Modern Build Pipelines for Micro Frontends

1. Introduction

Micro frontends are an architectural style where independently deliverable frontend applications are composed into a single user interface. Modern build pipelines streamline the development, testing, and deployment processes for these micro frontends.

2. Key Concepts

• **Micro Frontends**: Decoupled frontend applications that can be developed and deployed independently.
• **Build Pipeline**: A series of automated processes that allow developers to compile, test, and deploy their applications.
• **CI/CD**: Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment are practices that ensure code changes are automatically tested and deployed.

3. Build Pipeline Steps

The following steps outline a typical build pipeline for micro frontends:

1. **Code Commit**: Developers push code changes to the version control system (e.g., Git).
2. **Continuous Integration**: Automated tests run to ensure code quality.
3. **Build**: The application is built using tools like Webpack or Parcel.
4. **Containerization**: The application is packaged into containers (e.g., Docker).
5. **Deployment**: The container is deployed to a cloud service (e.g., AWS, Azure).
6. **Monitoring**: Application performance and errors are monitored post-deployment.

Example Build Configuration

{
    "build": {
        "scripts": {
            "build": "webpack --config webpack.config.js"
        },
        "docker": {
            "image": "my-micro-frontend:latest"
        }
    }
}
            

4. Best Practices

• Use semantic versioning for your micro frontends.
• Automate testing and deployment to minimize human error.
• Ensure that your build process is reproducible and version-controlled.
• Use feature flags to safely deploy new features.

5. FAQ