Unraveling the Pitfalls of iFrames: Why iFrames shouldn’t Be your Go-To choice

When we like to integrate with third party applications and enrich the user experience, we are tempted to use iFrame and get things done quick.

iFrames, though a common choice for embedding content on websites, can pose several architectural challenges. In this blog post, we’ll explore the reasons why you should reconsider using iFrames, including security risks, lack of control, performance issues, accessibility concerns, SEO implications, and more.

Security Risks

• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): iFrames are susceptible to XSS attacks. Malicious scripts can be injected into an iframe, potentially compromising user data and security.

Lack of Control

• Limited Styling and Customization: iFrames are often difficult to style and customize to match the parent page’s design, leading to a disjointed user experience.

Performance Issues

• Slower Page Load Times: Embedding external content in iFrames can slow down page load times, negatively affecting user experience.

Accessibility Concerns

• Accessibility Compliance: Ensuring that content within iFrames is accessible can be challenging, creating obstacles for users with disabilities.

SEO Implications

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Content within iFrames may not be indexed effectively by search engines, potentially harming your website’s visibility.

User Experience

• Scrolling and Responsiveness: iFrames often introduce scrollbars and can disrupt the overall user experience. Responsive design can be challenging.

Compatibility Issues

• Browser Compatibility: iFrames may not display consistently across all browsers and devices, leading to a fragmented user experience.

Limited Interactivity

• Communication Barriers: Interaction between the parent page and content within an iframe can be complex, hindering a seamless user experience.

Big Tech Companies Avoidance

• Best Practices: Large tech companies, such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, tend to avoid iFrames due to the aforementioned issues, opting for more modern and secure methods.

Alternative Solutions

• Consider more modern and secure methods for achieving similar functionality, such as API integration with backend, reusable Web Components like ReactJS components that can them or use server-side rendering. We should do this only if we like to have the other application as deeply integrated application of the base application
• However if we think deeper, we can build a lot of flexible application architecture if we have them as separate application, since they have separate responsibilities. Think of how google drive takes user to google sheet in a separate tab and user can any time go back to google drive. Observe the google sheet is not implemented as an embedded iFrame application in google drive. We could add header and footer to the secondary application & provide nagivation to primary application. We could redirect the user to the secondary application when needed and bring them back to primary application.