🎨 Frontend Architecture
The frontend is everything the user sees and interacts with — the visible tip of the iceberg. It's where design meets code, and structure meets storytelling.
🧱 What It Includes
- UI Frameworks – React, Vue, Svelte, Solid
- CSS Systems – Tailwind, CSS Modules, Styled Components
- Component Systems – Atomic design, reusable UI libraries, shadcn/ui
- Routing – Next.js App Router, React Router
- Animations & Interactions – Framer Motion, GSAP, CSS transitions
- Build Tools – Vite, Webpack, Parcel
🎯 Core Responsibilities
- Rendering data to the user
- Managing layout and responsiveness
- Handling UI state and navigation
- Communicating with APIs (fetch, axios)
- Managing assets (images, fonts, icons)
🧠 Design Decisions
| Consideration | Options | Questions to Ask |
|---|---|---|
| UI Framework | React, Vue, Svelte, Solid | What ecosystem do you want to be part of? |
| Styling System | Tailwind, CSS Modules, Chakra, raw CSS | Do you need utility-first speed or scoped component styles? |
| Components | Build your own, or use something like shadcn/ui? | Do you need accessibility, theming, or animations? |
| Routing | File-based or manually mapped? | Will this be an SPA, MPA, or server-rendered app? |
| Tooling | Vite, Webpack, Turbopack | Do you need blazing-fast hot reload or advanced config? |
🔌 AI Prompt Examples
Use these with tools like Cursor, Bolt, v0.dev, or Subframe. 💡 “Generate a responsive React component using Tailwind that includes a navbar, hero section, and CTA.”
💡 “Scaffold a Next.js app with shadcn/ui and App Router, styled using Tailwind. Add a homepage and a login screen.”
💡 “Add framer-motion animations to this React component: [paste code].” ➡️ See more frontend-specific prompts →
🧰 Tools That Affect This Layer
| Tool | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| v0.dev | Generates React + Tailwind UI from prompts |
| Subframe | Visual UI editor with clean React export |
| Cursor | Code refactoring, UI generation via AI inside VS Code |
| Bolt | UI prototyping + instant app scaffolding |
| Framer | Design-first app builder with export to React (limited interactivity) |
| shadcn/ui | Prebuilt, accessible components using Tailwind and Radix primitives |
## 📌 Frontend Layers in Practice
Here is an overview of how the frontend architecture is structured in practice, reformatted as a table.
| Layer | Key Concepts & Examples |
|---|---|
| User Interface (UI) | Components, Layouts, Buttons, Forms, Modals |
| State & Navigation | React, Next.js, Local State, Global Context, Router |
| Styling | CSS, Tailwind, Design Tokens, Responsive Design, Dark/Light Modes |
| API/Backend Integration | fetch, axios, JSON, GraphQL, REST, Edge Functions |