Nx: The Secret Sauce Big Tech Uses to Build Scalable Monorepos

How Big Tech Leverages Nx for Scalable Monorepos

In the fast-paced world of software development, managing a vast codebase presents a significant challenge. Big tech companies have turned to Nx for building scalable monorepos, streamlining their projects to enhance organization and efficiency. This blog explores the benefits Nx offers, enabling teams to excel.

What Exactly is Nx?

Nx stands out as a robust build framework designed for effective monorepo management. A monorepo, which consolidates multiple projects into a single repository, facilitates code sharing and simplifies workflow processes. Nx shines with projects that use TypeScript, React, Elysia.js, or NestJS, serving as a unified source for shared logic.

Why Opt for a Monorepo?

Monorepos provide numerous benefits:

• Unified Code Base: Centralizes all applications and libraries, simplifying code sharing.
• Consistent Tooling: Ensures team members use identical tools and settings, streamlining onboarding.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Allows developers to work on various apps without redundant efforts.

However, monorepos can become unwieldy without the right structure:

• Interdependent apps may complicate deployment.
• Inconsistent shared logic implementation can introduce bugs.
• Growing repos can significantly increase build times.

Solving Monorepo Challenges with Nx

Nx offers a structured approach to address monorepo issues:

Independent Applications

Apps reside in the /apps directory, with dependencies limited to packages, not other apps. This separation prevents changes in one app from impacting another. For instance, updates to a Learning Management System (LMS) web app won't affect the e-commerce backend.

Centralized Shared Code in /packages

The /packages directory holds shared utilities, models, contracts, and UI components, eliminating code redundancy and ensuring consistent updates across the codebase.

Enforced Boundaries via Nx Rules

Nx uses configuration rules to maintain clean deployment boundaries, prohibiting direct app imports. Apps must use designated packages instead. Here's an example rule configuration:

// root .eslintrc.js
rules: {
  "@nx/enforce-module-boundaries": [
    "error",
    {
      enforceBuildableLibDependency: true,
      allow: [],
      depConstraints: [
        { "sourceTag": "type:app", "onlyDependOnLibsWithTags": ["type:package"] },
        { "sourceTag": "type:ui", "onlyDependOnLibsWithTags": ["type:util","type:models","type:contracts","scope:shared","scope:<same>"] },
        { "sourceTag": "scope:shared", "onlyDependOnLibsWithTags": ["scope:shared"] }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Efficient Automation with Nx

Nx boosts efficiency by automating generation, linting, building, and testing for changed components only. This feature significantly cuts down build times, ensuring rapid development cycles.

Boosting Developer Satisfaction

Nx enhances developer experience by providing fast feedback loops and uniform tooling. Its structured approach reduces complexity, allowing teams to concentrate on development.

Structuring Your Nx Monorepo

To kickstart your Nx journey, adhere to a straightforward structure:

• apps/: Hosts standalone apps.
• packages/: Contains reusable code, centralizing shared logic.

A typical directory might appear as follows:

apps/
  web/
  admin/
  marketing/
  mobile/
  api-nest/
  api-scheduler/
packages/
  shared/
  util/
  models/
  contracts/
  lms/
  ecommerce/
  tools/

Nx Best Practices

For optimal Nx usage, follow these best practices:

• Adopt clear naming conventions for packages (e.g., lms-ui, shared-contracts).
• Use Zod for shared contracts to maintain type safety across frontend and backend.
• Manage .env files via a dedicated config package for validated, strongly-typed configurations.
• Utilize Nx generators to automate tasks and ensure codebase consistency.

Conclusion

In essence, Nx equips big tech firms with the necessary tools to construct scalable monorepos. By setting strict boundaries, centralizing shared code, and automating development processes, Nx empowers teams to streamline their workflow and foster collaboration. Embracing Nx's principles ensures your monorepo remains efficient and manageable, boosting productivity and developer contentment.