How to Share Code Between Micro Frontends

1 bulan yang lalu

Sharing context, functionality, and styles betwixt micro frontends

The biggest use of micro frontends, if you don’t cognize astir them, is that you tin usage them arsenic building blocks for different projects, keeping a accordant look and personification acquisition crossed each your applications.

In theory, that sounds great, but past again, building specified a “technological wonder” is not trivial. If you’re building aggregate projects pinch them and trying to get nan astir retired of your micro frontends, past you’ll commencement moving into a very communal problem: repeated code.

Granted, much for illustration a problem is, this is nan cleanable opportunity for you to absurd and stock codification crossed aggregate individual micro frontends. But really tin you do it?

In this article, I’m going to show you really you tin usage Bit to execute precisely this!

https://bit.cloud/deletemangroup/microfe

For this example, we’ll beryllium utilizing Bit. And if you don’t cognize what that is, Bit offers devices for component-driven development, root codification control, versioning, dependency management, packaging, distribution, sharing, collaboration, discoverability, search, consumption, installation, and integration. The conception of “component” wrong Bit encapsulates code, tests, and documentation, making it suitable for shared codification among micro frontends

To exemplify really everything works, I’m going to usage nan following project wherever I person 2 moving micro frontends (bit applications) that person codification that could beryllium shared alternatively of repeated successful their individual codification bases.

So for this illustration I’ll beryllium utilizing 2 micro frontends I’ve created utilizing Bit, they’re really Bit constituent applications, which intends they tin beryllium deployed and executed individually. I’ll show you their codification and really they stock a azygous constituent that could beryllium re-used, if refactored properly.

In nan end, utilizing Bit, I will show you really to refactor that component, extract it into an individual Bit component, and modify nan different 2 micro frontends to usage nan communal codification alternatively of repeating logic.

So let’s commencement by reviewing our micro frontends and knowing wherever nan repeated code/logic is. We person 2 micro frontends:

my-docs: This small micro frontend acts arsenic a mini archiving site. It lets you navigate betwixt different sections of nan documentation.
my-blog: This micro frontend acts arsenic a speedy and soiled blog, which has 3 different articles wrong and besides lets you navigate betwixt nan different pages utilizing a menu.

The demo app

This exertion shows a navigation barroom astatine nan top, and past renders an soul page. Here’s nan codification for it:

import React from 'react';
import { Routes, Route} from 'react-router-dom';
import Home from './Home';
import GettingStarted from './GettingStarted';
import APIReference from './ApiReference';
import './docs.module.css'

export usability Documentation() {

fto prefix = ""

const defaultRoutes = [
{
path: prefix + "/getting-started",
element: <GettingStarted />
},
{
path: prefix + "/api-reference",
element: <APIReference />
},
{
path: prefix + "/",
element: <Home />
}
]
return (
<Routes>{
defaultRoutes.map( (r, index) => {
return (<Route key={index} path={r.path} element={r.element} />);
})
}
</Routes>
);
}

As you tin see, nan codification is utilizing react-router-dom to navigate betwixt pages. And nan codification for nan nav barroom astatine nan top, is nan following:

import React from 'react';
import { Link, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';

export usability Nav() {
fto location = useLocation()
fto pathParts = location.pathname.split("/")
fto usePrefix = pathParts[1].indexOf("docs") != -1
fto prefix = ""

if(usePrefix) {
fto pathParts = location.pathname.split("/")
prefix = "/" + pathParts[1]
}
return (
<div>
<nav>
<ul>
<li>
<Link to={ prefix + "/"}>Home</Link>
</li>
<li>
<Link to={ prefix + "/getting-started"}>Getting Started</Link>
</li>
<li>
<Link to= {prefix + "/api-reference"}>API Reference</Link>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</div>
)
}

Granted, nan links are hard-coded, but you get nan point.

Let’s now return a look astatine nan adjacent micro frontend.

In nan lawsuit of this micro frontend, we person yet different apical navigation (one that has nary styles), and past we tin spot nan contented of each station underneath nan menu.

Pretty basal stuff, but if you notice, nan navigation logic is nan aforesaid arsenic before. Let’s return a look astatine nan codification now.

import React from 'react';
import {Routes, Route} from 'react-router-dom'
import Post1 from './posts/post1'
import Post2 from './posts/post2'
import Post3 from './posts/post3'

const posts = [
{ url: '/posts/1', component: <Post1 />},
{ url: '/posts/2', component: <Post2 />},
{ url: '/posts/3', component: <Post3 />},
];

export usability BlogComponent() {
return (
<Routes>
{posts.map( (post, index) => (
<Route key={index} path={post.url} element={post.component} />
))}
</Routes>
);
}

As you tin appreciate, nan codification for this 1 is very akin to nan other. It’s fundamentally listing a group of routes and associating different components to these routes. Each of these soul components (the posts), uses nan Nav component, which looks for illustration this:

import React from 'react';
import { Link, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';

export usability Nav() {
fto location = useLocation()
fto pathParts = location.pathname.split("/")
fto usePrefix = pathParts[1].indexOf("docs") != -1
fto prefix = ""

if(usePrefix) {
fto pathParts = location.pathname.split("/")
prefix = "/" + pathParts[1]
}

return (
<div>
<nav>
<ul>
<li>
<Link to={ prefix + "/posts/1"}>Post1</Link>
</li>
<li>
<Link to={ prefix + "/posts/2"}>Post2</Link>
</li>
<li>
<Link to= {prefix + "/posts/3"}>Post3</Link>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>

</div>
)
}

In lawsuit you haven’t noticed, this is nan nonstop aforesaid codification arsenic pinch nan different navigation menu, but it has 3 different links.

So now we understand nan problem: nan Nav constituent tin beryllium shared betwixt some micro frontends.

Let’s spot really we tin do that.

Here’s what we request to do:

We request to entree nan codification of some micro frontends.
Create a Bit constituent containing nan codification of nan Nav component, refactored truthful that it tin beryllium utilized successful different places.
Export nan constituent truthful that it tin beryllium re-used everywhere.
Install nan constituent successful some micro frontends and people their caller version.

Easy right? Let’s get started!

Given really some micro frontends are Bit components, you tin instal them done NPM successful immoderate application. However, successful that situation, they would beryllium downloaded into your node_modules folder, and you wouldn't person entree to their code.

So, instead, we’re going to usage Bit to import nan components into an quiet project. The spot import bid will do 2 things for us:

It’ll download nan codification of our micro frontends into a files astatine nan guidelines of nan project.
It’ll create symlinks wrong nan node_modules files truthful that if you effort to usage immoderate of them wrong different task arsenic a normal dependency, you'll still beryllium capable to import it arsenic immoderate different regular dependency.

Now, usage nan pursuing commands to get you going:

mkdir new-project && cd new-project
bit init
bit import deletemangroup.microfe/apps/my-docs
bit import deletemangroup.microfe/apps/my-blog

After moving these commands, you’ll person nan pursuing files structure:

We tin now commencement editing 1 of nan versions of theNav constituent from 1 of nan micro frontends. Let's prime nan type pinch styles from themy-docs micro frontend.

But first, we’re going to create a caller component, which is wherever we’re going to put our code:

bit create respond navigation/topbar

At this stage, we person 2 micro frontends and an quiet component. If we tally spot commencement astatine nan guidelines of our folder, we'll get nan dev server, which will fto america trial everything we have:

Let’s now execute nan codification updates connected nan constituent we want.

Let’s edit nan topbar.tsx record wrong our caller constituent and adhd nan pursuing code:

import React, { ReactElement } from 'react';
import { Link, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';

export type TopbarProps = [
{
url: string,
text: string
}
]

export usability Topbar({routes}: { routes: TopbarProps}) {
fto location = useLocation()

fto pathParts = location.pathname.split("/")
fto usePrefix = pathParts[1].indexOf("docs") != -1
fto prefix = ""

if(usePrefix) {
fto pathParts = location.pathname.split("/")
prefix = "/" + pathParts[1]
}

return (
<div>
<nav>
<ul>
{ routes.map( r => (
<li>
<Link to={r.url}>{r.text}</Link>
</li>
))}
</ul>
</nav>
</div>
)
}

This codification is now accepting nan database of routes arsenic a mandatory prop, and it’s besides exporting nan type meaning for nan format of nan routes array, truthful we make judge we cognize precisely really to create it.

With this change, we tin now spell to our my-docs constituent (inside nan aforesaid project) and edit nan soul pages of nan documentation.

For example, nan “Home” conception looked for illustration this before:

import React from 'react';
import { Nav } from './nav'

function Home() {
return (
<div>
<Nav />
<h2>Home</h2>
<p>Welcome to nan archiving site!</p>
</div>
);
}

export default Home;

And now, it should look for illustration this:

import React from 'react';
import { MenuItems } from './MenuItems';
import { Topbar, TopbarProps } from '@deletemangroup/microfe.navigation.topbar';

function Home() {
return (
<div>
<Topbar routes={MenuItems arsenic TopbarProps} />
<h2>Home</h2>
<p>Welcome to nan archiving site!</p>
</div>
);
}
export default Home;

Notice really I’m importing nan caller Topbar constituent arsenic a regular module, alternatively of referencing nan comparative way of my file. This is acknowledgment to nan truth that I've created nan constituent pinch Bit first. Bit created nan symlink wrong my node_modules files truthful I could do this without having to first upload and people nan constituent somewhere.

I’ve besides defined nan database of routes (as you tin see), wrong different section file. It simply exports an array of objects for illustration this:

export const MenuItems = [
{url: "/", text: "Home"},
{url: "/getting-started", text: "Getting Started"},
{url: "/api-reference", text: "API Reference"}
]

We tin now proceed to do this connected nan different project, nan my-blog project. We'll edit nan posts for this one, erstwhile earlier they looked for illustration this:

import { Nav } from "../nav"

export default usability () {

return (
<div>
<Nav />
<h1>Post #1</h1>
<p>
This is nan matter of nan first blog post
</p>
</div>
)
}

Now, they’ll look for illustration this:

import { MenuItems } from "../BlogRoutes"
import { Topbar, TopbarProps } from "@deletemangroup/microfe.navigation.topbar"

export default usability () {

return (
<div>
<Topbar routes={MenuItems arsenic TopbarProps} />
<h1>Post #1</h1>
<p>
This is nan matter of nan first blog post
</p>
</div>
)
}

As before, I’ve defined nan database of routes for my blog wrong a caller record called BlogRoutes and now I’m importing nan Topbar constituent alternatively of nan section Nav one.

Wanna spot nan results? Simply spell backmost to nan browser, utilizing nan dev server, and sojourn each micro frontend, nan automatic archiving will render each constituent for you:

We’re now intelligibly importing nan aforesaid component, pinch nan added use that now some micro frontends person nan aforesaid styles connected nan nav paper (which wasn’t nan lawsuit before).

The past point to do, is to people nan caller component, and to update nan micro frontends by publishing nan new, updated codification into Bit.cloud.

We tin easy do that pinch nan pursuing commands:

bit instal add-missing-deps #to make judge each limitations are already installed
bit tag #to type each components
bit export #to people nan caller versions

Once you’ve tagged each components correctly, you should get thing for illustration this:

You tin spot really nan caller versions person been auto-assigned to some nan micro frontends and nan caller component.

Now simply export them pinch spot export and you're done!

One past item that I haven’t mentioned yet: acknowledgment to Bit’s knowing of nan narration betwixt these components (our caller constituent and nan 2 micro frontends), whenever we alteration our communal code, it will automatically re-build each limited packages (in our case, some micro frontends).

This is called RippleCI, and you tin spot it if you spell to your scope and click connected nan RippleCI option. This is what I spot erstwhile I push a caller type of nan Topbar component:

bit.cloud

You’ll announcement really nan Topbar constituent is being built, but nan different 2 are queued up waiting for it to finish, truthful they tin besides beryllium built (and tested).

If everything goes according to plan, you should spot thing for illustration this (all green):

bit.cloud

This way, whenever you make a alteration to 1 of your components, each different components that usage it, will beryllium re-tested to make judge nan updates are valid.

Cool right?!

Alright, we’re done.

During this article, we saw really you tin usage Bit to extract communal codification from micro frontends, move that codification into a component, and past reuse it everywhere. All pinch a azygous tool: Bit.

Why did we do this?

Because by doing so, we’ve:

Simplified to codification of our micro frontends by removing codification that didn’t person to unrecorded wrong them.
Removed duplicated logic.
Homogenized nan look and consciousness of our components by utilizing nan aforesaid 1 everywhere.

We did each of this without creating caller repositories aliases assigning ownership of this caller constituent to immoderate outer team. As you tin see, done Bit, you tin easy collaborate pinch others without excessively overmuch hustle.

Let maine cognize what you thought astir it and if you person immoderate questions, you tin ever cheque retired the codification of nan components here.

To study much astir Bit, spot nan charismatic documentation: