Backends for Frontends
BFF
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
BFF (Backends for Frontends) means each frontend gets its own custom backend. The mobile app gets a backend optimized for small payloads. The web app gets one optimized for rich data. Instead of one API that disappoints everyone equally, each client gets exactly what it needs.
Real Talk
An architectural pattern where separate backend services are created for each frontend application (web, mobile, IoT). Each BFF aggregates, transforms, and optimizes API responses specifically for its client's needs, avoiding the 'one size fits all' API problem and reducing over/under-fetching.
When You'll Hear This
"The mobile BFF strips out the heavy HTML content and returns just the data the app needs." / "Each frontend team owns their BFF — they can change the API without coordinating with other teams."
Related Terms
API Composition
API composition is when one service calls several other services and smooshes the results together into one response.
API Gateway
An API Gateway is the front door for all your APIs.
GraphQL
GraphQL is like ordering food where YOU specify exactly what you want on your plate.
Microservice
Microservices is an architecture where instead of one big app, you have many tiny apps that each do one thing.