Monolith vs Headless vs Composable: Which architecture will future-proof your business?

In an era where digital platforms define competitive edge, selecting the wrong architecture can cost your business growth opportunities. In this article, we’re going to discuss three architecture types in web development – Monolith, Headless, and Composable – and provide guidance for choosing the right platform architecture to future-proof your business. We’ll discuss what they are, when each is appropriate to use, why selecting the right architecture approach is important, and how to ensure you get minimal technical debt.

Why your platform’s architecture can make or break your growth

Selecting the right architecture for your digital platform isn’t just a technical decision – it’s a strategic one. The setup you choose will directly impact your ability to scale, adapt to changing market demands, and deliver a seamless customer experience. A monolithic structure might suit smaller businesses looking for simplicity, while headless or composable solutions cater to those prioritising flexibility and future growth. Making the wrong choice could result in higher costs, slower development, or the inability to pivot when your business needs it most.

The headless commerce market is projected to grow from £1.03 billion in 2020 to £10.2 billion by 2028, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 30.1%.
Source: Major Digital

Choosing the right platform architecture: monolith, headless, or composable?

When it comes to structuring your digital platform, there are three main architectural approaches: monolithic, headless, and composable. Each offers a unique way of building and managing websites or applications, catering to different business needs. Understanding these options is essential for making an informed decision about which best aligns with your goals. Let’s dig into each.

Monolithic – All-in-one

A monolithic architecture is a traditional, all-in-one solution where the frontend, backend, and database are tightly integrated. This setup is often simpler to implement and manage, as everything is built and maintained within a single platform. It’s a popular choice for small to medium-sized businesses looking for an out-of-the-box solution with minimal development overhead. However, the convenience of monolithic systems comes at the cost of flexibility and scalability. As your business grows or your requirements change, you may find it harder to adapt without overhauling the entire system.

Monolithic platforms are ideal for businesses starting small and scaling slowly.

Headless – Flexibility on the frontend

Headless architecture lets you build the frontend (what the customer sees) separately from the backend (where the data, like your product database, lives).

By decoupling these layers, businesses gain the freedom to create bespoke frontend experiences tailored to different devices and channels while keeping the backend intact. This flexibility makes headless a favourite for brands looking to deliver innovative, omnichannel experiences. However, it requires more technical expertise and often involves higher initial development costs, as you’ll need to connect and manage the frontend and backend independently.

57% of businesses have adopted a headless approach, with an additional 39% planning to evaluate headless CMS within the next year.
Source: WP Engine CMS Trends Report

Composable – Pick-and-mix approach

Composable architecture works like Lego bricks for your platform – you pick the best pieces (tools) for each task and snap them together for a perfect fit.

 Instead of relying on a single system, you can mix and match tools and services for content management, commerce, search, payments, and more. This “pick-and-mix” approach is ideal for businesses that require adaptability, allowing them to swap out or upgrade individual components without disrupting the entire system. While composable offers unmatched customisation and scalability, it also requires robust technical expertise to integrate and maintain the various pieces effectively.

75% of companies built solutions using composable architecture in the past year, reflecting its growing adoption.
Source: Netlify Report

Pros, cons and examples

Let’s run through the pros and cons of each type of architecture as well as some examples of each.

Monolithic: easy but limited

Pros:

• Simplicity. Everything you need is provided in one platform, making it easy to set up and manage. 
• Cost-effective. Ideal for smaller businesses or those with limited budgets, as it often requires fewer resources to maintain.
• Faster deployment. With all components integrated, launching a site or application can be significantly quicker.
• Low technical overhead. Suitable for teams without advanced technical expertise.

Cons:

• Limited flexibility: Customisation options are often constrained by the platform’s built-in features.
• Scaling challenges: As your business grows, monolithic systems can struggle to handle increased demands or evolving needs.
• Vendor lock-in: You’re tied to the platform’s ecosystem, which can limit innovation or make switching costly.
• One-size-fits-all: It may not provide the specific tools or features your business requires.

Examples:

• Shopify
• Magento
• WordPress/WooCommerce
• BigCommerce
• Drupal

Headless: customisable but more complex

Pros:

• Frontend freedom: Create unique, tailored user experiences across different channels and devices.
• Better performance: Decoupling the frontend and backend allows for optimised delivery speeds and greater scalability.
• Omnichannel capabilities: Perfect for businesses looking to sell across web, mobile, apps, and even IoT or point-of-sale devices.
• Future-proofing: Easier to evolve the frontend without disrupting backend operations.

Cons:

• Higher costs: Requires a larger upfront investment in development and ongoing maintenance.
• Complexity: Managing a decoupled architecture demands technical expertise and a strong development team.
• Integration challenges: Connecting the frontend to the backend can be time-consuming and requires robust APIs.
• Longer time to market: Building and integrating from scratch may delay your initial launch.

Examples:

• Shopify Plus
• Contentful
• Sylius
• Strapi

Composable: ultimate control but high effort

Pros:

• Complete flexibility: Build your platform exactly how you want, using the best tools for each function.
• Scalability: Easily replace or upgrade individual components as your needs change.
• Tailored for growth: Designed for businesses that require high levels of customisation and adaptability.
• Innovation-driven: Encourages the use of cutting-edge technologies and specialised services.

Cons:

• High technical demands: Requires a skilled development team to manage integrations and troubleshoot issues.
• Many two-way integrations: Since each system works separately, you’ll need extra effort to make them ‘talk’ to each other properly – like connecting your product catalogue to your CMS to add components to product pages.
• Cost-intensive: The need for multiple tools and services, plus development resources, can make this approach expensive.
• Complex maintenance: Keeping all components working harmoniously requires careful monitoring and ongoing effort.
• Managing data can get tricky since it’s spread across different tools and is often duplicated, leading to confusion and extra work.

Examples:

Typically, composable uses headless systems for different aspects. Below are some examples of systems used for different aspects of a build:

• Contentful – CMS
• Prismic – CMS
• Statamic – CMS
• Strapi – Ecommerce
• Sylius – Ecommerce
• Shopify Plus – Ecommerce
• Algolia – Search
• Meilisearch – Search

5 questions to help you pick the right platform for your business goals

Choosing the right architecture for your platform is a critical decision that can shape your business’s future success. To help you navigate this, consider these key questions:

What’s your business trying to achieve?

Start with your goals. Are you looking for a quick, hassle-free setup to get online and start selling? Or do you need a platform that can handle complex requirements, such as integrating with multiple channels or delivering bespoke experiences? If your priority is simplicity, a monolithic approach may suffice. For more ambitious goals, like omnichannel selling or rapid scalability, headless or composable setups will provide the flexibility and growth potential you need.

What’s your team’s tech capability?

Your team’s technical expertise will play a huge role in determining what’s feasible. Monolithic systems are designed for ease of use, making them ideal for businesses with limited in-house technical knowledge. In contrast, headless and composable architectures require a higher level of understanding from your internal team in order to properly manage your content and data.

Where, and how, do you sell?

If you simply sell online, then monolithic is perfect. If you operate brick-and-mortar stores, or you want to build an app, or even POS stands, then a headless or composable architecture can be more suitable, as it allows for multiple tailored frontends to be built out, and for other systems (like EPOS/tills) to integrate into your backend systems for stock and pricing updates.

What customer experience do you want?

The user experience you aim to deliver should heavily influence your decision. If you want a highly customised, seamless experience across multiple channels, headless or composable architecture is the way forward. These setups enable you to craft unique frontends tailored to specific audiences or devices. However, if your needs are straightforward, a monolithic platform can still offer a reliable and efficient user experience.

What’s your budget?

Your budget is a practical but vital consideration and it’s one of our first questions we’ll ask. Monolithic platforms tend to be the most cost-effective, particularly for smaller businesses or startups. Headless solutions require a higher upfront investment in development, while composable systems can be the most expensive due to their reliance on multiple tools and specialised integrations. Be sure to factor in not just initial costs but also ongoing expenses for maintenance, scaling, and future upgrades.

Hybrid Architectures: balance simplicity and scalability without the overheads

While monolithic, headless, and composable architectures dominate the conversation, there’s another option worth considering: a hybrid approach. This combines the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of a monolithic system with the flexibility of composable platforms, offering a practical middle ground for many businesses.

With a hybrid architecture, you centralise the core system (like your ERP or product database) while strategically integrating specialised tools to enhance specific areas, such as search functionality or content management. For example, product data might remain in your ERP, ensuring a reliable single source of truth for inventory, pricing, and operations. Meanwhile, additional tools can be layered on for features like enriched product descriptions, advanced search, or dynamic marketing campaigns.

This approach offers the best of both worlds:

• Simplicity where it’s needed: A centralised core reduces complexity and avoids the need to manage countless APIs and third-party tools.
  
• Flexibility where it matters most: You can introduce or upgrade tools like content management or search without overhauling the entire system.

Example in action: Keycraft

Keycraft, a global toy distributor, is a prime example of how we have helped a business with a hybrid architecture that can drive success. Using a central ERP to manage core product data, Keycraft strategically added advanced tools to enhance their online and offline experiences. For instance:

• Product data was augmented with enriched descriptions and promotional content to better engage customers.
  
• A seamless integration allowed their ERP to sync in real-time with their website and retail systems, improving efficiency across all sales channels. This approach not only simplified operations but also resulted in a significant 220% increase in impulse sales across stores within a week.

How hybrid helps you choose the right platform architecture

The hybrid model provides clear benefits:

• Simpler architecture: You focus only on essential integrations, reducing the challenges of managing multiple APIs.
  
• Lower costs: Hybrid systems minimise hosting and third-party fees, particularly when using lightweight tools like Laravel.
  
• Effortless management: A unified backend ensures your admin interface is easy to use and
  tailored to your team’s needs.
  
• Scalable flexibility: As your business evolves, you can easily add or replace tools without disrupting the entire system.

Whether you’re a retail brand looking to enhance customer engagement or a distributor aiming to streamline operations, ultimately, hybrid architecture offers a practical solution for choosing the right platform architecture that balances cost, flexibility, and scalability.

Ready to explore the best architecture for your business?