In recent discussions with our customers and partners, a recurring question has emerged: “Is Digital Experience Orchestration (DXO) just another Mulesoft, or put another way, can’t we simply handle API and data orchestration through our existing API Gateway?”
The answer? Not quite. Let’s explore why.
Defining the Roles: API Gateways vs. DXO
Every frontend application is built to deliver a unique user experience, typically managed by digital product teams. These teams are focused on aligning business needs with user experience, managing integration requirements, and ensuring seamless delivery.
API Gateways, however, are managed by infrastructure teams and serve an entirely different purpose. Their role is to ensure API security, traffic management, and monitoring, not to accommodate the intricacies of business or experience logic.
Attempting to extend an API Gateway to handle application-specific orchestration logic might seem like a viable shortcut, but this approach introduces significant challenges and misaligns with the primary purpose of an API Gateway.
Challenges of Using API Gateways for Orchestration
1. High Costs
Embedding business logic within an API Gateway requires specialized developers and coding expertise. This approach also misuses what is often an expensive piece of software, increasing overall operational costs.
2. Limited Agility
Writing business logic in this layer necessitates extensive “glue code,” which couples frontend applications directly to backend systems. This creates rigid dependencies that impede adaptability and undermine the principles of composable architecture.
3. Increased Complexity
As multiple product teams compete to embed their domain-specific logic into the API Gateway, the layer becomes increasingly convoluted, leading to inefficiencies and maintenance challenges over time.
How DXO Addresses These Gaps
Conscia’s Digital Experience Orchestration (DXO) is not an API Gateway. It serves as an experience orchestration layer and is designed to be the brain of the composable stack.'
DXO focuses on delivering tailored data for digital experiences, enabling product teams to manage logic, orchestrate backend services, and optimize data flow. This layer is owned by product and engineering teams, keeping it aligned with the business and ensuring agility in delivering value.
DXO Use Cases: When API Gateways Fall Short
Here are some key scenarios where DXO provides a more efficient and scalable solution than API Gateways:
1. Low/No-Code Backend for Frontend (BFF)
DXO empowers product teams to create a flexible experience layer without heavy reliance on custom coding, streamlining the development process.
2. Creating an Experience API for Legacy Systems
Modern frontend applications often require APIs that legacy systems were not designed to provide. DXO bridges this gap with ease.
3. Synchronizing Data Between Backend Systems
For example, when a record is updated in Commercetools, DXO can automatically sync that update with Algolia, ensuring consistency across systems.
4. Strangler Pattern for Technology Modernization
DXO acts as an abstraction layer, allowing businesses to phase out legacy systems incrementally without disrupting digital experiences.
5. Enabling API-First Data Layers for Legacy Systems
DXO serves as a bridge, connecting older systems with modern experiences, ensuring smooth integration without requiring costly overhauls.
Why Choose Conscia’s DX Engine and DX Graph?
Conscia’s DX Engine and DX Graph are designed to help enterprises transform and scale their tech stack up to 5X faster and at 1/5 the cost. By decoupling backend complexity from frontend experiences, DXO enables businesses to innovate at speed, empowering product teams to focus on creating value.
API Gateways vs. DXO: A Clear Distinction
API Gateways and DXO are fundamentally different tools designed for different purposes. While API Gateways address infrastructure-level concerns, DXO is purpose-built for experience orchestration, enabling scalable, composable, and modern digital experiences.
So, is DXO just another Mulesoft or API Gateway? Absolutely not. DXO is an essential part of the composable architecture, purpose-built to deliver experiences efficiently and effectively.
Ready to explore how Conscia can accelerate your digital transformation? Book a demo today!
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