The Role of Jamstack in eCommerce

The eCommerce world is competitive, with businesses always trying to give their customers the best online shopping experience. Traditional commerce platforms have drawbacks such as slow loading times and complicated backend systems. That's where Jamstack comes in.

Jamstack is a modern web development architecture that offers numerous advantages for eCommerce websites. It separates the front and back ends, which means faster loading, more scalability, and better security. In this blog, we'll discuss what Jamstack is and why it may be the right fit for your business.

What is Jamstack?

Jamstack is a web development architecture to build and deploy modern, fast, and secure websites. The Jam stands for JavaScript, APIs, and Markup. These three technologies are in every single-page app or progressive web app. But Jamstack is different. Jamstack eCommerce solutions use an architectural approach that decouples the web experience layer (what your customer sees) from data and business logic (the software that holds your business information). Jamstack sites are known to be fast, reliable, and secure.

Jamstack architecture does not rely on server-side rendering (SSR), in which a web page is rendered in the server (backend) rather than the browser (frontend). Instead, Jamstack architecture uses content delivery networks (CDNs). CDNs are geographically distributed networks that serve assets to users from the infrastructure closest to each user’s location.

CDNs are great because they can be deployed globally and scale easily. Plus, since the files are static, you don't have to worry about server maintenance, and you are guaranteed extra security. Speed is crucial in commerce, especially during peak sales seasons. And nothing beats serving static files globally through a robust, geographically distributed CDN.

You can't have a completely static commerce experience. That is why Jamstack experiences use JavaScript and APIs to handle dynamic content such as discounts, checkout, payment, and account data. This API enhancement is supercharged using modern SaaS solutions that prioritize speed and scale.

The building blocks of a Jamstack architecture

These Jamstack eCommerce building blocks are vital to creating fast, static websites that provide users a strong user experience. The fundamental building blocks in a Jamstack architecture are:

JavaScript

JavaScript (JS) is the most popular programming language for professional developers and is the language of Jamstack. Jamstack sites use JavaScript in multiple ways. During the build step, JavaScript is a key building block. Tools such as Gatsby, Next.JS, Nuxt.JS, and Svelte-Kit help with this. These frameworks support Jamstack architecture. After deployment, JavaScript handles dynamic aspects of the website. It is the glue between the static site and any enhanced functionality APIs.

APIs

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are the architecture of Jamstack. APIs allow two applications to talk to each other. In an eCommerce context, APIs retrieve content and product data from your backend so they can be deployed as static assets on your frontend.

In Jamstack, API queries are also used for dynamic actions such as search, cart, and account data that needs to be sent directly to your frontend. This happens through HTTP requests, in which data is sent to a server-side application using a specific resource. APIs help power a Jamstack solution, from sending a form to authenticating a user to storing and retrieving product data.

Markup

Markup is the user interface of the pages in your app. It refers to the actual content on a Jamstack site.

If you’ve heard of HTML, you’re familiar with markup. That’s because HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. HTML serves up content and content structure to web browsers and presents a Document Object Model (DOM) that web browsers and search engines can process.

In Jamstack, you don’t have to wait for web browsers and processes to build all content with every request by a client. Instead, Jamstack relies on cached content from a build stool such as a static site generator. The markup is pre-built and delivered through a CDN. This ensures optimal performance, speed, and site uniformity because your site doesn’t rely on individual geographic servers.

Why Jamstack for eCommerce?

Using Jamstack allows merchants to create unique, content-driven, fast shopping experiences. It can also help increase conversion rates and reach a wider spectrum of shoppers through high-performance static sites that are distributed globally through a CDN.

The benefits of using Jamstack for eCommerce include:

• Control: Modern, best-practice building methods give your team the ability to leverage reusable components and automated builds.
• Speed: Your site will be fast and your web applications will load quick with pre-rendered, static HTMLs, and CDNs.
• Trust: Jamstack doesn’t rely on complex server applications and databases – so it’s scalable, reliable, and secure.

Boost your eCommerce website with Jamstack architecture from Elastic Path

When developing eCommerce websites, Jamstack helps merchants develop a headless commerce solution.

By using a Jamstack solution, you may be able to unlock commerce innovation and provide your customers with a unique, enjoyable online shopping experience. To learn more about Jamstack, get in touch with us today.