BFF pattern

 

BFF pattern

 

What is the BFF Pattern?

The Backend for Frontend (BFF) pattern is an architectural design pattern that involves creating a separate backend service for each frontend application or interface. This pattern is useful when you have multiple frontend applications that need to access the same data, but each frontend application has different requirements or needs to present the data in a different way.

Why Use the BFF Pattern?

There are several benefits to using the BFF pattern:

• Separation of concerns: The BFF pattern helps to decouple the frontend and backend applications, making it easier to develop and maintain each application independently.
• Improved performance: The BFF pattern can improve performance by optimizing the data and responses for each frontend application.
• Flexibility: The BFF pattern makes it easy to experiment with different frontend technologies and frameworks without affecting the backend.
• Maintainability: The BFF pattern makes it easier to maintain the codebase by isolating changes to each frontend application.

BFF Pattern Diagram

Here is a diagram of the BFF pattern:

Frontend Application 1 --> BFF 1 --> Backend Services
Frontend Application 2 --> BFF 2 --> Backend Services

In this diagram, each frontend application has its own BFF. The BFFs are responsible for translating the requests from the frontend applications into the appropriate format for the backend services. The BFFs can also aggregate data from multiple backend services and present it in a format that is optimized for the frontend application.

When to Use the BFF Pattern

The BFF pattern is a good choice for applications that meet the following criteria:

• There are multiple frontend applications that need to access the same data.
• Each frontend application has different requirements for the data.
• The frontend applications are developed using different technologies or frameworks.
• The frontend applications need to be maintained independently.

BFF Pattern Example

Consider an e-commerce application with a web app and a mobile app. The web app needs to display a detailed product page with high-resolution images and product descriptions, while the mobile app needs to display a simplified product list with smaller images and shorter descriptions.

In this case, the e-commerce application could use the BFF pattern to create two separate BFFs: one for the web app and one for the mobile app. The web app BFF would be responsible for retrieving the full product details and high-resolution images from the backend services, while the mobile app BFF would be responsible for retrieving the simplified product list and smaller images.

Conclusion

The BFF pattern is a valuable tool for architects and developers who are building modern applications. By decoupling the frontend and backend applications, the BFF pattern can improve performance, flexibility, and maintainability.

I hope this explanation is helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Diagram credit: https://medium.com/mobilepeople/backend-for-frontend-pattern-why-you-need-to-know-it-46f94ce420b0 

2013-04-17 Intervest Office Outing Party