Independent Deployment

In this lesson you will learn independent deployment in Module Federation, why it matters within deployment, and how to use it correctly with clear, copy-ready examples.

Independent Deployment Overview

Independent Deployment 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 independent deployment 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.

# each micro frontend deploys independently
catalog:  https://cdn.example.com/catalog/remoteEntry.js
checkout: https://cdn.example.com/checkout/remoteEntry.js

# the host resolves remotes from a runtime manifest
{ "catalog": "https://cdn.example.com/catalog/remoteEntry.js" }

Independent deployment is the core benefit: each remote ships on its own schedule.

Independent Deployment 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 Independent Deployment example and grow it only as needed.
Keep configuration explicit so Independent Deployment behaves the same in every environment.
Name things clearly so teammates understand your Independent Deployment at a glance.
Add tests around Independent Deployment early to lock in expected behaviour.

Module Federation Cheatsheet

Key Module Federation settings related to independent deployment.

Option	Example	Purpose
name	`name: 'shell'`	Unique container name
filename	`filename: 'remoteEntry.js'`	Remote entry manifest
exposes	`exposes: { './X': './src/X' }`	Modules a remote shares
remotes	`remotes: { app: 'app@url' }`	Remotes a host consumes
shared	`shared: { react: { singleton: true } }`	Deduplicate libraries
lazy load	`import('remote/Module')`	Load remotes on demand
Suspense	`<Suspense fallback={...}>`	Handle async loading

How Independent Deployment Works in Module Federation

Independent Deployment 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.

Independent deployment is the core benefit: each remote ships on its own schedule.

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 Independent Deployment

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

Concern	Recommendation
Shared versions	Use singletons with requiredVersion
Runtime errors	Wrap remotes in error boundaries and fallbacks
Deployment	Resolve remotes from a runtime manifest
Performance	Lazy-load remotes and cache remoteEntry.js

Common Mistakes

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

Key Takeaways

Independent Deployment is a core part of working effectively with Module Federation.
Start small and keep independent deployment focused on a single responsibility.
Apply consistent patterns so independent deployment scales across your project.
Test and document independent deployment to keep it maintainable over time.

Pro Tip

Pair independent deployment with automated tests from day one. It is far cheaper to catch Module Federation regressions in CI than in production.