Thinking in frontend structures
Frontend architecture is important because it determines the overall structure and design of a web application’s user interface (UI).
A well-designed front-end architecture can improve the application’s performance, maintainability, and scalability, providing a better user experience and making the application easier to develop and maintain.
A good front-end architecture contributes to a web application’s well-organized UI, makes it easy to use, and supports consistency across different pages and devices. This can make the application more intuitive and user-friendly, improving engagement and retention.
From another perspective, a well-organized and easily navigable file structure helps keep your code clean and maintainable, essential for long-term scalability and maintainability. This article will discuss some best practices and techniques for designing frontend architecture and organizing files in frontend projects, using examples from different frameworks and libraries.
Architecture
Frontend architecture refers to the high-level design of your frontend application. Good architecture should make your codebase easy to understand, maintain, and scale. There are many frontend architectures, and choosing the right one depends on the project’s needs, requirements, and constraints.
Here are some of the most popular frontend architectures:
Monolithic Architecture: This is a traditional approach in which all frontend code is bundled into a single application. It is easy to develop and deploy but can become challenging to maintain as the codebase grows.
Micro Frontends: This new approach involves breaking down your frontend into smaller, more manageable pieces. Each micro frontend is a standalone application that can be developed and deployed independently. It provides better scalability, flexibility, and maintainability than monolithic architecture.
The main advantage of using micro frontends is that it allows teams to work on their micro frontends in isolation, improving collaboration and speeding up development. It also allows teams to use different technologies and frameworks for their micro frontends, which can be helpful if some teams are more comfortable with specific technologies.
One potential disadvantage of micro frontends is that managing and integrating the different micro frontends into the more extensive application can be more complex. This can make it more difficult to coordinate and manage the overall development process and make it more challenging to ensure that the different micro frontends work together seamlessly. Additionally, because micro frontends are typically developed and deployed independently, it can take more work to ensure that they are all consistently designed and have a consistent user experience.
Micro frontends can be helpful if a company needs to release new features or change its web application quickly. Because micro frontends are typically developed and deployed independently, removing new features or changing individual micro frontends without deploying the entire application can be more accessible. This can allow companies to release new features or make changes to their web application more quickly and easily.
Monorepo architecture involves storing all the source code for an application in a single repository. This might seem familiar as we just discussed about the monolith, but in contrast, a monolith architecture refers to a single application built as a single, interconnected codebase.
While both architectures involve keeping code in a single place, there are some key differences between the two. In a monorepo architecture, the application may comprise multiple smaller projects or modules stored in a single repository. This can make it easier to reuse code and manage dependencies. Monorepo architecture can also facilitate collaboration and consistent code quality across the application.
In contrast, a monolith architecture typically refers to a single, large application with a complex codebase. This approach can be simpler to manage but can make scaling or modifying the application difficult. Additionally, changes made to one part of the application can have unforeseen effects on other parts of the application.
Overall, the choice between a monorepo and monolith architecture will depend on the specific needs and goals of the development team. Monorepo architecture can benefit more extensive, complex applications that require easy code reuse and collaboration, while a monolith architecture may be more straightforward and more suitable for smaller applications.
Component-Based Architecture: This is an approach in which you create reusable components that can be used across the entire application. It allows for a more modular and reusable codebase. This architecture focuses on building an application using reusable components. Each component has its functionality and can be combined to create more complex components.
** Thinking in components
In a front-end architecture, components are the core unit of the user interface. Components are self-contained, reusable pieces of code representing a part of the user interface, such as a button, a form, or a menu. Components can be composed and nested to create complex and modular user interfaces.
The architecture’s design patterns and paradigms determine the flow and interaction of components in a front-end architecture.
Overall, the flow and interaction of components in a front-end architecture are essential to the architecture’s design and implementation. Components are the building blocks of the user interface, and the way they interact and flow determines the behavior and functionality of the application.
A way to organize the way we think about components is using the concept of Atomic Design created by Brad Frost. This popular design methodology involves breaking your user interface into smaller, more manageable components.
Model-View-Controller (MVC) — is one of the most popular frontend architectures. This architecture separates an application into three interconnected components, Model, View, and Controller. The Model is responsible for managing the data, the View is responsible for rendering the data to the user, and the Controller is responsible for handling user input and updating the Model and View accordingly.
Model-View-ViewModel — MVVM is similar to MVC but has an additional ViewModel component. The ViewModel is an intermediary between the Model and View, handling data transformations and interactions.
Flux Architecture: This architecture was introduced by Facebook, and it was first used in their React framework. It emphasizes unidirectional data flow and includes four components, Actions, Dispatcher, Stores, and Views. Actions represent user events, Dispatcher dispatches the Actions to the Stores, Stores contain the application’s state, and Views render the data. This architecture is commonly used in React and Flux-based frameworks such as Redux and Alt.js.
Flux is a software architectural pattern primarily used to build user interfaces. It is based on the concept of unidirectional data flow, which means that data flows in only one direction through the application. This contrasts the traditional model-view-controller (MVC) pattern, allowing two-way data binding between the view and the model.
One of the Flux pattern’s key benefits is that it helps manage complexity in large applications. Enforcing a unidirectional data flow can make understanding data flow through an application easier and help prevent potential bugs caused by changing data in multiple places.
Another advantage of the Flux pattern is that it makes it easier to reason about the application state. Because data flows in only one direction, it is easier to track the current state of an application and predict how it will behave. This can be especially useful in applications that have complex interactions or a large number of components.
However, the Flux pattern also has some disadvantages. One of the main criticisms of Flux is that it can take time to implement, especially for developers who need to become more familiar with the pattern. Additionally, some developers find the unidirectional data flow to be inflexible, as it can make it harder to reuse components and create more complex interactions.
The Flux architectural pattern can help build user interfaces, especially in large, complex applications. It can help to manage complexity and make it easier to reason about the application state. Still, it may require more effort and can be inflexible in certain situations.
Redux
Redux is a variation of Flux that simplifies the architecture and makes it more predictable. It has three main components: Actions, Reducers, and Store. Actions trigger events, Reducers handle state changes, and the Store holds the state.
Now that we covered some of the most popular approaches when it comes to frontend architecture it is essential to know that even the best tool used in the wrong way or without taking into consideration some best practices and basic guidelines. Lets’s discuss some of them:
Keep the architecture as simple as possible: A complex architecture can make the code harder to understand and maintain.
Separate concerns: Each architecture component should have a specific, well-defined responsibility. This makes the code easier to understand and maintain.
Use design patterns: Design patterns are tried-and-tested solutions to common problems in software design. Design patterns can make your code more organized, modular, and reusable.
Test your code: Writing tests for it can help ensure it works as expected and remains stable over time.
File structure
Once you have selected an architecture, you must decide on a file structure that works for your project. A good file structure is essential for a well-organized and scalable codebase. It should be easy to navigate, maintain, and understand. Here are some best practices for frontend file structure:
Group Files by Functionality — Group related files together, such as all files related to authentication or all files related to a specific feature.
For example, in a Vue.js project, you might organize your files like this:
Separate CSS, JS, and HTML — It’s best to keep CSS, JS, and HTML in separate files. This makes it easier to read and maintain each file and reduces the chances of conflicts.
In an Angular project, you might organize your files like this:
Consistent Naming Convention — Use a consistent naming convention for all files, such as PascalCase or camelCase. This makes it easier to find files and maintain the project. In a React project, you might organize your files like this:
Folder Hierarchy — Use a folder hierarchy to organize files into different levels of abstraction, such as a folder for all components and subfolders for each component. In a Backbone project, you might organize your files like this:
Component-Based Structure
A component-based structure organizes files around reusable UI components. Each component has its folder with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. This structure makes it easy to reuse components across different application parts.
Last but not least important, let’s mention some general concepts that, if we keep in mind and apply them in our work, will help us create strong frontend products:
Use a responsive design: Ensure your frontend application is responsive and can be viewed on different screen sizes and devices.
Optimize for performance: Optimize your application’s performance by minimizing HTTP requests, reducing image sizes, and using caching and compression techniques.
Keep it simple: Avoid creating overly complex file structures that make it hard to navigate your codebase. Keep it simple and organized.
Use a modular approach: A modular structure breaks down the application into modules, each with its folder and files. This structure makes it easy to manage complex applications with many moving parts. Divide your code into small, manageable, easily reused modules. This allows you to build a more modular, maintainable codebase.
By organizing the UI into smaller, reusable components, a front-end architecture can reduce the amount of code that needs to be loaded and executed by the web browser. This can make the application load and run faster, improving the user experience and making the application more scalable.
Separate concerns: Separating concerns means organizing files according to their responsibilities — for example, separating CSS files from JavaScript files and component files from utility files.
Follow conventions and best practices for your selected framework or library. This makes it easier for other developers to understand your code.
Use a build tool: Use a build tool like Webpack or Gulp to automate your build process and streamline your file structure.
Include documentation for your file structure so other developers can easily understand how to navigate your codebase.
Test your code: Test your frontend code to ensure it works as expected and integrates well with other application components.
Use design patterns to improve the maintainability and scalability of your frontend application. They provide proven solutions to common problems and help developers create code that is easy to understand and modify. here are some of the commonly used design patterns in frontend applications:
- Observer
The Observer pattern is used when one object (the subject) needs to notify other objects (the observers) of changes in its state. This pattern can be used in frontend development to update the UI when data changes. For example, if a user changes a form, the Observer pattern can be used to update the form’s UI with the new data.
2. Singleton
The Singleton pattern ensures that a class has only one instance and provides a global access point to that instance. This pattern is commonly used in frontend development for managing global state, such as a user’s authentication status or application settings.
3. Decorator
The Decorator pattern dynamically adds functionality to an object without changing its original code. In frontend development, this pattern can be used to add new features or modify the behavior of existing components. For example, a decorator can be used to add animation effects to a button when it is clicked.
4. Facade
The Facade pattern provides a simplified interface to a complex system. This pattern can provide a more straightforward interface to a complex API or library in frontend development.
5. Strategy Pattern
The Strategy pattern is a behavioral design pattern that defines a family of algorithms, encapsulates each one, and makes them interchangeable. This pattern allows the algorithm to be selected at runtime without the client code being aware of the difference. In frontend development, the strategy pattern can be used to dynamically switch the behavior of a component based on user interaction or other conditions. For example, a strategy pattern can be used to dynamically change the behavior of a form validation component based on the type of form being validated.
Conclusion
Overall, front-end architecture is important because it determines the structure and design of the UI of a web application, and a well-designed front-end architecture can improve the application’s performance, maintainability, and scalability.
Designing a frontend architecture and organizing files in a frontend project can be challenging but is crucial for maintaining a clean and maintainable codebase. A developer must keep up-to-date with the latest best practices and techniques for frontend architecture and file structure.
