Panelists discuss the build-vs-buy conundrum for composable architectures, sharing real-world insights, developer perspectives, and strategies for modern software solutions.
Episode Description
Panelists discuss the build-vs-buy conundrum for composable architectures, sharing real-world insights, developer perspectives, and strategies for modern software solutions.
Episode Summary
This panel conversation centers on the concept of composability and how organizations decide whether to build or buy various components in their software stack. Drawing on extensive real-world experience, the panelists highlight the importance of focusing on business needs, ensuring that commoditized services are typically purchased while proprietary or differentiating features are built in-house. They also emphasize the role of developer experience, urging companies to select tools and platforms that minimize friction and maintenance overhead. Throughout the discussion, the panel provides best practices for transitioning off monoliths—covering both “big bang” and strangler-pattern approaches—while cautioning that success relies heavily on effective leadership, culture, and an incremental, iterative mindset. The conversation concludes by underscoring the value of strong partnerships, standards-based solutions, and well-crafted development strategies, demonstrating that composability is as much about organizational readiness and adaptability as it is about technology.
Chapters
00:00 - 05:30 Introduction and Opening Remarks
In this opening section, the hosts set the stage for the panel and explain that this conversation is part of the Composability Summit. They outline the format for the discussion, specifying that they will focus on a “build versus buy” theme. As listeners join in real time, the hosts describe how the session is being recorded and streamed, highlighting the unique opportunity to participate both live and asynchronously. They also introduce JavaScript Jam’s regular style of open mic events, emphasizing that this panel will maintain a directed conversation for the first half and move to audience-driven questions in the second. Overall, this portion sets the context for the entire talk, welcoming the panelists and previewing the major topics—like microservices, API-first mindsets, and the broader concept of composability— that they will explore in depth.
05:31 - 10:59 Guest Introductions and Initial Thoughts
During this chapter, each panelist provides a concise overview of their background, shedding light on their roles and the expertise they bring. Theo discusses his experience at Twitch and founding a startup, underscoring how long-term tech investments can influence build-vs-buy decisions. Mahala introduces her role at Valtech and her history in SaaS platform development, while Chris from Commerce Tools explains his perspective on composability within the commerce domain. Ellery discusses performance-oriented approaches for e-commerce, reflecting on Jamstack and headless strategies. Listeners learn about the panelists’ unique vantage points and begin to see how varied real-world experiences converge on common challenges—especially around deciding when to build custom solutions versus relying on existing platforms.
11:00 - 16:29 Defining Composability and Common Misconceptions
Here, panelists delve deeper into what “composability” truly means, explaining that simply employing microservices or APIs does not guarantee a genuinely composable system. They stress how easy it is to end up with another monolith if the architecture and integration are not carefully planned. The conversation includes practical litmus tests for composability, such as the ability to swap out one component for another without major refactoring. Theo references “The Ship of Theseus” analogy, showing how a product can evolve by replacing parts incrementally. The group also covers how critical it is that inputs and outputs be standardized, and they emphasize the importance of ensuring different services can be easily interchanged or upgraded without undermining the entire stack.
16:30 - 21:59 The Build-vs-Buy Rubric and Commodities
Focusing on the core theme of build versus buy, the panel agrees that “commoditized” services—like payment processing—are almost always purchased rather than built internally. They point out that businesses gain little from reinventing the wheel on these well-trodden functionalities. The conversation shifts to how, in e-commerce, most back-end components should be bought, while custom solutions are best reserved for true differentiators, like specialized front-end user experiences. The discussion also touches on how open standards and potential migration paths play a huge role in the decision. Panelists encourage teams to think beyond short-term wins; they must plan for the long-term cost of ownership, maintenance, and potential platform migrations before deciding whether to build or buy.
22:00 - 27:29 Culture, Team Readiness, and Avoiding Monolith 2.0
This segment zeroes in on organizational and cultural factors. Mahala underscores that moving away from a monolith is not merely a technical exercise but also a shift in mindset. Leaders must guide teams through extensive learning, training, and best practices, ensuring they do not replicate monolithic patterns in a new environment. Panelists note that having internal champions who deeply understand composable principles is essential. They discuss the challenges of “strangling” off old systems piece by piece, cautioning that partial implementations can lead to being stuck in limbo. Ultimately, they advocate for a clear end goal, strong governance, and the flexibility to iterate in line with business objectives rather than purely chasing cutting-edge technology.
27:30 - 32:59 Real-World Timelines and Practical Implementation
In this part of the conversation, the panelists describe realistic timelines for transitioning to a composable architecture. They share examples ranging from rapid four-month rollouts of select features to multi-year migrations in larger organizations. Chris explains how commerce platforms can serve as a starting point for strangling a legacy system, focusing initially on a few high-impact features. Mahala reiterates that adoption speed depends heavily on team maturity and willingness to embrace an agile approach. Panelists also highlight the importance of deciding which components to prioritize first, recognizing that phasing out legacy services can involve major data transformations and operational overhead that must be planned for meticulously.
33:00 - 38:29 Live Q&A: Infrastructure, Kubernetes, and Data Pipelines
As audience questions begin, the discussion shifts toward infrastructure choices like Kubernetes. One caller highlights how Kubernetes can be overkill for most front-end applications but becomes invaluable in data-heavy contexts—especially for older, larger enterprises with complex analytics needs. The panel acknowledges that while Kubernetes is powerful, the maintenance burden can be high and seldom aligns with the needs of smaller shops or e-commerce startups. Mahala and Theo stress that if Kubernetes does not serve a clear business use case, teams should rely on simpler platforms or managed services. They reinforce that building or buying must be guided by how closely a solution aligns with actual business objectives, scale demands, and existing team capabilities.
38:30 - 43:59 Developer-Facing Platforms vs. End-User-Facing Solutions
This chapter addresses the difference between tools designed for developers and solutions aimed at consumers. The panel notes that developer-focused products, like serverless platforms or extensible databases, often blend “build” and “buy” principles by letting users write custom code within a hosted environment. While this can streamline certain workflows, the potential lock-in and complexity of deeply custom logic can work against future portability. Theo underscores that a healthy dose of skepticism is needed to keep from building a dependency on a single vendor’s ecosystem. Ultimately, the group encourages a balanced approach, in which organizations choose integrated but standards-based platforms only when they align with long-term technical and product goals.
44:00 - End (51:59) Final Takeaways, Partnerships, and Wrap-Up
In the concluding portion, the panel stresses that composability relies on cross-team alignment, clear metrics for success, and open collaboration with trusted partners or solution providers. Chris mentions the importance of sequential composability, gradually integrating best-in-class components over time without overwhelming the organization. Mahala revisits the notion that transformation must be holistic, wrapping in culture, leadership, and processes rather than just new technologies. They also highlight the value of forging relationships within a product’s partner ecosystem, enabling easier integrations and joint innovations. As the episode wraps up, the panel reminds listeners to focus on real business drivers, thoughtful tech adoption, and incremental progress—ensuring any composable strategy ultimately serves the organization’s long-term growth rather than becoming an end in itself.