There are several integration patterns for micro frontends, including server-side includes, client-side includes, and JavaScript-based integrations.
• Autonomy: Micro frontends allow teams to work autonomously without being dependent on each other. Each team can develop and deploy its own micro frontends independently, without requiring coordination with other teams.
• Consistency: Despite the autonomy of different teams, micro frontends still need to maintain a consistent user experience. This can be achieved through the use of style guides, design systems, and other best practices.
• Testing: Micro frontends require a testing strategy that allows for the testing of individual components as well as the application as a whole. This can involve automated tests at the component level, as well as end-to-end testing of the integrated application.

Overall, micro frontends provide a way for frontends development teams to work independently, while still being able to deliver a consistent user experience. The key ideas and integration patterns of micro frontends include decomposition, integration, autonomy, consistency, and testing.

Top Micro Frontend frameworks

• Single-spa: Single-spa is a popular micro frontend framework that developers can use to build frontends applications as a collection of micro frontends. It provides a set of APIs and tools for managing the lifecycle of the micro frontends, as well as for integrating them with each other.
• Luigi: Luigi is an open-source micro frontends framework developed by Spotify. It provides a set of reusable components for building micro frontends, as well as a set of tools for integrating them with each other.
• Bit: Bit is a micro frontend framework that allows developers to build and share individual components of a frontends application. It provides a set of tools for creating, testing, and publishing components, as well as for integrating them into the larger application.
• Qiankun: Qiankun is a micro frontends framework developed by Alibaba. It provides a set of tools for building micro frontends, as well as for integrating them with each other. It also includes features for performance optimization and security.
• Mosaic: Mosaic is a micro frontends framework developed by OpenTable. It provides a set of tools for building and managing micro frontends, as well as for integrating them with each other. It also includes features for performance optimization and caching.
• Module Federation - Module Federation focuses on micro frontends but doesn’t limit itself to those frameworks, thereby giving developers a lot of flexibility.

Organizations that are using a Micro Frontend

• IKEA -The European furniture company (that’s almost equally famous for serving delicious Swedish meatballs in its food court) employs micro frontends for its online store experience.
• DAZN- Micro frontends have enabled DAZN to empower smaller teams that can work independently.
• Upwork - The freelancing platform for independent business professionals to connect and collaborate made the move to a micro frontend architecture.
• Spotify- Spotify, the online streaming media service, uses micro frontends for their desktop applications and utilizes iframes to assemble the application together.
• Zalando - Zalando is an ecommerce company based in Germany. However, they do more than simply sell products online. In addition to ecommerce, the company also heads Project Mosaic, which is a set of services and libraries that support a micro frontend style architecture for large websites, making a significant contribution to this method of frontend development.

And many other relevant businesses which already migrated to micro frontends. Companies like Microsoft, Verizon, Volkswagen, Pfizer, Sony, and Amazon are reaping the benefits of development and delivery at scale.

Some challenges of using Micro Frontends

• Increased complexity: Micro-frontends can be more complex to develop and manage compared to monolithic frontends applications. This is because multiple components need to be managed to ensure they work together seamlessly.
• Higher development costs: Developing micro frontends can be more expensive than building a monolithic frontends application. Additional infrastructures and resources for the effective management of multiple components are responsible for additional costs.
• Integration issues: Integrating multiple micro-frontends can be challenging, as each component may be required to be developed using different technologies or may have different dependencies.
• Testing and deployment: Testing and deploying micro-frontends can be more complex and time-consuming than testing and deploying monolithic frontends applications as each component needs to be tested and deployed independently.

Conclusion

In conclusion, micro frontends offer numerous benefits and challenges for commerce platforms. By breaking down monolithic frontends into smaller, more manageable pieces, developers can achieve greater flexibility, scalability, and agility in their development process. This results in faster development cycles, easier maintenance, and improved user experiences for customers.

However, implementing micro frontends can also pose some challenges, such as increased complexity in development, deployment, and testing. Ensuring consistency across multiple micro frontends can also be a challenge, especially in terms of user experience and branding.

Despite the challenges, the benefits of micro frontends for commerce platforms outweigh the drawbacks. In a fast-paced and competitive industry, the ability to adapt quickly to changing customer needs and preferences is essential. Micro frontends enable commerce platforms to do just that, while also improving overall development processes and user experiences.

If you are looking for expert guidance or wish to effectively implement a Micro frontend architecture for your business’s platform, then reach out to us at Altudo!