Frontend Architecture Feature Boundaries

Frontend Architecture Feature Boundaries

When to use this skill

• Preventing spaghetti code in large apps
• Enforcing module independence
• Enabling parallel team development
• Preparing for potential micro-frontend migration

Workflow

• Define clear feature boundaries
• Create public APIs for each feature
• Enforce import rules (linting)
• Use shared kernel for common code
• Document feature dependencies

Instructions

Boundary Rules

Rule 1: No Direct Cross-Feature Imports

// ❌ BAD: Direct import from another feature
import { ProductCard } from '../../products/components/ProductCard';

// ✅ GOOD: Import from public API
import { ProductCard } from '@features/products';

Rule 2: Public API Pattern

// features/products/index.ts (Public API)
// Only export what other features need
export { ProductCard } from './components/ProductCard';
export { useProducts } from './hooks/useProducts';
export type { Product } from './types';

// DON'T export internal helpers
// ❌ export { internal Helper } from './utils';

Rule 3: Shared Kernel

src/
├── features/
│   ├── products/
│   ├── cart/
│   └── checkout/
├── shared/              # Shared Kernel
│   ├── types/
│   │   └── common.types.ts
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── Button.tsx
│   └── utils/
└── core/               # Framework code

Enforcing with ESLint

// .eslintrc.js
module.exports = {
  rules: {
    'import/no-restricted-paths': ['error', {
      zones: [
        {
          target: './src/features/products',
          from: './src/features/cart',
          message: 'Products cannot import from Cart'
        },
        {
          target: './src/features/*',
          from: './src/features/*',
          except: ['./index.ts'],
          message: 'Must use public API (index.ts)'
        }
      ]
    }]
  }
};

Feature Communication Patterns

1. Events (Decoupled)

// features/cart/index.ts
export const cartEvents = {
  itemAdded: (productId: string) => {
    window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('cart:item-added', {
      detail: { productId }
    }));
  }
};

// features/analytics/index.ts
window.addEventListener('cart:item-added', (e) => {
  trackEvent('cart_add', e.detail);
});

2. Shared State (Zustand)

// shared/store/cartStore.ts
export const useCartStore = create<CartState>((set) => ({
  items: [],
  addItem: (item) => set((state) => ({
    items: [...state.items, item]
  }))
}));

// Any feature can use the store
import { useCartStore } from '@shared/store/cartStore';

3. Context/Props (Direct)

// Only when features have parent-child relationship
<CheckoutFeature cartItems={cartItems} />

Dependency Graph

┌─────────────┐
│   Shared    │
│   Kernel    │
└──────┬──────┘
       │
   ┌───┴───┬───────┬────────┐
   │       │       │        │
┌──▼───┐ ┌─▼────┐ ┌▼─────┐ ┌▼──────┐
│ Auth │ │ Cart │ │ Shop │ │ Admin │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └───────┘
   ↑       ↑       ↑        ↑
   └───────┴───────┴────────┘
         No cycles!

Module Independence Checklist

• Feature can be deleted without breaking others
• Feature can be developed/tested in isolation
• Feature has clear, documented public API
• No circular dependencies
• Shared code is truly generic

Resources

• Use barrel exports (index.ts) for public APIs
• Lint rules prevent boundary violations
• Events for loose coupling