Why MACH architecture is vital for business agility

In today’s fast-paced world, having the right tools and technology to deploy and scale applications is vital, and that’s where MACH software architecture comes in.

MACH stands for Microservices, API, Cloud, and Headless, and it’s an approach to building applications that takes advantage of modern technology. As a Contentful partner, it’s an approach that we have been aligned to ourselves for over 5 years, delivering scalable, secure and agile digital platform architectures.

By breaking down application components into smaller, more modular pieces, MACH architectures make it easier to develop, deploy, and scale applications quickly.

Let’s look at the key areas within MACH architecture and what it means for your team, technology and processes.

Microservices

The microservices component of MACH architecture allows developers to break up an application into smaller, more manageable pieces. This makes deploying new features and services easier without having to rewrite the entire application.

For example, if a business needs to add a new payment gateway, it can quickly deploy a microservice without rewriting the entire code base. Plus, microservices are self-contained, making them easier to scale when needed.

API

The API component of MACH architecture makes it easier for services to communicate with each other. This allows services to share data and functionality, making applications more robust and reliable.

For instance, you could use an API from a flight booking service provider to search for and book flights for customers. You could use another API from a hotel booking service provider to search for and book hotel rooms. And you could use a third API from a car rental service provider to search for and book rental cars.

Cloud

Cloud computing is an essential component of MACH architecture for businesses that want to deploy and scale applications quickly. By deploying applications on Infrastructure as Code (IaC) or Serverless in the cloud, companies can quickly scale and adjust to customer needs. Plus, cloud computing is cost-efficient, allowing businesses to save money on hardware and maintenance costs.

Headless

Headless allows businesses to manage the front-end and back-end of their applications separately. This is especially useful for companies that need to deploy and manage applications quickly, as it lets them focus on the user experience without worrying about the underlying infrastructure or system dependencies.

To summarise, MACH software architecture is critical for businesses that want to remain agile and quickly respond to customer needs. By breaking down applications into smaller components, decoupling logic and experience, using APIs to share data and functionality, leveraging cloud computing to deploy and scale infrastructure & applications quickly, and managing the front-end and back-end separately, businesses can stay ahead of the competition and remain agile.

We’ve been working with businesses to re-wire their existing software architectures to MACH standards, allowing them to replace monolithic services with agility and push new experiences live in months, not years – all while keeping long-term sustainability in line with a strategic technical strategy.

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Are your technology platforms slowing you down, complex, hard to change or not understood across the business? We can help you set a clear technical direction and build digital platforms that give you more control of the things that matter, ready for tomorrow and beyond.

Read more about our Software Engineering & Architecture methodology, or get in touch to see how we can help.