Why Your Team Should Start Using Nx (Nx Workspace)

If you’re working on a modern JavaScript or TypeScript project, especially in a team environment, you’ve likely heard of Nx (Nx Workspace). Nx is a powerful build system and monorepo tool that helps teams manage and scale their codebases efficiently. I was introduced to Nx while working at Espit Europe GmbH, and it completely transformed how we approached development. In this post, I’ll explain why your team should start using Nx, along with some practical use cases and examples.

What is Nx?

Nx is a smart, extensible build system that provides first-class support for monorepos. It helps you manage multiple projects (apps and libraries) within a single repository, while providing tools for:

• Code sharing and reuse
• Dependency graph visualization
• Automated code generation
• Caching for faster builds
• Consistent tooling across projects

Nx is framework-agnostic, meaning it works seamlessly with Angular, React, Next.js, Node.js, and more. It’s designed to improve developer productivity and streamline collaboration in teams.

Why Should Your Team Use Nx?

Here are some compelling reasons to adopt Nx in your team:

1. Monorepo Management Made Easy

• Nx simplifies the management of multiple projects in a single repository. Instead of maintaining separate repositories for each project, you can keep everything in one place.
• Example: At Espit Europe GmbH, we had multiple frontend and backend applications. With Nx, we could manage them all in a single monorepo, making it easier to share code and enforce consistency.

2. Code Sharing and Reusability

• Nx encourages the creation of shared libraries, which can be reused across multiple applications. This reduces duplication and ensures consistency.
• Example: We created a shared ui-components library that was used across our React and Angular apps. Any updates to the library were immediately available to all apps.

3. Dependency Graph Visualization

• Nx provides a dependency graph that visually represents the relationships between projects and libraries. This helps you understand how changes in one part of the codebase might affect others.
• Example: When refactoring a shared library, we used the dependency graph to identify all the apps that depended on it, ensuring we didn’t break anything.

4. Automated Code Generation

• Nx comes with powerful code generators that automate the creation of components, services, libraries, and more. This saves time and ensures consistency across the codebase.
• Example: We used Nx generators to quickly scaffold new React components and Node.js APIs, reducing boilerplate code and speeding up development.

5. Caching for Faster Builds

• Nx uses a distributed caching mechanism to speed up builds and tests. If a project or library hasn’t changed, Nx skips rebuilding it, saving valuable time.
• Example: Our CI/CD pipeline became significantly faster because Nx only rebuilt the parts of the monorepo that had changed.

6. Consistent Tooling

• Nx provides a consistent set of tools and configurations for linting, testing, and building across all projects in the monorepo. This eliminates the need to set up and maintain separate configurations for each project.
• Example: We enforced consistent ESLint and Prettier rules across all apps and libraries, ensuring high code quality.

7. Scalability

• Nx is designed to scale with your team and codebase. Whether you’re working on a small project or a large enterprise application, Nx can handle it.
• Example: As our team grew and the number of projects increased, Nx helped us maintain a clean and organized codebase.

Real-World Use Cases for Nx

Here are some scenarios where Nx shines:

1. Full-Stack Development

• Nx is perfect for full-stack development, where you have both frontend and backend projects in the same repository.
• Example: At Espit Europe GmbH, we used Nx to manage a React frontend and a Node.js backend. The shared libraries allowed us to reuse types, utilities, and even validation logic across both.

2. Micro-Frontends

• If you’re building micro-frontends, Nx can help you manage multiple frontend apps and their shared dependencies.
• Example: We had multiple React apps that shared a common authentication library. Nx made it easy to manage and update the shared library.

3. Enterprise Applications

• For large enterprise applications with multiple teams, Nx provides a structured way to organize and collaborate on code.
• Example: Different teams at Espit Europe GmbH worked on separate apps and libraries, but Nx ensured that everything worked together seamlessly.

4. Open Source Projects

• If you’re maintaining an open-source project with multiple packages, Nx can simplify the development and release process.
• Example: We used Nx to manage a suite of related open-source libraries, making it easy to version and publish them.

Getting Started with Nx

Ready to give Nx a try? Here’s how you can get started:

1. Install Nx:

   npx create-nx-workspace@latest

2. Add Projects Use Nx generators to create apps and libraries:

   nx g @nx/react:app my-app
   nx g @nx/js:lib shared-utils

3. Visualize the Dependency Graph Run the following command to see the dependency graph:

   nx graph

4. Run Tasks Use Nx to run tasks like building, testing, and linting:

   nx build my-app
   nx test shared-utils

Conclusion

Nx is a game-changer for teams looking to improve productivity, maintainability, and scalability in their projects. Whether you’re working on a small team or a large enterprise application, Nx provides the tools and structure you need to succeed.