Architectures of Modern Front-End Applications
Modern frontend applications need to be flexible, scalable, and maintainable. Let's explore different architectural approaches that can help achieve these goals.
What's Beyond Just "Folder Structure"?
Many developers think architecture is just about organizing folders, but it's much more than that. Good architecture includes:
- Module Communication: How different parts of your app work together
- Easy Navigation: Clear organization that makes sense
- Separated Logic: Keeping business logic away from UI components
- DRY Principle: Don't Repeat Yourself
- Divide and Conquer: Breaking big problems into smaller ones
Classic Architecture (No Architecture)
This is what many developers start with - simple folders like "pages", "components", and "helpers". While it works for small projects, it can become messy as your app grows.
Problems with Classic Architecture:
- Components become too dependent on each other
- Business logic gets scattered across different files
- Hard to maintain as the project grows
This approach might work well for:
- Tiny teams (1-2 developers)
- MVP projects
- Short-term projects
- Learning projects
Modular Architecture
Modular architecture organizes code into distinct layers:
- Pages
- Modules
- Components
- UI
Each layer can only use components from layers below it. For example:
- Pages can use modules
- Modules can use components
- Components can use UI elements
- UI is the foundation layer
Important rules:
- Modules shouldn't use other modules
- Components should keep logic simple
- Each module needs a clear public API
Feature Sliced Design (FSD)
FSD takes modular architecture to the next level by organizing code by features instead of just layers.
Layers in FSD (from top to bottom):
- Pages
- Features/Widgets
- Entities
- Shared
Benefits of FSD:
- Clear structure
- Strong layer boundaries
- Flexible components
- Independent modules
- Better reusability
Pro tip: FSD recommends using kebab-case for file names: