Micro-Frontends with Module Federation and Angular

Micro frontends refer to an architectural style where a large system is divided into smaller, individual parts that can be developed, deployed, and maintained by different teams. Each team works on its own part of the overall system, allowing for local decisions and independent deployments, leading to improved agility and scalability.

Module Federation is a feature in Webpack 5 that allows the loading of separately compiled and deployed source code. It defines two roles: the host (e.g., the micro frontend shell) and the remote (e.g., the micro frontend itself). This enables different parts of an application to be developed and deployed independently while being integrated seamlessly at runtime.

Module Federation in Webpack 5 handles version mismatches by selecting the highest compatible version of each shared library. If no compatible version exists, both versions are loaded. This can be configured using strategies such as Singleton and strict versioning to ensure compatibility and avoid conflicts.

Angular applications can use Module Federation by utilizing a custom builder that integrates the Webpack configuration for Module Federation. This involves generating a partial Webpack config, registering the module federation plugin, and configuring shared libraries and remote modules. The Angular CLI shields Webpack from the developer, making this integration seamless.

Dynamic federation in Module Federation refers to the loading of remote entries and modules at runtime rather than configuring them statically in the Webpack config. This involves using helper functions to load the remote entry and module on-demand, allowing for greater flexibility and dynamic integration of micro frontends.

Micro frontends can share data by using a shared library that holds the shared data. This library can be shared across different micro frontends and the shell using Module Federation. Techniques like local storage, IndexedDB, or session storage can also be used to share state and data between micro frontends.

Yes, Module Federation can be used with other frameworks like React and Vue. The principles of Module Federation apply across different frameworks, allowing them to load separately compiled and deployed source code. For React, for example, you can directly integrate the Webpack configuration for Module Federation without needing a custom builder.

The main benefits of using micro frontends include improved scalability and agility. By dividing a large system into smaller, independently developed parts, teams can make local decisions and deploy their parts without extensive coordination with other teams. This brings the agility of small teams to large software products, enabling regular business value delivery.

Module Federation improves the development of large applications by allowing different parts of the application to be developed, compiled, and deployed independently. This reduces the need for coordination between teams, allows for independent technology decisions, and helps manage version mismatches and shared dependencies efficiently.

In micro frontend architecture, the shell acts as the host that is capable of loading various micro frontends on demand. It provides the user with the impression of a single integrated application, while in reality, it is a collection of independently developed and deployed micro applications.