Cross-Framework Federation

Cross-Framework Federation Overview

Cross-Framework Federation is a building block you will reach for often in Module Federation. It keeps related logic together and makes your intent obvious to reviewers and future maintainers.

When you learn cross-framework federation properly, you avoid the guesswork that leads to bugs and rework. The example below shows the shape you will use in most real Module Federation projects.

const { ModuleFederationPlugin } = require('webpack').container;

module.exports = {
  plugins: [
    new ModuleFederationPlugin({
      name: 'shell',
      remotes: { catalog: 'catalog@http://localhost:3001/remoteEntry.js' },
      exposes: {},
      shared: { react: { singleton: true }, 'react-dom': { singleton: true } },
    }),
  ],
};

ModuleFederationPlugin configures which modules an app exposes, consumes, and shares.

Cross-Framework Federation Example

new ModuleFederationPlugin({
  name: 'app',
  filename: 'remoteEntry.js',
  exposes: { './Widget': './src/Widget' },
  remotes: { other: 'other@http://host/remoteEntry.js' },
  shared: { react: { singleton: true } },
});

• Start from a minimal Cross-Framework Federation example and grow it only as needed.
• Keep configuration explicit so Cross-Framework Federation behaves the same in every environment.
• Name things clearly so teammates understand your Cross-Framework Federation at a glance.
• Add tests around Cross-Framework Federation early to lock in expected behaviour.

Module Federation Cheatsheet

Key Module Federation settings related to cross-framework federation.

How Cross-Framework Federation Works in Module Federation

Cross-Framework Federation builds on Module Federation's ability to load code from another independently built and deployed application at runtime. Each app can be a host, a remote, or both.

ModuleFederationPlugin configures which modules an app exposes, consumes, and shares.

• Remotes expose modules through a remoteEntry.js manifest.
• Hosts declare remotes and import exposed modules dynamically.
• Shared dependencies are deduplicated, ideally as singletons.
• Each micro frontend builds and deploys on its own schedule.

Practical Guidance for Cross-Framework Federation

In production, cross-framework federation needs careful version management and graceful failure handling. Align shared dependency versions and always render a fallback when a remote cannot load.

Common Mistakes

• Copying cross-framework federation snippets without understanding what each line does.
• Skipping error handling and edge cases when wiring up cross-framework federation.
• Leaving cross-framework federation untested, so regressions slip into production.
• Over-engineering cross-framework federation before you actually need the extra flexibility.

Key Takeaways

• Cross-Framework Federation is a core part of working effectively with Module Federation.
• Start small and keep cross-framework federation focused on a single responsibility.
• Apply consistent patterns so cross-framework federation scales across your project.
• Test and document cross-framework federation to keep it maintainable over time.