Learning to start at zero
As we mentioned previously, most micro frontend solutions actually come in two pieces – an application shell and the different micro frontends. If we think about patterns such as siteless UIs or server-side composition, we’ll find that the application shell is also used for development – either as a plain orchestrator or in the form of an emulator.
Developing a micro frontend will usually start with an empty application shell. Depending on the implementation, we’ll see some common layout elements, but content-wise, there is nothing. This is a significant contrast to developing a monolith, where content is already present and implementing new screen designs takes less imagination.
Even though micro frontends don’t need to be developed in isolation – other micro frontends may be loaded during development too – it makes sense for most scenarios. Also, initially, there are no other micro frontends, so we have...
