What is Micro-Frontend? Benefits of Using Micro-Frontend Architecture

Micro-frontend architecture is a front-end development approach that divides a monolithic codebase into smaller apps, each addressing a specific business vertical.

When to Use a Micro-frontend?

Medium to Large projects: Creating micro-frontends is suitable for large-scale projects with different teams since it facilitates easy scaling of the development process. For example, micro-frontends can be helpful when building a vast eCommerce website like Zalando.

Web projects: Although micro-frontends are not limited to only the web, they are most effective there. It’s important to note that native iOS and Android app designs are uniforms. You will not be able to create or replace existing functionality on the fly.

Productive projects contribute to the overall productivity of teams that divide vertically. There will be additional outlays and challenges with upkeep. Using a micro-frontend is possible if you’re willing to put productivity ahead of overhead.

Also Read : Component-Based Architecture: 8 Best Practices of Building & Managing Components

11 Benefits of Using Micro-frontend Architecture:

1. Design and development flexibility
   Micro-frontend architecture is not tied to any particular technology stack and may be used by different teams, each with unique requirements for how and what services they want. When people feel more invested, they make better decisions, shorten development times, and add more valuable features.
2. Separate code bases
   The micro-frontend framework simplifies code management and updates by breaking down large chunks of code into smaller, more manageable pieces. Keeping each team’s code separate guarantees more efficient development, testing, and deployment cycles. It’s a massive boon for teams’ and micro apps’ technology independence.
3. Favors native browser over custom APIs
   When developing a web app, it’s important to remember that the user’s browser will significantly impact how the app is experienced. Since micro-frontend architecture relies on browser events for communication instead of APIs, they are simpler to manage and maintain. Additionally, it aids in achieving quicker rendering regardless of slower internet connections and browsers.
4. Freedom to innovate
   The independence of microservices and micro-frontend architecture allows you to pick and choose the technologies you want to use. Teams can choose technologies that best meet the requirements of their projects and business domains. Because of this, cutting-edge tools may be included in the plan.
5. Fault seclusion
   Creating robust apps is a crucial benefit of micro-frontend design. There is no risk to the whole system if anything goes wrong in one of the micro applications. Smooth service degradation is achieved, guaranteeing a satisfying app experience despite bugs in some aspects.
6. Scalability
   You may create a highly scalable application using the architecture micro-frontend. The system may be scaled up or down by adjusting the size of its components. Micro-frontends allow your development teams to make changes without impacting the overall speed of your online app.
7. Faster build time
   With micro-frontend architecture, many teams may develop micro apps concurrently. With increased productivity, the micro-app may be created more quickly. If you can speed up the development cycle, you can also speed up the rollout. Because of this, building and releasing your web app takes less time when using micro-frontend architecture.
8. Technology agnosticism
   With micro-frontends, the design is not tied to any particular technology. Components written in various languages and frameworks (JavaScript, React, Vue, Angular, etc.) are supported. There is no need to stress about setting them up or constructing them.
9. Autonomous teams
   Building a website’s front end is complex. Companies often hit bottlenecks due to a lack of collaboration between their designers and engineers. The ideal micro-frontend architecture may be built by a cross-functional team that uses the architecture to accomplish end-to-end activities for individual components, improve communication, and zero in on the details.
10. Maintainability
    Developers are turning to micro-frontend design to break an extensive program into manageable chunks. Different code bases are used for each micro-app. Features and capabilities dictate how each codebase is shared. Improved maintainability is a result of modular design and a distinct codebase.
11. Reusability
    The ability to implement code in several contexts is imminent. In this scenario, just a single module will be developed and released, but many teams will use it.

Read the full article about How to Implement Micro-frontend Architecture?