Before getting on pace with the Headless terminology. Let stop by a bit and know why we should choose Headless?

The concept is hardly new but gained importance as it unleashes the potential of the front-end developers to alter and deliver more precise, faster, and responsive user experiences.

The model allows innovation and helps the site owner build a system where they can refresh the design without re-implementing the whole CMS.

General Constructive Base of Headless

• Consider your database is driven by CMS like Opencart which works as an editor and maintains the content of the site with the Opencart default admin interface.
• The content or the data is accessed through the API( generally Rest API).
• The website will consist of a pre-determined Custom front end, fetching the data from the API. The structural framework is designed by various Transcript-based online web applications like Angular, React, or Vue.

This creates an additional layer between the user end and your website.

Why go headless with Opencart?

Being one of the significant eCommerce Platforms, the Opencart platform provides a combination of better flexible, simple, and multi-functional solutions for your eCommerce.

It is a system based on the Model View Controller (MVC) pattern. So, it is effortless to build a decoupled architecture with Opencart, if you have knowledge about PHP and My SQL.

With the user-friendly administration dashboards and all menus straightforward and user-friendly: Catalog, Sales, Extensions, System. This makes this platform ideal for headless websites back end.

So, no need to focus on the design of Opencart. Instead, the focus can be on the REST API that will provide everything that is needed to be loaded on the front end.

Building up custom designing of the home page, product page, and category page, etc as per your needs will be a less effortful job.

Why is Headless Beneficial?

Unleash Design Freedom

The Major benefit of going headless is the freedom to the developers from the complex structural rules of CMS. The developers have full access to constructing the front end for enhanced user experience with the help of native tools.

Faster Responsiveness

The headless site offers a speedier and quicker response. As the application focuses on delivering the data to the end-user that is much faster than assembling a complete formatted response based on the complex CMS rules.

Long Term business

Headless helps you a lot in keeping your strong foot forward always. As it provides rapid updates without hassling with the back-end workflow.

The majority of the websites working over traditional websites provide slower updates as a comparison with the eCommerce giants like Amazon. With the decoupled architecture competitions with giants like Amazon won’t be much difficult.

Enhance User Experience

The User experience is enhanced to a whole new level. The back end is kept save the old school for keeping the data records. But the front end kept dynamic with real-time interaction through the API.

As needs to do shift over time of various customers, but what important is the experience they get across devices(like mobile apps) and channels.

Consider an example of a customer purchasing a mobile phone. If an eCommerce understands the need that the person who buys a mobile phone will need a mobile case or a screen guard and shows similar results over various devices or channels will for sure be a successful eCommerce.

The data for the purchase is already present. The personalized experience which the website provides is a sure-shot win.

Ease to go Omnichannel

With the growth of technology, data needs to be accessed from anywhere and everywhere.

Being in eCommerce means delivering the product, blogs posts through various channels(Web Apps, Progressive Web App, and even through your personal Assist). With headless, there is no need to re-architect to serve across channels.

With the introduction of microservices in the architecture in eCommerce, the world has a lead revolutionary approach to the app.

The complex structure is composed of the micro process which independently communicates with each other APIs.

These micro-processes gave the system a modular approach which is easier to replace since they run in a symmetrical architecture instead of the conventional hierarchical structure( Monolithic structure).

We will be talking more about the microservice potential in eCommerce and Opencart as we will move further.

Again the same question arises Why Microservices? Are there any issues in the Monolithic structure?

Yes, there are some problems that are common in the monolithic structure. Some of them are :

• Not successful for Huge & Complex Sites
• Low Scalability
• Less Reliable
• Low Flexibility

Still not sure whether it will work for your solution? Well, don’t worry. We have provided some primary reasons as to Why Microservices are Beneficial to help you choose the right thing.

Easy build and its maintenance

The concept work on distributing the build into smaller segments that’s what makes it easier to build and maintain. The code is built-in minor chunks which makes it less painful.

Services are implemented in different programming languages, database, and software environments. The maintenance is also pretty easy as the services are independent.

Let us take an example for better understanding, if a microservice is buggy and faces issues like heavy loading then it will not affect the other services and will not influence the entire system and detection and resolution of the issues can be pretty quick.

Higher Business Approach Than Technology

Microservice architecture focuses on building the functionality rather than writing codes. In simpler terms. The development is done around the business functionality not according to the technologies.

This means that the services can be used in multiple ways. The teams are segregated and each member is responsible for a particular service which results in building a smart and independent structure.

Improved Scalability and Flexibility

As we are aware of the fact that the microservices can be written in different technology. With each service working as a separate component, you can easily scale up a single function without scaling the entire application.

They also allow the decoupled services written in different programming languages to also coexist with other fragments.

Optimized Resource Utilization

Carrying out work in a Monolithic system can often be a complicated and messy task. Microservices allow you to optimize resources.

Take an example, suppose you have a big company that wants to build a website with complex functionality.

You can make it build through the monolithic structure which will take up a year or more or you can go by the microservice structure which will simplify the work into small segments and distribute teams accordingly.

Each team will be working on its respective functionality without keeping in mind the complexity of the structure. The independent structures will be formed which will build your website in half the time or even lesser.

But What About Opencart?

Is it necessary to use micro-services for Opencart? Well! If you are building a website for just a small scale with limited requirements then it is highly recommended not to use it.

But if you are a Big Player, then this might be the key to your success.

Making a microservice architecture based on Opencart is a pretty good approach. As the Opencart’s CMS features are pretty basic. So if you are thinking of building something great, then implementation of the microservices will be one you should go for.

As we know the stock level probably changes level more frequently than catalog product prices. Especially if you need to work with exact stock levels rather than just showing “In Stock” or “Out Stock”. This information can be fetched through APIs with microservice structures in real-time.

With the growing technologies, the requirement of going omnichannel is also getting the need of the hour. Though there are many mobile apps for opencart like multi-vendor, hyperlocal, etc. But what about other various channels. Microservices help in accomplishing it.

To establish a good business, there should always be a smooth and shorter workflow. And we all must be familiar with Opencart’s Checkout process which is a lengthy and almost tiresome journey.

But with the micro-services custom checkout page can be built that with the Opencart with Rest APIs. This will skip the lengthy process and provide a faster and efficient checkout.

NOTE: For more information on the headless and Micro-services, you can check the following Benefits Of Headless and Micro-services in eCommerce.

That’s all for  Benefits Of Headless and Micro-services in eCommerce still have any issues feel free to add a ticket and let us know your views to make the module better contact us.