Matt Biilmann, co-founder of Netlify, discusses the concept of composable architecture and its future implications. They explore the importance of naming in architecture and the success of the Jamstack architecture. The shift towards composable architecture and modernizing web architectures is discussed, along with empowering non-developer stakeholders. The future of web development with composable architecture is explored, including the launch of Netlify Functions 2.0.
Composable architecture allows for greater flexibility, scalability, and reusability of components in web development.
The shift towards composable architecture enables constant shipping, faster development cycles, and empowers both developers and non-technical stakeholders.
Deep dives
The Rise of Composable Architecture in Web Development
In this podcast episode, Matt Billman, CEO and co-founder of Netlify, discusses the concept and importance of composable architecture in web development. He explains how the traditional monolithic architecture used for websites and web applications is evolving into a more modular approach, where the front-end and back-end are decoupled into separate systems. This allows for greater flexibility, scalability, and reusability of components. Matt also highlights the challenges faced by teams adopting this architecture and the need for a coherent platform to simplify the development process. He introduces Netlify's offerings, such as Netlify Connect for unifying data sources and Netlify Create for non-developers to manage content, that aim to support companies transitioning to a composable architecture.
Benefits of Composable Architecture for Businesses
The shift towards composable architecture offers numerous benefits for businesses, especially those with complex web architectures. Matt mentions the ability to modernize core web systems and improve time to market, speed of iteration, and user experience. He highlights the importance of a composable platform that allows companies to connect different content sources, integrate APIs, and compose various systems at different layers of the stack. By adopting composable architecture, companies can evolve each component independently, enabling constant shipping, faster development cycles, and the empowerment of both developers and non-technical stakeholders.
The Role of Platform Primitives and Portability in Composable Architecture
Matt discusses the significance of platform primitives and portability in composable architecture. He emphasizes the need for clear, standardized contracts and simple core platform primitives that facilitate portability and interoperability. He mentions Netlify's approach to providing primitives such as standards-based caching, Netlify Functions 2.0, and cache tags with instant cache approaches. Matt also stresses the importance of avoiding tightly coupled proprietary systems and frameworks to maintain portability and future scalability. Instead, he encourages the adoption of adaptable, abstracted layers that offer a more composability- and framework-focused approach.
