In this case study, we will explore the technological architecture of an e-commerce company. E-commerce platforms require robust, scalable, and secure architectures to handle high traffic volumes, ensure data security, and provide a seamless user experience. We will break down the architecture into its core components, discuss design principles, and provide practical examples.

1. Web Server: Handles HTTP requests from clients (browsers).
2. Application Server: Processes business logic and interacts with other components.
3. Database Server: Stores and manages data.
4. Cache Server: Improves performance by storing frequently accessed data.
5. Load Balancer: Distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers.
6. Content Delivery Network (CDN): Delivers static content quickly to users.
7. Security Components: Includes firewalls, SSL/TLS, and intrusion detection systems.

Below is a simplified architecture diagram for an e-commerce platform:

• Role: Handles incoming HTTP requests and serves static content.
• Example: Apache, Nginx.
• Configuration:

  server {
      listen 80;
      server_name example.com;
      location / {
          proxy_pass http://application_server;
      }
  }
  

• Role: Processes business logic, handles user sessions, and interacts with the database.
• Example: Node.js, Django, Spring Boot.
• Configuration:

  const express = require('express');
  const app = express();
  app.get('/', (req, res) => res.send('Hello World!'));
  app.listen(3000, () => console.log('App running on port 3000'));
  

• Role: Stores user data, product information, orders, etc.
• Example: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB.
• Configuration:

  CREATE DATABASE ecommerce;
  CREATE USER 'ecom_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
  GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON ecommerce.* TO 'ecom_user'@'localhost';
  

• Role: Stores frequently accessed data to reduce database load and improve performance.
• Example: Redis, Memcached.
• Configuration:

  redis-server --port 6379
  

• Role: Distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers to ensure high availability and reliability.
• Example: HAProxy, AWS Elastic Load Balancing.
• Configuration:

  frontend http_front
      bind *:80
      default_backend servers
  
  backend servers
      balance roundrobin
      server server1 192.168.1.1:80 check
      server server2 192.168.1.2:80 check
  

• Role: Delivers static content (images, CSS, JavaScript) quickly to users by caching content in multiple locations.
• Example: Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront.
• Configuration: Typically managed through the provider's dashboard.

• Role: Protects the system from unauthorized access and attacks.
• Example: Firewalls, SSL/TLS, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS).
• Configuration:

  ufw allow 80/tcp
  ufw allow 443/tcp
  ufw enable
  

Objective: Set up a basic e-commerce architecture using a web server, application server, and database server.

Steps:

1. Set up a Web Server:

   • Install Nginx.
   • Configure Nginx to proxy requests to the application server.

2. Set up an Application Server:

   • Install Node.js.
   • Create a simple Express application.

3. Set up a Database Server:

   • Install MySQL.
   • Create a database and user for the e-commerce application.

Solution:

1. Web Server Configuration:

   sudo apt-get install nginx
   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
   

   Add the following configuration:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name example.com;
       location / {
           proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
       }
   }
   

   Restart Nginx:

   sudo systemctl restart nginx
   

2. Application Server Configuration:

   sudo apt-get install nodejs npm
   mkdir ecommerce-app
   cd ecommerce-app
   npm init -y
   npm install express
   

   Create app.js:

   const express = require('express');
   const app = express();
   app.get('/', (req, res) => res.send('Hello E-commerce!'));
   app.listen(3000, () => console.log('App running on port 3000'));
   

   Run the application:

   node app.js
   

3. Database Server Configuration:

   sudo apt-get install mysql-server
   sudo mysql_secure_installation
   sudo mysql -u root -p
   

   Create database and user:

   CREATE DATABASE ecommerce;
   CREATE USER 'ecom_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON ecommerce.* TO 'ecom_user'@'localhost';
   

In this case study, we explored the essential components of an e-commerce architecture, including web servers, application servers, database servers, cache servers, load balancers, CDNs, and security components. We also provided a practical exercise to set up a basic e-commerce architecture. This foundation prepares you to design and manage scalable, secure, and efficient technological architectures for e-commerce platforms.