VTEX FastStore
VTEX's official composable storefront, Next.js + GraphQL, optimized for Core Web Vitals.
Composable Commerce & MACH
Break free from the monolith. Build a composable, modular and enterprise
Composable commerce combines the best services from each category — catalog, search, CMS, payments, checkout, frontend — in an API-first architecture. The CCX Company designs and delivers MACH stacks ready to scale in Brazilian and Latin American retail.
- MACH Architecture (Microservices, API-first, Cloud, Headless)
- VTEX FastStore, commercetools, Shopify Hydrogen
- Best-of-breed: Algolia, Stripe, Contentful, Vercel
- Strangler Fig Roadmap for incremental migration
- Full-stack squads focused on Next.js and GraphQL
- API observability and governance by default
MACH
Alliance-aligned
15+
Composable projects
30%
Average TCO reduction
99.95%
Storefront SLA
What is composable
Four pillars MACH that sustain the model
MACH is more than a buzzword: it's a set of principles that separates modern commerce from traditional monolithic commerce. Each pillar solves a real pain point for enterprise operations.
Microservices
Each feature (catalog, cart, search, checkout) runs as an independent service with its own deployment and scalability.
API-first
Every capability is delivered first as a public API contract, versioned and testable — UI comes later as a consumer.
Cloud-native
Multi-tenant SaaS, elastic, with clear SLAs. No legacy infrastructure, no long maintenance windows.
Headless
Frontend completely decoupled from the backend. Web storefront, mobile, PWA, POS and IoT consume the same API layer.
When to migrate
Clear signs that the monolith no longer works
Composable is not for everyone. But when it makes sense, gains in agility, TCO and customer experience appear within 12 months.
Releases take weeks due to dependencies between teams
License costs scale faster than GMV
Search, CMS or checkout don't match business roadmap
Multiple brands/countries share the same monolith
Mobile/PWA experience suffers from performance
Lack of flexibility to test new channels (POS, app, marketplace)
Recommended stack
The composable stack that CCX delivers
commercetools
API-first commerce engine leading in Gartner, with strong enterprise presence and extensibility.
Algolia
Search-as-a-service with semantic ranking, merchandising and real-time adjustable relevance.
Stripe / Adyen
Global payments with robust APIs, PIX support, subscriptions and PSD2-compliant.
Contentful / Builder.io
Headless CMS for rich content, landing pages and multivariate experimentation.
CPMS (CCX)
Our content & pages management system that connects composable stack to the marketing cycle.
Comparison
Monolith vs Composable
Dimension
Monolith
Composable
Time-to-market
Slow (releases in weeks)
Fast (daily deploys)
License cost
Grows linear with GMV
Modular, pay only for what you use
Best-of-breed
Limited to vendor
Free to choose
Scalability
Entire monolith scales
Service scales independently
Operational complexity
Low (single system)
Higher (multiple contracts)
Lock-in
High
Low
Use cases
Where composable delivers the most value
Multi-brand B2C retail
Group with 4+ brands sharing catalog, payments and CMS via composable layer, but with 100% independent storefronts and brand-specific frontend.
B2B enterprise
B2B operation with quoting, contracts, negotiated tables and punchout, using commercetools as engine and FastStore for self-service frontend.
Hybrid marketplace
Composable architecture combining sellers, 1P and 3P, with proprietary fulfillment engine, Algolia search and SAP integration for finance.
In-depth analysis
MACH philosophy in practice
Adopting MACH is not swapping one vendor for another, it's changing how commerce is architected. Microservices force the team to think about contracts, idempotency, events and eventual consistency. API-first means product design starts with the contract, not the screen. Cloud-native assumes elastic SaaS with published SLA. Headless implies multiple frontends, from mobile to POS, consuming the same layer. CCX Company applies these principles to design the stack, not as a checklist but as a golden rule that guides every decision — from vendor selection to deployment topology.
Honest trade-offs of composable
Composable is not a silver bullet. Trading the monolith for multiple services increases operational complexity: API contracts must be versioned, failures must be handled at each integration point, observability becomes a prerequisite, not a nice-to-have. Teams need to evolve in DevOps, SRE and API design. For smaller operations or those with low technical maturity, a modern monolith (like VTEX all-in-one or Shopify Plus) often delivers more value per real invested. CCX is transparent in this diagnosis: we recommend composable when ROI is clear, and advise against it when it's not.
TCO over a 3 to 5 year horizon
A common mistake is comparing composable vs monolith only in the first year. In initial CapEx, composable is almost always more expensive: more integrations, more training, more tooling. But OpEx reorganizes: licenses proportional to use, swappable capabilities without replatforming, incremental evolution without big-bang. In 3-5 years, mature composable operations tend to run 20-40% cheaper than the monolithic equivalent, with much more agility. CCX helps model realistic TCO considering licenses, internal staff, vendors, infrastructure and the opportunity cost of time-to-market.
Choosing the team and squad model
Composable architecture requires a team that understands modern frontend (Next.js, React, GraphQL), distributed backend (Node, serverless, event-driven) and DevOps (CI/CD, IaC, observability). Not every company has this profile in-house. CCX offers flexible models: dedicated full-stack squad for implementation and support, technical advisory for internal teams, or hybrid model with progressive knowledge transfer. The end goal is to leave the customer's operation autonomous, with CCX available for evolutions and more complex topics.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
O que é composable commerce?
Composable commerce é uma abordagem arquitetural que monta a plataforma de e-commerce combinando serviços independentes best-of-breed — catálogo, carrinho, busca, checkout, pagamento, CMS — conectados via APIs. Difere do modelo monolítico porque cada capability pode ser trocada, escalada e evoluída separadamente.
Qual a diferença entre composable e headless commerce?
Headless separa frontend de backend dentro de uma única plataforma de commerce. Composable vai além: fragmenta o próprio backend em múltiplos serviços especializados (commerce engine, search, CMS, pagamento), orquestrados por APIs e eventos. Todo composable é headless, mas nem todo headless é composable.
O que é MACH architecture?
MACH é um acrônimo que define quatro princípios: Microservices (funcionalidades independentes), API-first (toda capability exposta via API), Cloud-native (SaaS escalável) e Headless (frontend desacoplado). A MACH Alliance reúne vendors como commercetools, Contentful, Algolia, Stripe e Vercel.
Quando vale a pena migrar para composable?
Geralmente quando o monolito atual limita time-to-market, a operação exige múltiplas marcas/países/canais, ou quando custo total de propriedade do all-in-one fica alto. Operações com GMV acima de R$ 50 milhões/ano e equipes de engenharia in-house costumam colher mais valor do modelo composable.
Composable é mais caro que monolito?
No curto prazo, implementação composable tende a custar mais em projeto inicial e ferramental. No médio/longo prazo, o TCO cai: licenças menores, independência de vendor, evolução incremental e menos retrabalho. A decisão deve considerar 3-5 anos, não o primeiro ano.
A CCX trabalha com commercetools e VTEX FastStore?
Sim. Somos parceiros VTEX com foco em FastStore (o stack composable oficial da VTEX) e também entregamos projetos com commercetools, Shopify Hydrogen e Salesforce Composable Storefront. A escolha do engine depende do contexto de cada cliente.
Composable exige time técnico interno?
Uma operação composable saudável pede algum nível de maturidade técnica. Pode ser time interno, squad dedicada da CCX ou modelo híbrido. O importante é ter capacidade de gerir contratos de API, observabilidade e deploy contínuo — não precisa ser time enorme, mas precisa existir.
Consigo migrar gradualmente do monolito para composable?
Sim. O padrão Strangler Fig permite substituir partes do monolito aos poucos: começa pelo frontend (headless), depois extrai busca, depois CMS, depois checkout. A CCX desenha roadmaps de 12-24 meses que entregam valor a cada trimestre sem big-bang.
Let's talk
Ready to build your composable stack?
In two technical sessions we design a MACH architecture proposal with trade-offs, vendors and incremental roadmap for your operation.
+55 (11) 2427-6839 • [email protected]