Having a BFF and Integration Service Practices

Community Best Practices & Tutorials
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:puzzle_piece: Thoughts on Having a BFF and Integration Service

:light_bulb: 1. What Each Layer Does

:brain: BFF (Backend for Frontend)

A BFF acts as a thin API layer sitting directly between your frontend (web, mobile, etc.) and your backend microservices or integrations.

Main role:

  • Tailor responses specifically for a UI or client type.

  • Orchestrate multiple backend calls into one response.

  • Abstract complex backend logic from the frontend.

So your frontend never needs to know where the actual services live or how to talk to them — it just calls the BFF.

:link: Integration Service

This layer connects to:

  • Internal services

  • Third-party APIs

  • Legacy systems

It’s the plumbing — handling all those “talk-to-other-systems” jobs, so the BFF stays focused on presentation logic instead of integration complexity.

:gear: 2. Why This Architecture Makes Sense

Benefit Description
:puzzle_piece: Separation of Concerns The BFF handles API orchestration & client formatting; the Integration layer handles all external or cross-domain system calls.
:rocket: Frontend Simplicity Your UI only knows one endpoint — the BFF. It doesn’t care about API versions or microservice changes.
:locked: Security and Control You can handle auth, rate limiting, and request validation centrally in the BFF.
:toolbox: Consistency in Data Contracts All frontend calls pass through one format; easier to maintain, log, and evolve.
:brain: Scalability and Maintainability Integration layer can be reused by multiple BFFs (e.g., WebBFF, MobileBFF).
:man_standing: Reduced Frontend Coupling Frontend doesn’t break if backend API contracts change; BFF adapts.

:gear: 3. About the Reusable HTTP Method
Having a reusable HTTP method where you send the method, object, headers — and make all calls to the BFF a POST method instead of GET/PUT — then let the BFF/Intergration handle the rest.
E.g:

image
image475Ă—146 7.7 KB

image
image723Ă—780 28.5 KB

image
image717Ă—761 28.3 KB

image
image727Ă—446 10.3 KB

This helps with API response standardization.
Centralized Request Handling

  • All HTTP headers, authentication, retries, and error formatting happen in one place.

    Network & Security Benefits

  • You can keep everything behind a single endpoint (less surface area exposed).

  • POST requests are less likely to be cached or intercepted by browsers/CDNs compared to GETs — useful for sensitive business operations.

Cleaner Integration Layer

  • The BFF becomes the “traffic controller” between your UI and backend services.

  • You can easily add new backend integrations or modify existing ones without impacting

:speech_balloon: 4. Real-World Benefits You’d See

  • :receipt: Cleaner API boundaries between frontend and backend.

  • :counterclockwise_arrows_button: Easier to replace or refactor backend services without breaking UI.

  • :locked: Centralized security and logging.

  • :gear: Reusable HTTP call utility across multiple apps (e.g., Web & Mobile).

:compass: Takeaway

A BFF + Integration Service setup creates a modular, future-proof architecture.

Thanks for reading the post.
How are you doing the services in your project?? ….Looking forward to hearing from you :grinning_face:

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