What is a monolithic architecture?
What is a monolithic architecture in eCommerce, and how does it work?
A monolithic architecture in eCommerce refers to a single, unified system where all components — frontend (UI), backend (business logic), database, and third-party integrations — are tightly coupled into a single codebase. This means that all functionalities, like product management, order processing, checkout, and customer accounts, are interconnected and deployed as one unit.
When does a monolithic architecture become a bottleneck for growth?
A monolithic architecture becomes a bottleneck if scaling is difficult, updates slow down development, and integrations become complex, limiting flexibility and agility as the business grows. The primary disadvantages of adopting a monolithic architecture include:
- Difficult to Scale: Requires scaling the entire system, even if only one component needs improvement.
- Slow Updates: Changes require redeploying the whole application, leading to downtime.
- Limited Flexibility: Customization is constrained by the platform’s built-in features.
- Vendor Lock-in: Businesses depend heavily on the platform’s ecosystem.
Why can monolithic architecture become a challenge for large-scale eCommerce businesses?
Monolithic architecture limits scalability, slows updates, and makes integrations complex, leading to performance issues and inefficiencies as large-scale eCommerce businesses grow and evolve. Enterprise eCommerce businesses should generally avoid a purely monolithic platform if:
- They plan to scale rapidly and need high flexibility
- Their business requires complex integrations and frequent updates.
- They want to implement omnichannel commerce with multiple front-end experiences.
How do companies transition from a monolithic architecture to a more modular approach?
Companies transition by gradually breaking monolithic systems into microservices, adopting APIs, using a headless or composable commerce approach, and migrating functionalities step-by-step to minimize disruptions.