FAQ: Technology

Question 1

Can a PWA be built on top of an existing store?

Accepted Answer

A PWA service (Progressive Web App), like most apps, runs on top of communication with a backend. The app itself is responsible for the visual layer (the interface — UI) and marketing functions, while all the logic, product information, and order processing stays on the operational backend.
So to build a PWA on top of an existing store we have to make sure that the current platform can be the backend that provides the right data and communication channel (e.g. the popular REST API). 
Most open-source platforms or dedicated platforms where we have access to the source code can be adjusted accordingly to the PWA requirements. Closed apps — e.g. popular SaaS platforms — that don't expose a full API by default cannot be adapted.
Mature open-source platforms such as Magento 2 ship APIs that allow building apps on top of them. This typically requires some additional backend work, but much less than building the entire backend from scratch. On top of that, both for Magento and for other platforms, you can find ready-made frameworks based on PWA. One of them is Vue Storefront. As PWA gains traction, official tools are appearing too — for example PWA Studio from Adobe (a Magento-targeted solution).

Question 2

Is it worth investing in PWA on Magento?

Accepted Answer

Magento is a proven, mature e-commerce system, but its frontend (the part visible to the customer) leaves much to be desired. If the store's backend is properly set up and works at a satisfactory level (e.g. critical order paths run correctly), then to keep up with mobile-device requirements, adding a PWA layer to Magento is a good move. You don't have to take the big cost of changing the CMS or business logic reflected in process automation and the backend. You only change the "outer" layer, and you do it with modern technologies aligned with Google's guidelines and the challenges of mobile commerce.

Along the way, this architecture provides better security, because business-critical processes that take place in Magento are isolated from changes made in the visual layer (frontend), so many e-commerce rollouts can skip any changes to the Magento backend.

Magento 2 ships a solid API by default, which is the foundation for building PWAs and apps. This is what allows ready-made solutions like Vue Storefront — an open-source framework. Thanks to certain standards and ready-made solutions we can significantly lower the cost of such an implementation.

Question 3

What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?

Accepted Answer

Single Sign-On (SSO) — sometimes called reduced sign-on — is the ability to sign in once to a service or web application and thereby gain access to all authorized resources covered by that service or app. In simple terms: when you sign in to one of a provider's systems that uses SSO, you are automatically signed in to all other services available from your account (signing out from one of the systems works the same way). So you only need to remember one email address and one password to use various, independent services from the provider freely. 
If you want to learn the benefits of SSO in e-commerce — both from the user's and the business's point of view — and when investing in this solution makes sense, read our article!

Question 4

What is a high-availability system?

Accepted Answer

A high-availability system is an IT system whose reliability, availability, and performance are appropriately tuned to the specific, usually critical applications of that system. A system is considered high-availability if it is available between 99.999% and 99.9999% of the time. In practice this means it is unavailable for only about 5 minutes across an entire year. In practice this translates into uninterrupted availability of your online store for customers and a guarantee of fault-free operation.

Ecommerce, Magento 2 and AI concepts explained

Can a PWA be built on top of an existing store?

Is it worth investing in PWA on Magento?

What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?

What is a high-availability system?