Composable architecture — should I be exploring it further?

Merriam-Webster defines composable as “capable of being composed,” which is pretty vague when you try to put the adjective in context with the word “architecture.”

This article will break down what the tech industry means by the term composable architecture, the kinds of tech it needs and the advantages of using this type of setup for your tech stack.

The basics of composable architecture

What is composable architecture?
Types of composable architecture
The advantages of composable architecture
Challenges with composable architecture

What is composable architecture?

Composable architecture is based on the concept of creating software systems from small, independent components that can be combined to create a full system.

This modular design approach allows developers to easily reuse code and components, saving them time and money. Large applications can also be scaled and maintained more easily with a composable architecture.

A composable architecture comprises several modular parts (microservices, headless applications, or PBCs) that are simple to assemble and tailor to the unique requirements of each business. The technical term "composable architecture" concerning commerce technology refers to an ecommerce stack that enables businesses to better manage and customize their online stores.

This architecture offers businesses high flexibility and scalability, making it the perfect choice for them. With composable architecture's high extensibility, businesses can easily add new features and functionality as their needs change.

With composable commerce, you can select the top technologies for your ecommerce ecosystem. Through API integration, the software can effortlessly interface with other system components without interfering with already-existing functionality or adding to the workload of developers.

What is API?

An application programming interface (API) is a collection of subroutine definitions, protocols, and tools used to create software. Minimizing system dependencies by segmenting components into small, independent modules is a fundamental tenet of composable architecture. These modules' interfaces and the guidelines governing their interaction are defined by an API.

Modules can be changed or replaced with different implementations by conforming to clearly specified APIs without affecting the rest of the system.
The flexibility and modularity that characterize composable design are greatly facilitated by APIs.

Source: Cleveroad

Types of composable architecture

The two primary architectural approaches when employing APIs are service-oriented and microservices architecture, both of which are composable and modular.

Microservice architecture

A microservice architecture allows for the division of an application into smaller, autonomous components. At first look, this strategy may appear to be very complicated since the individual building pieces are frequently so small that accomplishing a task may require asking for information from multiple sources.

Developers can now make use of the various benefits of microservice architecture because communication between the individual elements has become efficient as a result of composite APIs:

upgrading each individual component and more
the simplicity of testing maintenance
working on individual components apart from the others

Service-oriented architecture (SOA)

In an SOA. the various features are separated into discrete services that are made available across a network in a service-oriented architecture. Using APIs, different standalone functional building components can cooperate with each other. The diagram below gives a better understanding of what a service-oriented infrastructure could look like.

Example of a SOA composable infrastructure

The advantages of composable architecture

Composable design for ecommerce has a wide range of advantages. Designing, launching, and growing separate portions of an Ecommerce system is significantly simpler when the various components are decoupled from one another. This may lead to increased productivity and significant cost savings.

Using traditional IT infrastructure and becoming agile have been major obstacles for many organizations. However, composable design leads to better connectivity between private data centers, which can make businesses more effective in the face of digital transformation and more resilient in the event of a disaster.

It will be feasible not only to maintain crucial business processes during downtime but also to improve them thanks to this solution's availability on an enterprise scale across numerous enterprises.

Because of the dynamic nature of a composable or modular digital architecture, you can quickly roll out new services without waiting weeks or months for the next deployment cycle to start.

A composable architecture also makes it simple to include new technologies and services as they become accessible. This enables ecommerce organizations to swiftly benefit from advancements and keep their systems current with the newest trends.

A composable architecture has various benefits that might help ecommerce businesses overall.

Any technology that is appropriate for your organization can be used to run composable architecture. A virtual machine or a cloud-native platform are both acceptable. You gain greater agility, resilience, and quicker service delivery as a result.
Because composable architecture is broken up into different components that you can plug in or out, your firm can scale both up and down without any noticeable hiccups. This offers lots of versatility.
The software-defined templates provided by composable architecture make system updates and modifications easier without requiring updating all features. It avoids delays and keeps your store's operations running smoothly.
Composable architecture is more adaptable than conventional infrastructures. It uses cutting-edge automation and software to find and fix problems with hardware assets.
Businesses may maintain their systems current with the newest trends by having the capacity to quickly integrate new technology.
Businesses can save money and increase their productivity by making it simpler to create, install, and grow ecommerce systems.

Challenges with composable architecture

Security is one of the biggest problems with this solution. Everything has advantages and disadvantages, and ensuring that your solution can withstand one of many possible failures is important. For example: if a checkout solution has four components, it should maintain its functionality even if one of them fails or is compromised.

Working with multiple vendors can have an impact on management as well. The number of vendors should be kept to a minimum according to what your employees can handle. The items you include in your composable solution are crucial.

Headless CMSs can be an example of this due to the numerous flaws in headless systems. (Note: Acro Commerce has an amazing solution to this problem, ask us about it.) Marketers, editors and content creators are unhappy when these functions are transferred to developers or hard-coded into a solution.

What distinguishes composable architecture from traditional digital architecture?

Organizations typically spend money on technology to store and manage particular single-domain data (CMS, PIM, CRM, etc). These systems frequently utilize outdated legacy technology. As a result, information becomes locked up in separate systems of recordkeeping.

Delivering a fantastic and cohesive customer experience at the front end is becoming more and more challenging for businesses due to the fragmented data landscape.

In this system, coming up with fresh ideas and experiences necessitates continuously starting from scratch. It's time-consuming and frequently highly expensive. Your marketing and digital teams are also hemmed in, making it impossible for them to innovate or alter quickly enough to accommodate shifting consumer behaviour.

What makes composable architecture the best option for growing digital commerce?

The only way to ensure long-term sustainability in the current environment is to adopt a digital-first mindset, placing customer experience and contextual relevance at the center of your marketing.

Going composable is the way to go for businesses that want to move quickly and become flexible. However, the biggest problem with a composable is that data is dispersed all over.

Conclusion

Composable architecture is a strong foundation for building testable, scalable, and modular applications. It enables you to combine simple, reusable components to create complex applications. You may create adaptable and flexible systems by using a composable architecture. Organizations need to be able to adjust their systems to deal with new possibilities and problems since they are always changing and evolving.

If you are interested in learning more about a composable digital commerce architecture solution, our team would be happy to have a no-obligation chat. Reach out any time, and we will be happy to discuss your project.