Backend for Frontend (BFF)
A dedicated backend service tailored for a specific frontend (mobile, web, TV). Each frontend gets an API shaped to its exact needs instead of sharing one generic API.
What is Backend for Frontend (BFF)?
A dedicated backend service tailored for a specific frontend (mobile, web, TV). Each frontend gets an API shaped to its exact needs instead of sharing one generic API.
Backend for Frontend (BFF) is a intermediate-level concept that sits in the Microservices Architecture area of system design. Engineers reach for it whenever they need to reason about real-world trade-offs in that space — not just for textbook correctness, but because real production systems at companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google make these decisions every day.
If you want to go deeper than this definition — with diagrams, code, and a quiz to lock it in — work through the "Backend for Frontend (BFF)" lesson linked below. It walks through the why, the mechanism, the trade-offs, and how the giants actually use it in production.
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Full interactive lesson with diagrams, code examples, real-world references, and a quiz.
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See also
Related glossary terms you might want to look up next.
API Gateway
A single entry point for all client requests that routes them to the appropriate microservice. Handles auth, rate limiting, and request transformation.
Microservices
An architecture where an application is split into small, independent services that communicate over the network. Each service owns its own data and can be deployed separately.
GraphQL
A query language for APIs where the client specifies exactly what data it needs. No over-fetching, no under-fetching. One endpoint to rule them all.