Building 100 Micro-Frontends: Lessons from a Solopreneur Journey

When I set out to build my portfolio, I didn't just want a single monolithic app. I wanted to prove a point: one developer can ship 100 independently deployed applications using modern tooling and a disciplined architecture.

The Architecture

Each micro-frontend is a standalone Next.js application with its own:

Repository and deployment pipeline
Custom domain or subdomain
Independent versioning and release cycle
Separate analytics and error tracking

Why Micro-Frontends?

Independence

Each app can be updated, rolled back, or rebuilt without affecting any other. When I experiment with a new framework or pattern, I can test it in one app first.

Performance

Small bundles load fast. Most of my tools are under 100KB gzipped. No bloated mega-bundle serving unused code to every visitor.

Learning

Building 100 apps taught me more than building one big one. Each project is a chance to explore a different pattern: MDX blogs, canvas-based tools, real-time dashboards, AI integrations.

The Tech Stack

Every project shares a common foundation:

Next.js 15 with App Router
TypeScript for type safety
Tailwind CSS for styling
Vercel for deployment

But each project is free to add its own dependencies based on its needs.

Key Trade-offs

The Good

Zero cross-app breakage
Deploy in seconds, not minutes
Easy to archive or sunset projects

The Challenging

Shared component libraries require discipline
Authentication must be solved once and reused
Analytics aggregation across 100 domains

What I'd Do Differently

If I started over, I would:

Create a shared design system package from day one
Set up a monorepo with Turborepo earlier
Automate more of the project scaffolding

The Numbers

100 independently deployed apps
9 categories (tools, productivity, content, creative, business, social, AI & data, misc, client work)
~4.5s total build time per app
0 cross-app production incidents

The best architecture is the one that lets you ship consistently. For a solopreneur, that means independence, speed, and the freedom to experiment without fear.