In the ever-evolving world of web development, creating scalable, maintainable, and modular applications is crucial. Micro-frontend architecture has emerged as a solution to manage large-scale applications by breaking them into smaller, manageable pieces. One of the groundbreaking techniques to implement this architecture in React is using Module Federation introduced in Webpack 5.
In this blog post, we will explore how to unlock seamless micro-frontend architecture with Module Federation, complete with examples to guide you through the process.
Micro-frontend architecture is an extension of microservices to the frontend world. It allows large applications to be divided into smaller, independent fragments, each developed, tested, and deployed independently. These fragments can be composed to form a cohesive user experience.
Module Federation is a feature in Webpack 5 that allows multiple separate builds to form a single application. It enables the sharing of code and dependencies between these builds at runtime, making it a perfect fit for micro-frontends.
Related read: Building Scalable Applications with React Micro Frontends
Before we dive into examples, let’s set up a basic environment:
1. Install Node.js: Ensure you have Node.js installed.
2. Create React Apps: Use create-react-app to set up two React applications. We will name them host-app and remote-app.
npx create-react-app host-app
npx create-react-app remote-app
3. Install Webpack 5: Upgrade both applications to use Webpack 5.
cd host-app
npm install webpack@5 webpack-cli html-webpack-plugin --save-dev
cd ../remote-app
npm install webpack@5 webpack-cli html-webpack-plugin --save-dev
Step 1: Configure remote-app
🔺Create Webpack Configuration: In the remote-app directory, create webpack.config.js.
const HtmlWebpackPlugin = require('html-webpack-plugin');
const ModuleFederationPlugin = require('webpack').container.ModuleFederationPlugin;
module.exports = {
entry: './src/index',
mode: 'development',
devServer: {
contentBase: './dist',
},
output: {
publicPath: 'http://localhost:3001/',
},
module: {
rules: [
{
test: /\.jsx?$/,
loader: 'babel-loader',
exclude: /node_modules/,
},
],
},
plugins: [
new HtmlWebpackPlugin({
template: './public/index.html',
}),
new ModuleFederationPlugin({
name: 'remoteApp',
filename: 'remoteEntry.js',
exposes: {
'./Button': './src/Button',
},
}),
],
};
🔺Create a Component: In remote-app/src, create Button.jsx.
import React from 'react';
const Button = () => {
return <button>Remote Button</button>;
};
export default Button;
🔺Start the Application: Update scripts in package.json and start the application.
"scripts": {
"start": "webpack serve --mode development"
}
Step 2: Configure host-app
🔺Create Webpack Configuration: In the host-app directory, create webpack.config.js.
const HtmlWebpackPlugin = require('html-webpack-plugin');
const ModuleFederationPlugin = require('webpack').container.ModuleFederationPlugin;
module.exports = {
entry: './src/index',
mode: 'development',
devServer: {
contentBase: './dist',
},
output: {
publicPath: 'http://localhost:3000/',
},
module: {
rules: [
{
test: /\.jsx?$/,
loader: 'babel-loader',
exclude: /node_modules/,
},
],
},
plugins: [
new HtmlWebpackPlugin({
template: './public/index.html',
}),
new ModuleFederationPlugin({
name: 'hostApp',
remotes: {
remoteApp: 'remoteApp@http://localhost:3001/remoteEntry.js',
},
}),
],
};
🔺Import Remote Component: In host-app/src, update App.jsx.
import React, { Suspense, lazy } from 'react';
const RemoteButton = lazy(() => import('remoteApp/Button'));
function App() {
return (
<div className="App">
<h1>Host Application</h1>
<Suspense fallback={<div>Loading...</div>}>
<RemoteButton />
</Suspense>
</div>
);
}
export default App;
🔺Start the Application: Update scripts in package.json and start the application.
"scripts": {
"start": "webpack serve --mode development"
}
Start both applications:
cd remote-app
npm start
cd ../host-app
npm start
Navigate to http://localhost:3000 to see the host application loading the remote component.
Module Federation in Webpack 5 revolutionizes the way we build and manage micro-frontend architectures. By enabling seamless sharing of code and dependencies between independent applications, it unlocks a new level of flexibility and efficiency. With this guide, you now have the foundational knowledge to start implementing Module Federation in your projects.
Happy coding!
How to Effectively Hire and Manage a Remote Team of Developers.
Download NowEnhance Your Epic EHR Expertise in Just 60 Minutes!
Register HereMindbowser played a crucial role in helping us bring everything together into a unified, cohesive product. Their commitment to industry-standard coding practices made an enormous difference, allowing developers to seamlessly transition in and out of the project without any confusion....
CEO, MarketsAI
I'm thrilled to be partnering with Mindbowser on our journey with TravelRite. The collaboration has been exceptional, and I’m truly grateful for the dedication and expertise the team has brought to the development process. Their commitment to our mission is...
Founder & CEO, TravelRite
The Mindbowser team's professionalism consistently impressed me. Their commitment to quality shone through in every aspect of the project. They truly went the extra mile, ensuring they understood our needs perfectly and were always willing to invest the time to...
CTO, New Day Therapeutics
I collaborated with Mindbowser for several years on a complex SaaS platform project. They took over a partially completed project and successfully transformed it into a fully functional and robust platform. Throughout the entire process, the quality of their work...
President, E.B. Carlson
Mindbowser and team are professional, talented and very responsive. They got us through a challenging situation with our IOT product successfully. They will be our go to dev team going forward.
Founder, Cascada
Amazing team to work with. Very responsive and very skilled in both front and backend engineering. Looking forward to our next project together.
Co-Founder, Emerge
The team is great to work with. Very professional, on task, and efficient.
Founder, PeriopMD
I can not express enough how pleased we are with the whole team. From the first call and meeting, they took our vision and ran with it. Communication was easy and everyone was flexible to our schedule. I’m excited to...
Founder, Seeke
Mindbowser has truly been foundational in my journey from concept to design and onto that final launch phase.
CEO, KickSnap
We had very close go live timeline and Mindbowser team got us live a month before.
CEO, BuyNow WorldWide
If you want a team of great developers, I recommend them for the next project. Â
Founder, Teach Reach
Mindbowser built both iOS and Android apps for Mindworks, that have stood the test of time. 5 years later they still function quite beautifully. Their team always met their objectives and I'm very happy with the end result. Thank you!
Founder, Mindworks
Mindbowser has delivered a much better quality product than our previous tech vendors. Our product is stable and passed Well Architected Framework Review from AWS.
CEO, PurpleAnt
I am happy to share that we got USD 10k in cloud credits courtesy of our friends at Mindbowser. Thank you Pravin and Ayush, this means a lot to us.
CTO, Shortlist
Mindbowser is one of the reasons that our app is successful. These guys have been a great team.
Founder & CEO, MangoMirror
Kudos for all your hard work and diligence on the Telehealth platform project. You made it possible.
CEO, ThriveHealth
Mindbowser helped us build an awesome iOS app to bring balance to people’s lives.
CEO, SMILINGMIND
They were a very responsive team! Extremely easy to communicate and work with!
Founder & CEO, TotTech
We’ve had very little-to-no hiccups at all—it’s been a really pleasurable experience.
Co-Founder, TEAM8s
Mindbowser was very helpful with explaining the development process and started quickly on the project.
Executive Director of Product Development, Innovation Lab
The greatest benefit we got from Mindbowser is the expertise. Their team has developed apps in all different industries with all types of social proofs.
Co-Founder, Vesica
Mindbowser is professional, efficient and thorough.Â
Consultant, XPRIZE
Very committed, they create beautiful apps and are very benevolent. They have brilliant Ideas.
Founder, S.T.A.R.S of Wellness
Mindbowser was great; they listened to us a lot and helped us hone in on the actual idea of the app. They had put together fantastic wireframes for us.
Co-Founder, Flat Earth
Ayush was responsive and paired me with the best team member possible, to complete my complex vision and project. Could not be happier.
Founder, Child Life On Call
The team from Mindbowser stayed on task, asked the right questions, and completed the required tasks in a timely fashion! Strong work team!
CEO, SDOH2Health LLC
Mindbowser was easy to work with and hit the ground running, immediately feeling like part of our team.
CEO, Stealth Startup
Mindbowser was an excellent partner in developing my fitness app. They were patient, attentive, & understood my business needs. The end product exceeded my expectations. Thrilled to share it globally.
Owner, Phalanx
Mindbowser's expertise in tech, process & mobile development made them our choice for our app. The team was dedicated to the process & delivered high-quality features on time. They also gave valuable industry advice. Highly recommend them for app development...
Co-Founder, Fox&Fork