he e-commerce market is evolving rapidly and companies are looking for flexible and scalable technology solutions to meet changing consumer demands. This is evidenced by the growing popularity of MACH architecture, which is revolutionising the way companies design and develop their sales platforms. Is it likely to become the new standard in e-commerce and what are the benefits of implementing it? Magdalena Limanówka-Kuciel, CTO of Strix, will answer these questions and more in an interview.
What exactly is MACH?
‘MACH’ is an acronym for Microservices, API-First, Cloud-Native and Headless, a collection of different technologies and solutions used in e-commerce, but also other industries.
And it may sound controversial, but these technologies are nothing new. Microservices have been used for a long time, the same as has Headless. What is changing, is the definition of this approach, as it is now much broader. Today, MACH is not just about technologies, but a way of thinking about business strategy, systems architecture, design and development in organisations.
How is MACH changing companies’ business approach?
The aim of software development is to meet business needs. Until a few years ago, the focus was not so much on optimising the individual solutions within a system, but instead operated within one large system, the so-called monolith. Monolithic systems can be compared to one large block that can be modified, but always within the same environment. When changes are needed, they are extremely costly, time-consuming and usually involve a huge revolution. Today, things are a little different, because at some point someone came up with the idea of evolution instead of revolution, i.e. gradual, deliberate changes within selected components of the system.
For example, we have a search engine in every online shop. So instead of building a new one for each project, why not use a ready-made solution? Someone has already created it and we can purchase a licence and integrate it. This is how off-the-shelf products have appeared on the market. With them, businesses can reduce costs in areas that are not crucial to their competitive advantage and optimise their processes. But this is what you need the right technology for.
What are the limitations of monoliths compared to modular architecture?
The limitations of monolithic systems are mainly due to the fact that everything in them is interconnected. We can optimise such a system, but all the time we are operating within one big ‘block’, which generates many challenges. In order to change something in such a solution, a huge effort is needed to adapt the whole to the new requirements. In a monolithic system, changing one element can affect the entire infrastructure, making any modification complex, risky and expensive.
Microservices, which are one of the key components of MACH, work differently. Each component of the system is independent, meaning that we can only make changes in one area without affecting the others. This is a huge amount of flexibility. We can choose the best tools available on the market and integrate them into our system, without having to rebuild the entire infrastructure. We can replace or upgrade individual components, which allows us to introduce changes and innovations quickly, without the high costs and the risks that modifying a monolith would bring.
Does the company have to switch completely to MACH or can it maintain a monolithic system at the same time?
The hybrid approach is a natural transition phase. It's not like one day we decide on MACH and the next day we have the architecture ready. More often, we start by upgrading the most key elements rather than the whole system straight away. This minimises the risk of errors and at the same time ensures the benefits of the new approach.
It is also worth being aware of the business value and technological quality of the systems available in the company. This is necessary in order to decide which ones to upgrade, replace with a ready-made solution or remove altogether. The transition to a MACH architecture is therefore a project for years, requiring not only technical knowledge and competence, but also a change in the way the organisation thinks about process management.
How does the implementation of a modular architecture affect the organisation's costs?
During the transition, as we maintain both the old system and implement new solutions, costs may be higher. However, this is a transitional phase. As we gradually cut out elements from the old system and replace them with modern solutions, the old system becomes less and less relevant, until eventually it can be switched off completely. This is a process that gradually reduces the costs associated with maintaining the old system, while increasing flexibility and growth opportunities with new technologies.
Rather than investing a huge amount of money in a complete system replacement, which involves a lot of risk, we can work incrementally, optimising costs and getting a return on investment earlier in the transformation. In the end, the sum total of the maintenance costs of modern modular systems may be the same, but in the long run we will gain greater scalability, stability and more functional capabilities.
For whom will the MACH approach work best? Is every company able to implement this architecture?
MACH is definitely not a solution for every company, especially for smaller businesses, as it can be expensive at the beginning. Besides, we as a partner and e-commerce agency are not able to do the implementation ourselves - we need commitment on the client side. We do not expect everyone to be an expert in MACH at the start, but it is important that they are open-minded and technologically aware. This is crucial as the solutions are quite complex and require investment, both in time and money. You also need to build a team that will be ambassadors for these changes on the client side. Once the systems are in place, employees need to learn how to use them and understand what role they play in the business context. Implementing MACH therefore requires not only tools and technology, but also training and support for employees. Consequently, the company must feel ready for such a transformation.
If an organisation is just starting to build its online platform and is not yet ready to implement a MACH architecture, my advice would be to use SaaS solutions right from the start. Their huge advantage is that they can be easily integrated with other systems and thus scale the platform based on further components. This type of architecture is close to the MACH approach.
How to prepare the company to implement MACH architecture?
I would start by examining the competence of the team we already have. Change tends to provoke resistance, so this is something we need to take into account. So it is worth checking what kind of attitude employees have towards change and if maybe someone in the team is already interested in the subject. The ideal scenario would be to find someone inside the organisation, because such a person knows the company, the processes and the needs very well. Unfortunately, in my experience, this is rarely possible because people who have worked in one environment for years get used to what they know and find it difficult to accept change. This is why external consultants or technology partners are most often used to support companies in the transformation.
Where to look for reliable knowledge about MACH?
Here I have to mention the MACH Alliance, an organisation that actively promotes and educates about MACH architecture, providing a great deal of material to support companies in their transformation. It also offers certification opportunities, which I recently took advantage of by gaining certificates - MACH Mindset and Modern Technology with MACH. The MACH Alliance also organises a plenty of events where you can listen to case studies of implementations from companies such as Ikea and Lego and learn about the process from the inside out. One such event is MACH Four, which will take place next year (2025) in Chicago, where companies' experiences of technology transformation will be discussed. I heartily recommend attendance to anyone interested in this topic.
Will MACH therefore be the new standard in e-commerce?
In large organisations, MACH is already becoming standard, especially in industries that have to react dynamically to market changes. In the future, I expect this approach to become even more common, even in smaller companies. They also can benefit from the MACH approach by choosing off-the-shelf SaaS products that are simple to integrate and scalable. Of course, WordPress will continue to be popular, but in an e-commerce context, more and more small businesses will choose platforms such as Shopify, for example. This way of thinking will therefore become more and more present in young organisations.
At this point, we already know how to implement a distributed architecture, integrating many different systems. However, the real challenge is to maintain it, monitor it and manage its security. This is where artificial intelligence and technologies such as machine learning can play a huge role. No-code and low-code solutions, which greatly simplify the application development process, are also becoming increasingly popular. Thus, I think we will move towards automation, which can address the challenges of managing distributed systems.
Looking for a technology partner to support you in implementing MACH architecture in your organisation? Contact us to discuss the details.