Headless Applications: Understanding Definitions for Headless, Hybrid Headless, Precomposed, and Monolithic Applications - Business User Perspective

PUBLISHED: July 28, 2023

PAGES: 14 Pages

DELIVERY TIME: 1-2 business days

Description

This IDC Perspective will guide readers through the basic terminology and distinctions between application design concepts and technical deployments of monolithic, headless, and composable applications. It outlines the differences between modules, microservices, and components that use API interfaces to interact with and connect to headless systems."Headless technology at the application level can at first appear to be a daunting undertaking if a buyer lacks critical comprehension of the core concepts," says Heather Hershey, director, Worldwide Digital Commerce at IDC. "Start by thinking of the types of CX your organization needs to deliver to attain a competitive advantage, and then get down to the work of composing those experiences via informed software investments."

Product Code: US51005423

Executive Snapshot

Situation Overview

Confused About the Language of Composable Business Software? You're Not Alone
Off with the Head: The Presentation Needs to Be Decoupled from Business Logic in a Headless Application
Most "Headless" Applications Will Come with an Operator User Interface Out of the Box
APIs Are the Most Common Abstraction Interfaces Used to Connect Headless Applications Within Composable Modular Applications
Command-Line Interfaces Are Another Popular Abstracting Interface Used in Headless Applications
Modules Are the Building Blocks; Composition Is What You Do with Those Modules
"Microservices," "Modules," and "Packaged Business Capabilities" Are Often Used Interchangeably
Deployment Options from Monolithic to Headless Applications
Monolithic Applications Are All-In-One Products
Precomposed Applications Have Loosely Coupled Modules Inside Them
Partially Composable Hybrid Headless Applications Present a Blended Path