With the release of Webpack 5, new features such as JavaScript Module Federation have been introduced to enhance the way we build and scale JavaScript applications. One of the key benefits of JavaScript Module Federation is the ability to enable real-time updates without having to manually refresh the entire application.

In this article, we will explore how to implement real-time updates using JavaScript Module Federation and Webpack 5. Let’s get started!

Understanding JavaScript Module Federation

JavaScript Module Federation is a feature in Webpack that allows you to share JavaScript modules between multiple applications in a decentralized way. It enables the creation of micro frontends, where each micro frontend can be developed and deployed independently.

Setting up the host application

To implement real-time updates using JavaScript Module Federation, we first need to set up the host application. In the Webpack configuration, we need to define a new plugin called ModuleFederationPlugin. Within this plugin, we can specify the remote modules we want to load.

Here’s an example of how the configuration file might look like:

const ModuleFederationPlugin = require("webpack/lib/container/ModuleFederationPlugin");

module.exports = {
  // ... other configurations

  plugins: [
    new ModuleFederationPlugin({
      name: "hostApp",
      remotes: {
        remoteApp: "remoteApp@http://localhost:3001/remoteEntry.js",
      },
    }),
  ],
};

In this example, we have defined a remote module called remoteApp which will be loaded from http://localhost:3001/remoteEntry.js. Make sure to replace the URL with the actual URL of your remote module.

Setting up the remote application

Next, we need to set up the remote application that will be loaded by the host application. The remote application can be a separate project or a module within the same project.

In the remote application’s Webpack configuration, we also need to define the ModuleFederationPlugin and specify the name of the module.

const ModuleFederationPlugin = require("webpack/lib/container/ModuleFederationPlugin");

module.exports = {
  // ... other configurations

  plugins: [
    new ModuleFederationPlugin({
      name: "remoteApp",
      filename: "remoteEntry.js",
      exposes: {
        "./RemoteComponent": "./src/RemoteComponent",
      },
    }),
  ],
};

In this example, we have exposed a module called RemoteComponent which is located at ./src/RemoteComponent within the remote application.

Loading the remote module in the host application

Now that we have set up both the host and remote applications, we can load the remote module in the host application.

import("./RemoteComponent")
  .then((module) => {
    // Use the module here
  })
  .catch((error) => {
    // Handle any errors
  });

By using dynamic import, we can load the remote module asynchronously. This allows us to load the module on demand and enable real-time updates without refreshing the entire application.

Conclusion

With JavaScript Module Federation in Webpack 5, we can easily implement real-time updates in our applications. By setting up the host and remote applications correctly, we can take advantage of the decentralized nature of Module Federation and load remote modules without refreshing the entire application.

With this powerful feature, we can build scalable and dynamic applications that respond to changes in real-time. Happy coding!

#JavaScript #Webpack5