Unified Encapsulated Component Architecture

From the Author

The UECA framework was initially developed as a fun pet project to explore the unification of building blocks (components) in React-based applications. The rationale behind this was straightforward: developing large-scale React applications, especially the business logic, using pure React and the recommended React patterns is unequivocally challenging. Even with a well-organized, experienced, and motivated development team, pure React code often appears overly complex, creating unnecessary cognitive load for developers. This complexity usually leads to poor code structure, numerous bugs, tensions among developers, and frequently missed deadlines, ultimately harming the business.

React, while powerful, is a relatively low-level technology that demands developers not only have substantial React programming experience but also meticulously organize their code to avoid confusion. This approach is labor-intensive during both development and maintenance. Statistically, low-level, non-templated code tends to have more bugs than code built on a foundation of higher-order architectural principles. Ideally, low-level programming patterns should be encapsulated behind a facade of these principles.

In most cases, UI application development employs a component-based approach. The user interface is constructed from various unified parts called components, and React is built on this model. However, standard React patterns force developers to worry excessively about component interactions. As a result, developers often write different code that serves similar functions. In a team environment, this issue can multiply exponentially. Normalizing such logic is either prohibitively expensive or nearly impossible. Unfortunately, businesses often prioritize enhancements over code refactoring, leaving teams to manage redundant code that becomes increasingly costly to support over time. Statistically, the likelihood of bugs in the system increases with the volume of code.

UECA addresses this problem by encapsulating routine code, allowing developers to focus on high-level logic and unifying the code structure. Additionally, UECA mitigates the need for highly experienced React developers. The code pattern requires minimal React experience, making the primary technologies TypeScript and JSX. Even a group of junior developers, guided by a UI architect, can perform well using this framework.

The UECA library has already been successfully employed to develop a large-scale commercial web application. Initially, the project began with pure React, but it gradually became unmanageable. Adopting UECA saved the project from shutdown, preserved developers' jobs, and ultimately allowed the product to be released. This is a true success story.

Special thanks to Artem Tsetkhalin, Roman Ilyuchonak, Roman Nekliukov, Andrey Solovyov, and Pavel Borodaev for their testing and bug reports.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].

Thank you very much for your interest in and support of UECA ideas. Happy coding! 😎

UECA Basic Documentation

Comprehensive documentation detailing UECA aspects, code patterns, and examples will be available soon.

1. Component Mental Model

2. Component Integration Model

3. Introduction to UECA

4. Technology of UECA

5. Base Concepts of UECA

6. General Code Structure

7. Property Bindings

8. Message Bus

9. Standard Code Template

Code Examples on CodeSandbox

UECA Basics: Application (Code Examples Menu)

Additional code examples will be available soon. Check the CodeSandbox UECA project.