Issues and Challenges with Micro Frontend Architecture

I’ve been considering micro frontends recently and I’ve noticed some significant issues with this approach. My team is really pushing for this architecture pattern, but I’m not entirely sure it’s the best path for us.

From my experience, micro frontends can introduce more complexity than they resolve. Coordinating deployments can be a challenge, managing shared states can become complex, and bundle sizes often inflate. Additionally, ensuring a cohesive UI/UX across various micro apps can be problematic.

I’m interested to know if anyone else has encountered similar challenges with micro frontend implementations. What are the major drawbacks you’ve faced? Are there specific situations where you would suggest steering clear of this model?

I would appreciate hearing about real-world experiences from developers who have actually utilized micro frontends in live projects.

Implementing micro frontends can be fraught with challenges, particularly in larger applications. One of the primary issues I’ve faced is the complexity introduced by managing multiple deployments and ensuring versions are compatible. For instance, synchronization between micro frontends can lead to bugs that are difficult to trace. Additionally, testing becomes more cumbersome, as integration across various sections requires extensive setup. Overall, while this architecture allows flexibility in development, it’s vital to assess if your team’s structure can effectively handle the inherent complexities.

interesting points here! i’m curious though - what size was your team when you hit these issues? we’re considering micro frontends for a 15+ dev team but wondering if theres a sweet spot where it actually makes sense? also did you try any specific tooling to help with the coordination headaches or just went back to monolith?

totally agree, micro frontends can lead to chaos. we struggled with styling and the bundle sizes were insane. only go for it if your team is ready for the extra headaches. otherwise, a monolith is way simpler and easier to manage.