Angular Framework Development
Managing the Angular monorepo with dozens of interconnected packages. Coordinating releases across the framework, CLI, language service, and dev tools. Comprehensive testing with intelligent caching across the entire ecosystem.
Internal Developer Platforms
Building and maintaining large TypeScript monorepos for internal tools. Sharing component libraries across teams, enforcing module boundaries, and automating updates with Nx migrations across hundreds of packages.
Network Management Dashboards
Complex dashboard applications with shared visualization components. Micro-frontend architecture with clear domain boundaries, consistent design systems, and coordinated releases across networking products.
Logistics Platform Development
Customer-facing tracking applications with shared business logic between web and mobile. Enforced architectural boundaries between domains with affected-only testing in CI pipelines.
What Nx Engineers Actually Build
Before writing your job description, understand why companies adopt Nx and what developers actually do with it:
Enterprise Application Development
Google uses Nx for Angular framework development:
- Managing the Angular monorepo with dozens of packages
- Coordinating releases across framework, CLI, and tooling
- Running comprehensive test suites with intelligent caching
- Generating consistent code across the ecosystem
Microsoft leverages Nx for internal developer tooling:
- Managing large TypeScript monorepos with hundreds of packages
- Sharing component libraries across teams and products
- Ensuring consistent code quality with enforced module boundaries
- Automating updates when dependencies or patterns change
Large-Scale Frontend Platforms
Cisco uses Nx for their networking management applications:
- Building complex dashboards with shared visualization components
- Managing micro-frontend architecture with clear boundaries
- Coordinating releases across interconnected applications
- Maintaining consistent design systems company-wide
FedEx adopted Nx for logistics platform development:
- Managing customer-facing tracking applications
- Sharing business logic between web and mobile teams
- Enforcing architectural boundaries between domains
- Running affected-only tests in CI to speed up delivery
Understanding the Nx Ecosystem
To evaluate Nx candidates effectively, you need to understand what makes Nx different from simpler build tools:
Core Nx Concepts
| Concept | Description | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace | A repository containing multiple projects (apps/libs) | Foundation of all Nx development |
| Project Graph | Dependency relationships between all projects | Enables affected commands and caching |
| Computation Caching | Storing and reusing task outputs | Build times drop from minutes to seconds |
| Generators | Code scaffolding tools that create consistent code | Enforces patterns across large teams |
| Executors | Task runners for build, test, lint, etc. | Consistent task execution across projects |
| Plugins | Framework integrations (React, Angular, Node, etc.) | Pre-configured tooling for your stack |
The Nx Plugin Architecture
Nx's plugin system is its key differentiator. Each plugin provides:
- Generators: Create applications, libraries, components, services
- Executors: Run framework-specific tasks (build, test, serve)
- Migrations: Automatically update code when upgrading versions
- Defaults: Preconfigured build tools, testing, and linting
Popular plugins include:
- @nx/react: React apps with Webpack/Vite, Jest, Cypress
- @nx/angular: Angular with full framework integration
- @nx/node: Node.js applications and libraries
- @nx/next: Next.js with SSR/SSG support
- @nx/nest: NestJS backend applications
- @nx/js: Pure JavaScript/TypeScript libraries
Nx vs Turborepo: What Recruiters Need to Know
The two major players in JavaScript monorepo tooling have different philosophies:
Nx (Nrwl)
- Philosophy: Full-featured monorepo platform
- Complexity: More configuration, more capabilities
- Generators: Extensive scaffolding for consistent code
- Plugins: Rich ecosystem with framework integrations
- Migrations: Automated code updates on version changes
- Learning curve: 1-2 weeks for basics, months to master
- Best for: Enterprise teams needing comprehensive tooling
Turborepo (Vercel)
- Philosophy: Minimal configuration, task running focused
- Complexity: Simpler setup, fewer features
- Generators: None built-in
- Plugins: Limited ecosystem
- Migrations: None (manual updates)
- Learning curve: Days to master
- Best for: Teams wanting monorepo caching without heavy tooling
| Aspect | Nx | Turborepo |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 1-2 hours | 30 minutes |
| Configuration | Extensive (project.json, nx.json) | Minimal (turbo.json) |
| Code generators | Comprehensive | None |
| Plugin ecosystem | 50+ official/community plugins | Limited |
| Dependency graph UI | Visual editor in browser | Basic CLI output |
| Module boundaries | Lint rules enforce architecture | Manual enforcement |
| Automated migrations | nx migrate updates code |
Manual updates |
| Remote caching | Nx Cloud (free tier available) | Vercel Remote Cache |
| IDE integration | VS Code extension with graph | Basic |
| Distributed execution | Nx Agents | None |
What this means for hiring:
- Nx experience demonstrates comfort with enterprise tooling
- Turborepo experience transfers to Nx (narrower to broader)
- Nx experience easily transfers to Turborepo (broader to narrower)
- Both require understanding monorepo fundamentals
The Modern Nx Developer (2024-2026)
Core Responsibilities
Nx developers typically handle:
Workspace Architecture
- Designing project structure (apps/, libs/, tools/)
- Defining module boundaries and dependency rules
- Creating shared libraries for maximum code reuse
- Configuring build pipelines for optimal caching
Code Generation & Scaffolding
- Using and customizing generators for consistent code
- Creating workspace-specific generators for team patterns
- Maintaining generator templates as requirements evolve
- Training teams on generator usage
Build & CI Optimization
- Configuring Nx Cloud for remote caching
- Setting up affected commands in CI pipelines
- Optimizing task dependencies for parallelization
- Implementing distributed task execution for large codebases
Migration & Maintenance
- Running Nx migrations when upgrading versions
- Updating custom code when framework patterns change
- Maintaining consistency across hundreds of projects
- Deprecating and removing unused libraries safely
Required Foundation Skills
Nx is a platform—the real skills are underneath:
- TypeScript mastery: Complex types, module systems, build outputs
- Build tools knowledge: Webpack, Vite, esbuild configuration
- Testing expertise: Jest, Vitest, Cypress, Playwright
- CI/CD proficiency: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps
- Architecture thinking: Domain boundaries, dependency management
Recruiter's Cheat Sheet: Spotting Great Candidates
Conversation Starters That Reveal Skill Level
| Question | Junior Answer | Senior Answer |
|---|---|---|
| "How does Nx know which projects to rebuild?" | "It checks if files changed" | "The project graph tracks dependencies. Nx hashes inputs—source files, dependencies, executor config—and only runs tasks where inputs changed. Affected commands trace the graph from changed files to all dependent projects." |
| "When would you create a library vs keep code in the app?" | "When you want to share it" | "Three rules: 1) Shared by 2+ apps, 2) Independently testable domain logic, 3) Enforce architectural boundaries. Libraries also improve build caching since unchanged libs skip builds entirely." |
| "How do you enforce architecture in a large monorepo?" | "Code reviews" | "Module boundary rules via @nx/enforce-module-boundaries. Tag projects by domain/type, define allowed dependencies in nx.json. CI fails if someone imports across forbidden boundaries." |
Resume Signals That Matter
✅ Look for:
- Specific scale indicators ("managed 100+ library monorepo", "cut CI time by 70%")
- Experience with Nx Cloud and distributed task execution
- Generator creation and customization experience
- Module boundary enforcement and architecture design
- Migration from other tools (Lerna, Rush, polyrepo)
- Contributions to team developer experience
🚫 Be skeptical of:
- "Nx expert" after only running
nx generatecommands - No mention of workspace architecture or caching benefits
- Only used Nx because the project already had it
- Can't explain project graph or affected commands
- Claims without complexity or scale indicators
GitHub Portfolio Signals
Strong indicators:
- Well-structured workspace with clear apps/libs separation
- Custom generators for workspace-specific patterns
- Module boundary tags with consistent naming conventions
- CI configuration using affected commands
- nx.json with thoughtful caching configuration
Red flags:
- Single app with no libraries (not leveraging Nx)
- No module boundary enforcement
- Only default configuration, no customization
- Missing proper TypeScript project references
- Circular dependencies between libraries
Skills to Look For: By Experience Level
Junior Nx Developer
Must demonstrate:
- Basic Nx CLI usage (generate, build, test, serve)
- Understanding of apps vs libraries structure
- Running affected commands for targeted builds
- Following established generator patterns
Ask: "Walk me through creating a new shared library in Nx."
Mid-Level Nx Developer
Must demonstrate:
- Workspace configuration and optimization
- Custom generator creation and maintenance
- Module boundary rules and tag systems
- CI pipeline optimization with Nx commands
- Nx Cloud setup and cache management
Ask: "How would you design the library structure for a new product with 3 apps sharing authentication and UI components?"
Senior Nx Developer
Must demonstrate:
- Enterprise workspace architecture design
- Custom executor creation for specialized tasks
- Migration strategies for large codebases
- Distributed task execution configuration
- Cross-team standards and governance
- Performance debugging and optimization
Ask: "Walk me through migrating a 50-app polyrepo to an Nx monorepo. What's your strategy?"
Common Hiring Mistakes
1. Requiring Nx Experience for Monorepo Roles
The mistake: Filtering for "3+ years Nx experience" in job requirements.
Reality: Nx concepts transfer from any monorepo tool. Developers with Lerna, Rush, Bazel, or even Turborepo experience understand the core patterns. Nx-specific features like generators take weeks to learn, not years.
Better approach: Require "monorepo or multi-package repository experience" and assess understanding of dependency graphs, caching, and workspace architecture.
2. Expecting DevOps Skills Alongside Nx
The mistake: Assuming Nx developers handle Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, and deployment pipelines.
Reality: Nx is developer tooling for JavaScript/TypeScript. While it intersects with CI/CD, it's fundamentally about build optimization and code organization, not infrastructure. Some seniors have both skills, but it's two different specialties.
Better approach: Be clear about whether you need build tooling expertise (Nx) or broader platform engineering. If both, budget accordingly.
3. Undervaluing Generator Experience
The mistake: Treating generators as "nice to have" rather than core Nx value.
Reality: Generators are how teams maintain consistency at scale. A senior Nx developer who can create workspace-specific generators saves hundreds of hours of manual work and code review. This is a force-multiplier skill.
Better approach: Ask candidates about generator creation, customization, and how they've used generators to enforce team patterns.
4. Ignoring the Migration Complexity
The mistake: Assuming any developer can "add Nx to our repo."
Reality: Nx adoption in an existing codebase requires careful planning: package boundaries, shared configuration, CI pipeline updates, team training. For large codebases, this is a multi-month initiative requiring architecture experience.
Better approach: If monorepo adoption is the goal, hire for architecture and migration experience, not just tool familiarity.