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Merchant Managed Frontend

This document outlines the use case for a Merchant Managed Frontend application for an e-commerce website. It emphasizes the merchant's responsibility for operating their frontend, focusing on efficient data handling and enhancing user experience through caching mechanisms. It details the structure where the merchant's frontend framework interacts with its backend servers, which in turn communicate with the E-Commerce API.

Overview​

The frontend of an e-commerce website is responsible for delivering a fast, responsive, and reliable user experience. It includes displaying product listings, handling user accounts and processing orders. The frontend does not directly interact with the E-Commerce API. Instead, it communicates through the merchant's backend servers, ensuring that sensitive data handling and business logic execution are securely managed server-side.

Objectives​

  • Improve page load times by minimizing direct API calls from the client side.
  • Reduce server load through effective server-side caching.
  • Enhance user experience during high traffic.
  • Ensure merchant responsibility in system maintenance and operations.

System Architecture​

Client-Side​

  • Browser: The user interface where customers interact with the implemented frontend solutions. The interaction communicates exclusively with the merchant's backend servers, not directly with the E-Commerce API.

Server-Side​

  • Merchant's Backend Servers: These servers act as a middle layer between the frontend and the E-Commerce API. They handle business logic, data processing, and caching of API calls to improve performance and security.

1. Browser Caching​

Utilize browser caching to store static assets locally in the user's browser. This reduces the number of requests and speeds up page loads for returning visitors.

Implementation Tip: Set appropriate Cache-Control headers for static assets like CSS, JS, and images.

2. Content Delivery Network (CDN)​

Use a CDN to cache static content geographically closer to users. This decreases latency and improves the speed of content delivery across different regions.

Implementation Tip: Choose a CDN provider that offers edge locations in your key user markets.

3. API Caching​

Cache API responses at the backend level when data does not change frequently, such as product descriptions and images. This significantly reduces the load on your backend services and the E-Commerce API.

Implementation Tip: Implement caching logic in your API gateway or use tools like Redis for more granular control.

Merchant's Responsibilities​

  • Setup and Configuration: Merchants are responsible for setting up their frontend environment.
  • Maintenance and Updates: Ongoing maintenance and implementation of updates fall under the merchant's responsibility.
  • Support: While basic support is provided, extensive support is limited as the frontend is managed by the merchant.

Flow Diagram​