Cloud-native architecture
CONTEXT
The situation before the platform
Why an electronics retailer needed one commerce platform rather than a storefront bolted onto a third-party CMS.
| The business |
An electronics retailer selling connectors and components, hosting thousands of manufacturers and acting as a centralised marketplace for sourcing electronic parts. |
| The starting point |
A catalogue of over 2.5 lakh products already lived in an existing system. Product discovery, quotation handling and content updates were not served by one platform, and loading timeouts were part of the everyday experience. |
| The trigger |
Migrating and synchronising that catalogue with no data loss or inconsistency, while keeping the platform fast enough to handle large data volumes and peak traffic. |
| What they wanted |
One platform combining buy and RFQ flows, product comparison, multiple secure payment options, cart save and share, and a custom CMS giving full control over frontend content and product information. |
| Constraints |
No third-party content management tool was acceptable, so the CMS had to be built from scratch · data migration and syncing had to be zero-loss and optimised for speed · sensitive customer and payment data had to be protected at every level · the architecture had to keep performing as traffic and catalogue size grew. |
SYSTEM
What it runs at today
The platform as delivered, live and scaling.
Admin efficiency
40
Improvement in admin efficiency once the custom CMS, sync jobs and dashboard replaced manual upkeep
Core modules
7
Storefront, custom CMS, RFQ and buy flows, product comparison, multi-payment gateway, cart save & share, admin sync dashboard
Engagement length
12+
Months, as a product engineering partnership through build and scaling
Team size
6+
Designers, engineers and QA covering frontend, backend, data and infrastructure
The engineering problem
Four gaps that shaped the build from day one
Not vague pain points — the specific tensions in running a 2.5 lakh product catalogue with full content control, each paired with what we did about it.
0
1
Syncing 2.5 lakh products without losing any of them
Managing and syncing a large database of over 2.5 lakh products from the client's existing system required careful planning to avoid data loss or inconsistency. Migration and synchronisation had to be smooth and reliable, and optimised for speed so that large data volumes never slowed the platform down.
What we did
Efficient indexing and smart caching to keep the system fast at volume, with both automatic and manual syncing mechanisms and proper error logging so any inconsistency can be traced and resolved quickly.
0
2
Full content control without a third-party tool
Rather than relying on third-party content management solutions, the client needed complete control over website content and frontend experiences. That meant a CMS tailored to their exact needs, with an interface the team could use to manage frontend pages, content and product information without technical help.
What we did
A CMS built from the ground up covering every frontend page, with an intuitive editor, draft and publish workflows and HubSpot form integration so content and forms are managed in one place.
0
3
Finding the right part in a catalogue this size
Buyers had to move from a vast technical catalogue to a purchase decision without friction, on any device. Navigation, search, comparison across technical attributes and checkout all had to be simple and fast rather than something a procurement specialist has to fight through.
What we did
Autocomplete search, advanced filtering and multi-attribute product comparison, plus cart save and share and a multi-payment checkout, kept consistent across devices.
0
4
Protecting payment data while planning for growth
The platform handles sensitive customer and payment data, so protection was needed at every level. At the same time it had to absorb high traffic loads and keep performing efficiently as the business and the catalogue grew.
What we did
SSL encryption, secure payment handling and role-based access control, with the platform hosted on cloud infrastructure so it scales with traffic instead of being resized after the fact.
ARCHITECTURE
How it fits together
Simplified — the shape rather than every service.
0
1
Clients
React.js · Next.js · Responsive storefront · Admin panel
A React and Next.js storefront with a responsive experience across devices, alongside the admin panel used to run orders, users, CMS content and sync jobs.
0
2
Gateway
Node.js · API layer · Role-based access control · SSL encryption
A Node.js API surface handles every storefront and admin request, with role-based access control governing employee permissions and SSL protecting data in transit.
0
3
Services
Catalogue & search · RFQ management · Cart & checkout · Custom CMS · Queue workers
Catalogue and search, quotation handling, cart and checkout, content publishing and background sync each stay a separate concern, with queue workers carrying the sync and processing load away from the request path.
0
4
Data & infra
MySQL · AWS · Indexing & caching
MySQL holds products, manufacturers, customers, orders and RFQs, with optimised indexing and caching in front of it and AWS cloud infrastructure underneath for scale.
Performance was treated as an architectural requirement rather than a tuning exercise: indexing, caching and syncing were designed around the size of the catalogue, which is what removed the loading timeouts.
SOLUTIONS
Six systems doing the actual work
Not a features list — the specific things we built behind every number above.
High-performance database & syncing
Efficient indexing and caching keep the system fast at volume, with automatic and manual syncing and error logging holding products, manufacturers, customers, orders and RFQs consistent.
Custom CMS built from scratch
Full control over every frontend page through an intuitive editor, with draft and publish workflows and HubSpot form integration instead of a third-party platform.
Catalogue discovery at scale
Over 2.5 lakh connector products from thousands of manufacturers, with autocomplete search, filtering and comparison across multiple technical attributes.
Dual purchase options
Instant purchase through multiple payment gateways, or an RFQ for bulk orders and custom requirements, so quick buyers and procurement teams both get a path.
Smart cart management
Carts can be saved under custom names, shared with colleagues by email and reloaded later, which is what team purchasing decisions actually need.
Comprehensive admin panel
One dashboard for orders, users, employee roles and permissions, CMS content, sync jobs and form responses, with real-time analytics alongside them.
Key features
What the platform does day to day
Five capabilities, each closing one of the gaps identified above.
| Capability | Runs | Refresh | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massive product catalogue | STOREFRONT | On sync | Browse and search over 2.5 lakh electronic connector products from thousands of manufacturers |
| Dual purchase options | BUYER-INITIATED | On demand | Choose instant online purchasing or submit an RFQ for custom and bulk order requirements |
| Advanced product comparison | BUYER-INITIATED | On demand | Compare multiple products across technical specifications to make informed purchasing decisions |
| Smart cart management | PER ACCOUNT | On save | Save carts, share them with team members and reload them anytime for a streamlined buying flow |
| Intelligent database syncing | AUTO & MANUAL | Continuous | Synchronise products, manufacturers, customers, orders and RFQs with monitoring and error tracking |
Integrations
How the moving parts plug in
Payments, shipping, forms and the legacy catalogue reach the platform through one API layer rather than sitting beside it as separate tools.
Connected systems
Paya payments
Card processing for checkout
UPS & FedEx
Shipping and order fulfilment
HubSpot forms
Form capture inside the CMS
Client source system
Legacy catalogue and order data
↓
THROUGH ONE NODE.JS API LAYER ↓
Platform integration layer
Node.js API layer
One contract for storefront and admin
Roles & permissions
Customers, employees, administrators
Sync engine & queue workers
Automatic and manual jobs with error logs
↓
INTO THE CORE SERVICE ↓
Core services
Catalogue & search
RFQ management
Cart & checkout
Custom CMS
Admin & analytics
Because content, forms, orders and RFQs resolve against the same services, publishing a page, capturing an enquiry from it and answering the resulting quotation are three steps in one dashboard rather than three separate systems.
Security
What protects customer and payment data
The platform handles customer records, orders and card payments — so protection was designed in, not bolted on.
SSL encryption end to end
Traffic between buyers, the storefront and the API layer is encrypted, so customer and payment details are never carried in the clear.
Secure payment handling
Checkout runs through trusted gateways supporting Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover, with the payment path kept separate from general application logic.
Role-based access control
Employee roles and permissions decide who can reach orders, users, CMS content, sync jobs and form responses inside the admin panel.
Cloud infrastructure built to scale
AWS-based hosting absorbs high traffic loads and keeps the platform performing as the catalogue and the business grow.
Process
How we got there
Five stages, starting with the client's existing database and workflows rather than a feature list.
0
1
Discovery
In-depth analysis of the existing database, business workflows and product catalogue, with particular attention to RFQ handling, payment processing and content administration.
0
2
Planning
The work was broken into agile iterations with defined goals and milestones, focused on performance optimisation, reliable data syncing and CMS development.
0
3
UI/UX strategy
A clean, professional interface designed to simplify product discovery, improve navigation and make comparison straightforward in a large technical catalogue.
0
4
Development
Built on a modern JavaScript stack with an architecture aimed at high performance and scalability, each component tuned for fast loading and growing data volumes.
0
5
Quality assurance
Testing across browsers, devices and real-world scenarios, including heavy load conditions and close monitoring of database syncing, checkout, CMS publishing and multi-user flows.
Business impact
What changed for the business
Beyond the headline numbers, three things buyers and the internal team noticed first.
Loading timeouts gone
The platform is now fast and reliable at catalogue scale, with the timeouts that used to interrupt browsing and checkout eliminated.
Full content control in-house
The custom CMS and admin tooling put frontend content, product information and daily operations in the client's own hands, simplifying routine work.
Room to grow
Built to handle growing traffic and evolving business needs, so long-term performance and stability do not depend on a rebuild.
Commercial outcome
What the engineering choices are worth in operating terms
Every headline number traces back to a specific decision, not a vague platform effect.
| Engineering decision | Operating outcome | Measured effect |
|---|---|---|
| Optimised indexing & smart caching | Product pages and search results resolve quickly across 2.5 lakh items | 55% faster product loading |
| Reliable sync with error logging | Catalogue and order data stay consistent without stalling the storefront | 45% fewer timeout issues |
| Custom CMS & admin dashboard | Content, products and operations managed in-house without developer time | 40% better admin efficiency |
| Dual purchase paths & multi-gateway checkout | Quick buyers and procurement teams each get a route to completion | 32% more successful transactions |
Stack
What it's built on
The actual technologies, not feature names with icons attached.
Frontend
- React.js
- Next.js
Backend
- Node.js
- Queue workers
Data & infra
- MySQL
- AWS
Integrations
- Paya Payment
- UPS
- FedEx
- HubSpot forms
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