All About SOFEA: Service-Oriented Front-End Architecture
The basic idea of SOFEA is that we should stop downloading from the server side and send this responsibility to the client side.
The basic idea of SOFEA is that we should stop downloading from the server side and send this responsibility to the client side. I propose removing all of the logical presentation of the service side and moving them to JavaScript and to the client side.
Why?
Because with the SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) maturity and browser evolution, we can change some ways that we work on the front-end side and better utilize the client machine. This architecture style is precisely for application web in SOA and Cloud environments. It is intended to bring a revolution that was brought from SOA on the back-end to the front-end.
How?
We treat all communication server with web service by way of REST or SOAP. For example, it is possible for the server-side to focus only on business and be exposed in a format of service. SOFEA can be considered a synonym of Single Page Application and should not be confused with Framework or implementation, is style architecture.
What is Single Page Application (SPA) in this story? Furthermore, why should we underuse the client side and overload the server side? Why not balance this load? Is it possible to improve the user experience with these techniques?
Another important question: why has SOFEA just now appeared? I think it's because the JavaScript engines to the browser and AJAX toolkit have had great development in recent years. The client-side frameworks had a great evolution as well. SOFEA allows for simplicity on the client-side, a more heterogeneous team, and the continued growth of mobile clients.
In the picture below, it is possible to see where the older web frameworks are living:
This is the life cycle in the older architectures:
This is the SOFEA life cycle:
Where are the components living in SOFEA?
Some frameworks that implement Single Page Application are Knockout, React, Backbone, Angular, and Ember.
In conclusion, here are the benefits of SOFEA:
- Scalability. Service has less work and simply processes the business logic.
- Better user response and low latency. After the app is download, just data travels.
- Organized programming model. It's possible to have a team just for the client-side and another for the server-side.
- Interoperability; easy integration with many platforms; clients don't matter for the service language.
- Higher ROI is possible. You can reuse more services.
This architecture style impulses the Web 2.0. This is the one of the many techniques, movements, and cultures that offers a new perspective to the client-side, so it is important to know them instead of just using and choosing the fashion frameworks.
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