[Overseas Event Introduction] Headless vs Traditional eCommerce Platforms

Issues with traditional monolithic systems

Many traditional web systems are said to have become huge monoliths.

 

"Monolith" refers to a large, flat boulder found in ruins and other sites. Here, it refers to a system that packs everything into one large entity.

 

There are usually the following problems with such systems:

 

Lack of Flexibility

Even just changing a few modules can have a big impact on the entire system. In other words, it cannot quickly respond to changes in needs.

Slow Website

In an architecture that covers everything with one device, you cannot take advantage of modern CDN functions. If algorithms such as Google's Core Web Vitals change to prioritize speed, slow websites will not be able to keep up.

Security Issues

Only one defect can cause service interruption. This is a major security risk.

Designed with desktop in mind

Due to the operation of legacy systems, many are designed for desktop use. The concept of mobile-first has not yet been widely adopted.

High Price

When trying to put everything on a good server, unnecessary features and specs are also implemented, resulting in high costs.

 

In fact, many current services and web applications are facing this problem.

So, how can we address these issues?

Let's take a look at the solution!

Solutions brought by the Jamstack philosophy

To solve these problems, modularization is necessary.

 

In other words, we will dismantle the monolith and divide it skillfully.

We reduce the dependencies of each service by dividing them into small units and connecting them loosely.

 

This is exactly the philosophy of Jamstack.

 

Commerce Layer is designing the architecture of its services based on the above philosophy.

 

Please see the image below.

 

For example, we use Headless CMS for inventory management. It is linked with a static site generator. The generated site is delivered through a CDN.

 

Commerce Layer, which is the core of our service, is connected through APIs. Information such as inventory reference, checkout, and customer account management is retrieved through CDN.

 

 

On the right side of the figure, there are other services to refer to.

 

For example, in order to expand e-commerce globally, a tax calculation system tailored to each region is necessary. By loosely coupling and referencing various tax calculation services, a simple architecture can be maintained.

You can reference legacy systems like CRM without creating unnecessary dependencies.

 

As a result, the following can be achieved.

 

• Excellent Flexibility
• Affordable and easily scalable
• Security through loose coupling
• Omnichannel Design
• Future prospects

Summary

Visit the Commerce Layer website to see how they are trying to achieve e-commerce in a way that overturns the traditional concept of decoupling monoliths.

When trying to expand services to multiple languages and regions within the same brand or shopping site, the following challenges may arise:

 

• Different methods of calculating taxes
• The method of automatically sending orders to delivery companies and managing them also differs.

 

It becomes very complicated when trying to incorporate everything into the traditional monolithic system.

Even if it somehow starts working, it will become a terrifying system where we can only hope that no one will make any more changes...

In fact, there are countless such systems in the world.

 

When considering this, global e-commerce can be seen as a field where the advantages of Jamstack can be maximized.

 

However, achieving this loose coupling requires extremely detailed design.

It is very encouraging that one ideal form in Jamstack is achieved by the developers who challenge it boldly.

 

Thank you for reading until the end.

 

Human Science Co., Ltd. offers unique solutions for web content and platforms using the combination of "document creation know-how" and "the latest web development technology (Jamstack)" that other companies do not have.

If you are interested, please contact us here!

Human Science Co., Ltd.

https://www.science.co.jp/document/jamstack.html

 

Source of this document: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FAStwFFZKE&t=187