frontonly

Front-only, also known as front-end only, is an open-source, non-profit initiative that seeks to separate concerns and layer applications into specific domains, one of which is the front-end. The main goal is to focus on the user interface and user experience aspects, isolate the presentation logic, and divide the business logic into separate components.

As a design decision, front-only considers the presentation layer as part of the application, which should be handled separately from the business logic and back-end services. This approach aims to create more maintainable, scalable, and testable applications by isolating the front-end from the complex business logic of the back-end.

Front-only advocates for dividing the architecture into three distinct layers: a public front-end layer for what the clients see and interact with; a private back-end layer for the data model, business logic, and persistence; and an integrations layer that manages communication between the layers. By following this separation, developers can work independently on each domain without impacting the others.

Front-only does not imply that business logic should be missing from the front-end, but rather that it should be contained within the application's scope. By keeping the logic isolated to the business domain, the application's front-end can be tested independently of the back-end, allowing for faster testing and debugging processes. Other potential benefits include reducing dependencies between tiers, reducing the complexity of the application, and increasing the resilience to system failures.