Frontend architecture is the backbone of any web application. It sets the stage for how users interact with your website. A well-designed frontend architecture can mean the difference between a frustrating user experience and a seamless one.

Short spooky story: You have the perfect website in every way. But there’s one problem ― the website is slow.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting out, understanding frontend architecture is essential for creating top-performing web applications that leave users wanting more.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to create a powerful frontend architecture for the website and explore how implementing best practices can elevate the quality and maintainability of web projects.

By following our tips, you can ensure that your website is lightning fast, no matter how many people visit it at once. Let’s get started!

What is frontend architecture?

Frontend architecture is the design and organization of the code that runs in the user’s web browser. It is the foundation for creating a well-structured, maintainable, and scalable web application.

Consider it as the structure of the frontend of your website. This means that it is the programming and design that make up the website’s interface. A well-thought-out frontend architecture is important because it can affect how well your website functions and how appealing it is to your users.

A good frontend architecture will consider the website’s goals, the user’s needs, and the technologies available. It will also be well-organized and easy to maintain. You’ll need to consider all of these factors when building your frontend architecture.

How to build a powerful frontend architecture?

There’s more to frontend architecture than just slapping a few scripts onto your page and calling it a day. If you want to create a powerful and sustainable frontend architecture, you need to understand the best practices and principles that underpin modern web development.

One of the most popular approaches today is micro-frontend architecture. This design approach breaks down a front-end app into “micro apps” – small, self-contained units that can be easily tested and managed.

This approach has several advantages:

• it makes it easier to isolate problems and fix them quickly,
• creates a more modular system that can be scaled up as needed,
• helps avoid the spaghetti code problems that can occur when everything is lumped together.

If you’re looking for a solid front-end development foundation, you must focus on component-based architecture. This is the modern way of building web interfaces by breaking down the UI into reusable components that can be assembled into larger structures.

With this approach, you can easily adapt your design to changing requirements and have a system that is easy to maintain and update.

What are the aspects of frontend architecture?

Componentization

One of the most important aspects of frontend architecture is componentization. Breaking down your application into small, reusable components allows for better organization, separation of concerns, and ease of maintenance. This can be achieved using a component-based framework such as React or Vue.js.

State management

In a complex web application, it can be difficult to keep track of the different states of your components and how they interact with each other. This is where a state management library comes in handy. These libraries provide a centralized store for your application’s state, making it easier to manage and update.

Data management 

Frontend architecture also involves a lot of data management. This includes fetching, caching, and updating data from an API. One way to handle this is by using a library such as Axios for making API calls and a library like LocalForage for caching data.

Build system

A build system automates the process of compiling and bundling your code, making it more efficient and easier to manage. One popular build system is Webpack. Webpack is a tool that combines all of our code files and makes them easier to deliver to a web server. After we configure it, it doesn’t require any further adjustments.

In addition to these practices, it is also important to consider the overall design of your application. This includes the layout, navigation, and user experience. A good design can make your application more user-friendly and improve the user experience.

Tools necessary for successful frontend architecture

Creating a powerful frontend architecture for your site is essential to success. But what tools do you need to make that happen?

There are several key tools you’ll need in your arsenal. First and foremost, you’ll need a good text editor. This is the tool that you’ll use to write your code. At Async Labs, we use Webstorm, but there are many more. For example, Sublime Text, Visual Studio Code, Atom, etc. Finding one that is comfortable for you and has all the features you need is important.

You’ll also need a good q. A framework provides the structure for your code, making development easier and faster. There are several good frameworks to choose from, so pick one that fits your needs.

Finally, you’ll need a good debugging tool. This tool helps you troubleshoot errors and problems with your code. It’s essential to find one that is easy to use and helps you solve problems quickly.

What factors should be considered when building a frontend architecture?

When it comes to creating a powerful frontend architecture for your website, there are several factors that you should consider.

1. You need to ensure that your frontend architecture enables you to deliver data in a scalable way. This means that any changes or additions to your website should not put extra strain on other parts of the system.
2. Security. This is another important aspect of creating a powerful frontend architecture. You need to ensure that your architecture is designed in such a way that it prevents malicious users from accessing sensitive data or manipulating the system in any way.
3. The performance of the frontend. If your website isn’t optimized correctly, visitors will be left waiting around for pages to load, and this can negatively impact the user experience and result in fewer conversions.

Benefits of a well-built frontend architecture

Now that you understand the basics of building a frontend architecture, why is it important to do this in the first place? Well, here are some benefits that a well-built frontend architecture can bring to your website:

• Improved performance. When components are separated and well organized, it’s easier to find, load, and update them as changes are made.
• Faster loading times. This leads to a better user experience and more satisfied visitors.
• Easier maintenance and scalability. When components are neatly divided into separate files, it’s easier for developers to make changes without worrying about breaking other parts of the site.
• Better reliability. A well-structured frontend architecture ensures that all parts of the site work as intended, even when changes are being made.
• Increased security. A good architecture also reduces the risk of vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting attacks or SQL injection attacks.

How to optimize your existing frontend architecture

If you’ve already developed a frontend architecture, you know it can take some optimization to get the best performance and usability out of your site.

Here are a few tips to help get you started:

• Minimize HTTP requests by combining multiple files into one. You can do this by grouping your CSS and JavaScript files into two main files, as well as combining all images into a single sprite.
• Optimize your code by minifying it so that it takes up less space on the server and is faster to transmit over the internet. This will reduce your page loading times considerably.
• Integrate caching so that users don’t have to download content when they visit your site. This can be done with any number of free tools for both HTML and JavaScript files.
• Analyze your page load times with software such as Google Page Speed or YSlow so that you can identify areas where improvement is needed and make changes accordingly.

With minimal effort, you can optimize your existing frontend architecture and ensure your site runs as efficiently as possible.

A simple example of frontend architecture

#1 Example

For instance, when measuring the loading time on our Async Labs website, we encountered an issue with large image sizes (MB) or .png files.

To resolve this, we implemented a media extension Converter to optimize performance. This solution allowed us to provide users with smaller yet equally high-quality images, resulting in an improved website loading speed and overall optimization.

#2 Example

Another example of optimization is the process of deleting files from the page. The initial process involved sending a request to the backend for each file deletion.

To improve this, we implemented a system where when the user selects files for deletion, the files are not immediately deleted but instead are temporarily stored in a cache.

This way, the user can change their mind before confirming the deletion, and it also reduces the number of HTTP requests sent to the backend. This code section is responsible for caching the files selected for deletion, to be retrieved later when the user confirms the deletion.

// ...Code to handle event listener for delete button

// Fetching files in queue if there are any
const filesToDelete = cacheService.getItem("files-to-delete") || [];

// Push and set new files to queue which user has selected for deletion
filesToDelete.push(files.find((file) => file.getId() === info.file.uid).getId());
cacheService.setItem("files-to-delete", filesToDelete);

//...

This part of the code retrieves the files from the cache and sends them to the server. However, at this moment, the files are not deleted yet. The deletion is only triggered when the user confirms their changes and decides to save them.

// Function to handle file deletion
async deleteFiles() {
   // Fetch files that are in queue for deletion from the cache
   const files = this.cacheService.getItem("files-to-delete");
   // At this point files are not deleted yet since we need to call this function somewhere
   await this.baseService.delete(
       "files/:id".replace(/:id/, files.find((file) => file.getId() === info.file.uid).getId())
   );
   // Clear items from the cache since they are already deleted
   this.cacheService.clearItem("files-to-delete");
}

This section of the code initiates the deletion process when the user chooses to save their changes, and it removes the relevant files from the system.

async handleSave() {
 try {
   // ...you can add more code that you want to handle on save

  
   // This is the part where we call function that deletes all the files at once
   await this.deleteFiles();
 } catch (e) {
   // Error handling
   notification.error({ message: t("Please correct invalid fields") });
 }
}

Conclusion

In conclusion, frontend architecture is a crucial aspect of web development that helps to create a well-structured, maintainable, and scalable web application.

When it comes to frontend architecture, planning is the key. You need to lay out your foundation and build on it layer by layer.

By building a strong frontend architecture, you’ll create a solid foundation for your website that will perform well and be easy to maintain.