As the marketing officer, revolutionizing your company's online brand and optimizing the total cost of ownership (TCO) are critical goals. To achieve this, strategic decisions surrounding the technology stack must be made wisely. Should you rely on commercial proprietary software for an all-in-one solution or explore an open-web, open-source approach?
An open-source approach has numerous advantages, ranging from cost to versatility to security. In particular, going with an open-source solution enables you to take advantage of today’s API-first decoupled approach, which is revolutionizing how websites are developed.
We use the acronym PASS (performance, accessibility, security, and scalability) to describe the major benefits of using a decoupled approach and how they accelerate innovation and lower the total cost of ownership for your company.
Performance
API-first sites driven by advanced technologies like Next.js and Drupal offer unparalleled performance. Leveraging the power of static websites, these sites deliver exceptional speed and responsiveness, providing users with an unmatched experience. Adopting a decoupled architecture makes your website's performance consistently high, unaffected by traffic spikes or complex backend operations. Decoupled architecture significantly reduces costs by optimizing crucial aspects of the technology stack, enabling you to achieve more with fewer resources.
For example, adopting a decoupled solution allows you to isolate the LAMP stack on a streamlined instance dedicated to serving API requests, eliminating the need for complex scaling operations. Consequently, you reduce costs associated with hosting and platform requirements. Furthermore, running a lightweight Next.js front end, which doesn't rely on databases or PHP, further minimizes resource usage, significantly reducing TCO.
Accessibility
Selecting open-source software in an API-first decoupled approach unlocks unparalleled accessibility. The transparent nature of open-source code grants developers complete freedom to utilize and customize it. By embracing accessible open software, you ensure security through transparency. You comprehensively understand your codebase and data, enabling effective control and risk mitigation.
This accessibility also translates into a wider developer talent pool. Commercial and proprietary software vendors often need help to meet the diverse needs of their customers, leading to limited technical resources and diminishing developer pools. However, embracing accessible open-source frameworks like Next.js opens up a vast developer resource pool, fostering collaboration and innovation while reducing software development TCO.
Security
Complex software with exposed front ends, such as PHP-based templates, can leave you vulnerable to cyber-attacks. However, a decoupled API-first approach establishes a secure lockbox around your front end, shielding it from security threats. With a static HTML and JS website that fetches data via API calls, the CMS component remains securely protected behind a firewall, ensuring unparalleled security.
From a cost standpoint, a single security breach can have severe financial implications for your company. Adopting a decoupled API-first approach provides a secure lockbox around your front end, substantially reducing security risks. By proactively mitigating potential breaches, you avoid the costs associated with remediation, compliance, and damage control, safeguarding your finances and reputation.
Scalability
Traditional CMSs often encounter challenges when dealing with unexpected traffic surges, leading to costly scaling measures and inflated bills. By contrast, decoupled sites built on static files enable effortless scalability while minimizing resource usage. This inherent scalability ensures your website can seamlessly handle traffic spikes without incurring substantial costs.
Budgetarily speaking, uncontrolled scaling in traditional setups often leads to unexpected usage overages and inflated bills. The lightweight architecture of Next.js eliminates the need for scaling, providing predictability and stability to your budget. By stabilizing scalability, you significantly reduce usage overage TCO, ensuring a more efficient allocation of resources.
In the digital world that is moving increasingly towards decoupled sites, transitioning from a monolithic vendor to a composable model empowers companies with the flexibility and agility needed for success. Embracing this API-first decoupled approach will help you unlock your organization's potential and enable you to stay ahead of the competition.
So, does your site PASS?
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