??? Exploring Adobe Commerce's Composable Future with Oleksii Lunkov

In this interview, we discuss going composable with Adobe, Adobe’s current offerings, and the challenges Adobe can solve using these new approaches. We’ll dive into the four pillars that define composable for Adobe Commerce today.

Oleksii Lunkov , Solution Consultant, was interviewed by Renetta Kjeldsen, Senior Content Writer.

Renetta: To start off, let’s go back and talk about how Adobe Commerce evolved from its early days with Magento 1 to the current setup.

Oleksii: Adobe Commerce has come a long way since its inception with Magento 1, in 2008. The introduction of Magento 2 and Magento Commerce Cloud hosted Magento instances on AWS or, later Azure, marked a significant shift. Collaborations with Google on Progressive Web Apps (PWA) also began during this period.?

The Magento 2.2 and 2.3 releases saw the launch of PWA Studio and the introduction of GraphQL coverage for B2C functionalities. In the Magento 2.4 era, this coverage extended to B2B scenarios, and Page Builder was integrated into PWA, along with a full reference theme for the PWA storefront.?

Today, Adobe Commerce includes Live Search, recommendations, and a robust PHP application, with comprehensive GraphQL coverage allowing connections to various services.

Renetta: How is Adobe shifting its strategy regarding functionality in Adobe Commerce?

Oleksii: Adobe is moving away from adding major functionalities directly to the PHP application. Instead, they are introducing new functionalities as SaaS services. This approach allows for easier integration and maintenance, as these services operate independently of the core PHP application.?

Many of these services, such as Payments for Adobe Commerce and the Site-Wide Analysis Tool, already exist and are continuously being refined. Adobe focuses on enhancing and expanding these SaaS offerings to provide even more value and flexibility in the future.

Adobe tackles the challenges of managing multiple systems and frameworks by focusing on four key pillars, ensuring that you can enjoy the flexibility and scalability of composable commerce without getting bogged down by its potential drawbacks.

The four key pillars are: the App Builder, composable SaaS services, Edge Delivery Services, and the Experience Platform Connector.

First pillar: App Builder

Renetta: Can you explain the role of the App Builder?

Oleksii: The App Builder is a cloud platform provided by Adobe across Experience Cloud, and it's a crucial component of the composable setup. This is similar to using Google Cloud Platform or Amazon AWS Cloud, but it's included with your Adobe license, so you don't need to purchase additional infrastructure. Its primary purpose is to offer a new way to build extensions for custom functionality and integrations with other systems, extending beyond what Adobe Commerce already offers.?

For instance, if you wanted to integrate Adobe Commerce with Amazon Marketplace, you previously needed a module purchased from the marketplace or provided by partners. These modules, installed on PHP applications, required regular maintenance and complicated the upgrade process with each new version of Magento or Adobe Commerce.?

This made the maintenance and upgrade process quite painful, especially when there were numerous customizations and integrations. Each upgrade required careful adjustments to ensure compatibility, leading to increased complexity and potential downtime.

Renetta: How does the App Builder address these challenges?

Oleksii: The App Builder allows you to build the necessary integrations and custom functionalities without the need for constant adjustments and maintenance. For example, the latest version of the connector between Amazon Marketplace and Adobe Commerce is built using the App Builder.

Renetta: How does using the App Builder change the way you create custom functionality for clients in Adobe Commerce?

Oleksii: Instead of modifying the core PHP application, you now build custom functionalities using JavaScript and host them on the cloud platform. This means you can extend Adobe Commerce without touching the PHP code itself, making upgrades and maintenance much simpler. By decoupling these customizations from the core application, you reduce the risk of compatibility issues during updates, ensuring a smoother and more efficient process.

Second pillar: Composable SaaS Services

Renetta: What role do composable SaaS services play in Adobe Commerce?

Oleksii: Composable SaaS services, such as Live Search and Product Recommendations, are included with Adobe Commerce license and provide enhancements to the out-of-the-box functionality of Adobe Commerce. These services enhance the user experience and add value without the need for additional costs or complex integrations.

Renetta: Can you elaborate on how Live Search and Product Recommendations integrate with Adobe Commerce?

Oleksii: Live Search and Product Recommendations are client-facing services that integrate seamlessly with Adobe Commerce's existing PHP core application. This means that you can enhance your store’s functionality without significant changes to its infrastructure. These services are designed to be easy to implement and provide immediate benefits in terms of search functionality and personalized product recommendations, improving the overall shopping experience for customers.

Renetta: Are there any non-client-facing services included in the composable approach?

Oleksii: Yes; a prime example is the catalog service, which significantly enhances performance by uploading the entire catalog to the cloud. This leverages cloud power to boost your store’s performance, and it’s especially beneficial for stores with large catalogs. By offloading catalog management to the cloud, it frees up resources and improves the speed and efficiency of the storefront.

Adobe Payments provides a streamlined payment solution integrated into the platform, while the site-wide analysis tool offers health checks for your store, helping you identify and resolve potential issues proactively.?

These tools boost the overall functionality and reliability of your store, ensuring smooth operations and a better experience for both merchants and customers.?

Third pillar: Edge Delivery Services

Renetta: What are the key components of Edge Delivery Services, and why are they important?

Oleksii: Edge Delivery Services is a highlight of Adobe Commerce and consists of four main components. First, it's a CDN (Content Delivery Network) that ensures high performance by bringing content and assets closer to the end user. Second, it acts as a content management system (CMS), which can integrate with Adobe Experience Manager as well as tools like Google Docs and Microsoft Word. This allows content management teams to create and publish content easily.?

Third, it supports custom functionality developed using JavaScript and React, providing high customizability with pre-built or custom components. Lastly, Edge Delivery Services can be used to rebuild your frontend. You can gradually migrate parts of your storefront to Edge Delivery Services, ensuring a smooth transition without the need for a complete rebuild.

If you're familiar with Luma, the original Magento 2 storefront, and PWA Studio, developed in partnership with Google, you'll find Edge Delivery Services to be a significant upgrade while allowing granular migration with these traditional storefronts still in place.?

Renetta: How does the A/B testing framework built into Edge Delivery Services benefit businesses?

Oleksii: The A/B testing framework eliminates the need to create two separate versions of your storefront for testing. Instead, you can use generative AI to create different content versions and then A/B test these versions with actual resources. This can be applied to various pages like the homepage or product detail pages, providing agility in content creation and optimization.?

The AI generator helps you create these versions easily, ensuring a privacy-first approach, which is crucial for larger enterprise customers.

The A/B testing works when EDS is combined with Adobe Experience Manager, as the content pipeline.

Fourth pillar: Experience Platform Connector

Renetta: Can you explain the significance of the Experience Platform Connector in Adobe Commerce?

Oleksii: The Experience Platform Connector is a critical component that allows Adobe Commerce to connect with other Adobe products within the Adobe Experience Cloud ecosystem. This integration is particularly important for delivering seamless experiences across various domains, including content and commerce, data insights and audiences, customer journeys, and marketing workflows.

Renetta: What role does API Mesh play in Adobe Commerce?

Oleksii: API Mesh is a powerful tool that unifies all APIs across Adobe Commerce and third-party applications. This enables seamless connections to various storefronts, iOS applications, point-of-sale systems, kiosks, and more.?

It simplifies the integration process and ensures that different systems can communicate effectively, providing a more cohesive and efficient ecommerce experience. Additionally, there's a connector for integrating various Adobe products within the ecosystem.

Renetta: How do API Mesh and the integration starter kit enhance Adobe Commerce’s capabilities?

Oleksii: API Mesh and the integration starter kit are essential for connecting third-party applications, such as your Product Information Management (PIM) system, with Adobe Commerce. API Mesh brings these APIs together, enabling seamless connections to third-party storefronts and other systems.

The developers’ corner

Renetta: What makes admin extensibility particularly interesting for developers working with Adobe Commerce?

Oleksii: Admin extensibility is a game-changer for developers because the Magento admin panel has historically been challenging to work with. Extending UI components or writing new ones can be time-consuming and complex. The new admin extensibility framework simplifies this by allowing developers to build single-page applications (SPA) that act natively within the Adobe Commerce admin panel.?

These SPAs are hosted on the App Builder platform and written in JavaScript, which means developers can create the necessary functionality using APIs without altering the core PHP code. This new framework not only makes development easier and quicker but also significantly reduces the complexity associated with maintaining the admin panel.

Going composable with Adobe Commerce

Renetta: How has the perception of Adobe Commerce changed with the introduction of these new components?

Oleksii: Adobe Commerce has evolved from being just a PHP application to encompassing a wide range of components. With tools like App Builder and API Mesh, you can integrate different, third party storefronts, and connect various Adobe products within the ecosystem. This unified approach allows you to leverage a broad range of functionalities and services, creating a seamless and efficient commerce ecosystem.?

For example, you can use Edge Delivery Services for some pages while keeping heavily customized sections on the traditional Luma or PWA storefront.

This broader view allows for greater integration and customization, making Adobe Commerce a more versatile and powerful solution for modern ecommerce needs. Businesses can integrate different storefronts, even those not from Adobe, and connect various Adobe products to create a seamless and efficient commerce ecosystem.

Renetta: Why should a store go composable with Adobe?

Oleksii: Adobe offers a flexible, scalable, and efficient way to manage ecommerce operations. Adobe Commerce provides a comprehensive suite of tools and services, reducing the need for multiple partners and simplifying the skill sets required. Developers have access to tools included with the license, making it easy to experiment and build on top of Commerce.?

The integration of modern event-driven architecture, A/B testing with generative AI, and the ability to use JavaScript for custom functionalities make Adobe Commerce a versatile and powerful solution. Additionally, services like Edge Delivery Services and App Builder offer excellent time-to-value, allowing businesses to start using new functionalities without a complete rebuild, ensuring a smooth and efficient transition to a more composable commerce setup .