Micro Front Architecture Interview Questions

1. What are micro frontends?

Micro frontends are an architectural style where a web application is built as a composition of smaller, independent applications (or “micro frontends”). Each micro frontend is responsible for a specific feature or functionality and can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. This approach allows teams to work autonomously, using different technologies if needed, while still delivering a cohesive user experience.

2. What are the benefits of using micro frontends?

Some key benefits include:

• Team Autonomy: Different teams can work on different parts of the application without stepping on each other’s toes.
• Scalability: Applications can be scaled independently based on their usage.
• Technology Agnosticism: Teams can choose the best technology for their micro frontend without affecting the whole application.
• Incremental Upgrades: You can upgrade or replace parts of the application gradually, reducing risk.
• Faster Time to Market: Independent deployments can lead to faster feature releases.

3. What are the challenges associated with micro frontends?

Challenges include:

• Complexity: Managing multiple micro frontends can complicate the architecture.
• Communication: Ensuring consistent communication between micro frontends can be tricky.
• Performance: Loading multiple micro frontends may impact performance if not managed properly.
• Shared State Management: Handling shared state across different micro frontends can become complicated.
• Consistency in Design: Maintaining a consistent user interface and experience can be challenging.

4. How do you handle routing in a micro frontend architecture?

Routing in micro frontends can be managed in a couple of ways:

• Single Router Approach: A central router manages the navigation and loads the appropriate micro frontend based on the URL.
• Micro Router Approach: Each micro frontend can manage its own routing, allowing them to handle their internal navigation while communicating with a parent application for top-level routing.

5. What are some popular frameworks or tools for implementing micro frontends?

Popular frameworks and tools include:

• Single-SPA: A framework for building micro frontends that enables loading multiple frameworks on the same page.
• Module Federation (Webpack 5): Allows code sharing between different micro frontends and facilitates dynamic imports.
• qiankun: A micro frontend framework based on single-spa, providing easier integration and management.
• FrintJS: A framework for building micro frontends with a focus on UI components.

6. How do you manage shared dependencies in a micro frontend architecture?

Managing shared dependencies can be done through:

• Version Management: Ensure that micro frontends use compatible versions of shared libraries.
• CDN Hosting: Hosting shared libraries on a CDN can help reduce duplicate downloads.
• Module Federation: Using Webpack’s Module Federation feature to share dependencies dynamically at runtime.

7. Can you explain how to implement CI/CD for micro frontends?

Implementing CI/CD for micro frontends involves:

• Independent Pipelines: Each micro frontend should have its own CI/CD pipeline, allowing for independent builds, tests, and deployments.
• Versioning: Use semantic versioning for micro frontends to manage dependencies and ensure compatibility.
• Automated Testing: Implement automated tests for each micro frontend, covering unit, integration, and end-to-end tests.
• Staging Environments: Deploy to staging environments before going to production to test the integration of all micro frontends.

8. What is the role of API gateways in micro frontends?

API gateways can serve as a single entry point for all API requests, managing requests to the various backend services. They can handle tasks like authentication, rate limiting, and request aggregation, which simplifies the interaction between micro frontends and their corresponding backend services.

9. How do you ensure a consistent user experience across micro frontends?

To ensure consistency:

• Design System: Establish a design system or component library that all micro frontends can use.
• Shared Styling: Use shared CSS frameworks or style guides.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: Regular communication between teams to ensure alignment on user experience and design principles.

10. What are some real-world use cases for micro frontends?

Real-world use cases include:

• E-commerce Platforms: Where different teams manage various aspects like product listing, checkout, and user accounts.
• Dashboards: Applications that combine various services or analytics components from different teams.
• SaaS Applications: Where modular features can be independently developed and maintained.