Micro Frontends in Angular

As modern business apps have changed, the front end has become as complicated as the back end. Because teams are growing and apps must be delivered more quickly, traditional monolithic frontend architectures are no longer sufficient. Micro Frontends is a new way of doing things that makes frontend development more modular and flexible, based on how well microservices work on the backend.

In this article, we'll go into detail about micro frontends, how they work in Angular, the benefits they offer, and how to deal with common problems using best practices. This guide will help you learn how to make UI architectures that are easy to scale and maintain, whether you're working on a Microsoft tech stack or a large front-end system.

What Are Micro Frontends? 

Micro Frontends (MFEs) are a way of designing software that breaks up a single frontend app into smaller, separate apps that are built, tested, and deployed by different teams. Like microservices do for backend logic, each unit or "micro frontend" oversees a certain business area.

Imagine an e-commerce portal:

• One micro frontend could be the product catalog. 

• Another option is the shopping cart. 

• You can make separate micro apps for user profiles, payments, and tracking orders.  Then, these separate apps are put together into a shell or host application that acts as the container. 

Then, these separate apps are put together into a shell or host application that acts as the container. 

Micro Frontends with Angular

Angular is a popular choice for implementing micro frontends because of its strong module system, TypeScript support, and enterprise-grade features. Using Angular with Webpack Module Federation, developers can dynamically load remote modules (micro frontends) at runtime without bundling everything into a single build.

In a typical micro frontend architecture:

• The Shell App (or host) manages navigation, shared services, and layout.

• Each Micro App is a standalone Angular project deployed separately.

• Routing is configured in a way that the shell delegates part of the route to different micro apps.

Key Benefits of Micro Frontends

Micro frontend architecture is more than just a trend; it helps big development teams solve real engineering problems. Many enterprise teams are adopting this strategy for the following reasons:

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them 

Micro frontends have their own set of difficulties, just like any other architectural change. Here are some things to look for and how to deal with them successfully

1. Shared Dependencies

   Problem: Multiple micro frontends might import the same libraries, leading to duplication and increased bundle size.

   Solution: Use Webpack’s Module Federation to share dependencies like Angular, RxJS, or Material UI between apps. To prevent duplicate downloads, configure shared modules in the webpack.config.js file.

2. Version Mismatches 

   Problem: One micro app might depend on Angular v14, while another uses Angular v16. This creates conflicts at runtime.

   Solution: Maintain version parity for shared libraries. If not possible, use version compatibility strategies or isolate conflicting libraries using iframes or separate execution contexts.

3. Routing Collisions 

   Problem: Route definitions from multiple micro frontends can overlap or conflict.

   Solution: Use unique route prefixes for each micro app. Example: /products/*, /cart/*, /users/*. This ensures clarity and avoids route interception issues.

4. Styling Leaks

   Problem: CSS styles from one micro frontend may unintentionally affect another,

   breaking layout or appearance.

   Solution: Use Angular’s ViewEncapsulation or Shadow DOM to isolate styles. Prefix all CSS classes or

   use component-level SCSS files for better encapsulation.

5. Performance Hits 

   Problem: Loading many micro frontends dynamically can impact the time-to-interactive.

   Solution: Preload critical modules using route-based lazy loading, and cache remote entry files with intelligent CDN strategies. Consider tree-shaking and compression (gzip/brotli) in your build pipeline.

How Module Federation Works in Angular

With Angular 13+ and Webpack 5, it’s now easier to use Module Federation—a plugin that allows code sharing between separate applications.

Let’s break it down: 

• The Host App declares remotes (other micro frontends) in its webpack.config.js.

• Each Remote App exposes its modules or components for consumption.

• Routing and dynamic imports are managed using Angular’s lazy loading mechanism.

This setup allows Angular developers to:

• Load features at runtime

• Reduce build times

• Maintain isolated team deployments

• Enable granular version control for each micro app 

Best Practices for a Successful Micro Frontend Setup

1. Keep Shell App Thin – Avoid putting heavy logic in the shell. Let it handle layout and route delegation only.

2. Define Contracts – APIs, events, and interfaces between micro frontends and the shell should be clearly defined and versioned.

3. Embrace Automation – Use CI/CD pipelines for each micro app to deploy independently.

4. Centralized Logging – Debugging across micro apps can be tough. Use shared logging and monitoring tools like Azure Monitor or Sentry.

5. Security First – Validate user inputs and sanitize DOM access in each micro app. Also, enforce role-based access at both frontend and backend

Use Cases in Microsoft Tech Environments

1. Micro frontends work well in contexts that focus on Microsoft Technologies. Here's how they align:

2. Azure DevOps: Each mini app is built, tested, and deployed utilizing separate pipelines. Power Platform Integration: Embed Power BI dashboards or Power Apps inside micro frontends for analytics and low-code interactions.

3. Azure CDN caches remote modules for faster global load times.

4. MSAL (Microsoft Authentication Library): Integrate secure authentication across all micro apps using a common token store.

No matter if you're a Microsoft software engineer, Power BI developer, or Azure architect, micro frontends provide scalable solutions that integrate smoothly within the Microsoft ecosystem. 

Final Thoughts

Micro frontends aren’t just a technical choice; they’re an organizational strategy. By aligning development efforts around independent teams and scalable architectures, companies can deliver better software, faster.

Using Angular as the foundation and leveraging tools like Module Federation, it’s now possible to decouple monolithic UI layers into manageable, modular units. Whether you're maintaining a large product suite, supporting distributed teams, or preparing your frontend stack for rapid scaling, micro frontends offer the ideal blend of flexibility, performance, and autonomy.

They do come with a learning curve and require upfront investment in tooling and infrastructure, but the long term benefits in developer velocity, code quality, and system resilience make them worth it.

So, if you're working on a Microsoft-based tech stack or looking to modernize your frontend workflows, now’s the perfect time to explore micro frontends in Angular.

About the Author

Ravi Kachhawaha Technology Head for UX and Frontend at DelaPlex is the . He has more than 10 years of experience building scalable, high-performance web apps. He knows a lot about Angular, React, and modern frontend ecosystems, and he is very involved in building enterprise-grade solutions with Azure DevOps and cloud-native methods. Ravi is known for his user-first design thinking and clean coding standards. He leads teams from different departments that create smooth digital experiences. He uses examples from real life in this article to show how micro frontends can change the way frontends can grow, especially for developers who work with Microsoft-driven environments.