Decoding SFRA VS SiteGenesis: Performance Pitfalls and Solutions

In the rapidly developing domain of eCommerce, the selection of the right architecture for your online store can impact your performance and user experience. Salesforce commerce cloud provides two basic frameworks for creating eCommerce sites: Storefront Reference Architecture (SFRA) and SiteGenesis.   

While SFRA was created to be more flexible and modern, many eCommerce stores have found themselves questioning the performance of SFRA in comparison to SiteGenesis. This blog talks about the reasons behind underperformance of SFRA, pitfalls associated with it and solutions to optimize.  

SFRA Vs SiteGenesis  

Let’s get into a detailed description of SFRA Vs SiteGenesis to have a better understanding of their performance.  

1. Basic Outline of SFRA and SiteGenesis  

If we talk about SFRA, it’s an advanced architecture of Salesforce commerce cloud. It gives a well-established framework and dynamic features like search suggestions, category grids. Moreover, it offers product detailed pages. It improves flexibility, performance, and best practices for designing eCommerce storefronts on Salesforce.  

However, SiteGenesis is an older architecture for the Salesforce commerce cloud. It was basically designed for straightforward eCommerce implementations.   

1. Performance and Flexibility 

High online traffic can be handled through SFRA. This gives better load times. It is optimized with techniques such as efficient caching and lazy loading to improve performance, but these features can initiate complexity because they can lead to slower loading times if not optimized correctly.  

On the other hand, the straightforward architecture of SiteGenesis , can lead to better performance due to less customization options.  

1. Framework and Architecture  

The modular architecture of SFRA promotes microservices and reusable components. In this way it ensures easier updates and scalability. SiteGenesis is designed on a monolithic architecture. It is a popular choice among businesses that are looking for reliable solutions due to its customizable nature. 

1. Development and Implementation

Web developers are allowed to design features rapidly with SFRA. It focuses extensive customization, requiring deeper knowledge of modern development practices such as APIs and JavaScript. However, SiteGenesis is easy to use for businesses which have less technical expertise due to its simple architecture.   

1. User Experience  

An engaging user experience with the help of SFRA’s advanced features like responsive design and personalized content. In contrast, SiteGenesis is more suitable for clients looking for simplicity due to its straightforward user experience.  

Pitfalls for SFRA Performance

Despite having dynamic features and robust architecture, there are certain pitfalls which can undermine SFRA’s performance including modular architecture costs, poor asset management, excessive API calls, lack of built-in optimization, and complex custom settings.  

Here are some details of performance pitfalls associated with SFRA:  

1. Modular Architecture Costs  

Although modular architecture offers reusability, there can be overhead due to enhanced interactions between components. If large modules are not managed carefully, they might rely on other modules. Moreover, load times can be affected due to inclusion of multiple modules and large bundle size.    

1. Poor Asset Management  

If assets like scripts, images, and stylesheets are not optimized properly, it may lead to slower loading time. This may involve failure to compress images, lazy loading time, and minified CSS or JavaScript.  

Additionally, insufficient cache management may lead to assets not being presented quickly. Proper cache management is required to improve performance, especially for high-traffic sites.   

1. Excessive API Calls  

Repeated API calls can increase the response time, when APIs are not optimized for speed, or they are designed synchronously. Moreover, without a proper caching mechanism, performance may compromise because a large amount of data is requested from the server instead of being retrieved from cache memory.   

1. Lack of Built-in Optimization  

There could be built-in configurations with SFRA that are not ideal for all use cases. Businesses should give more time to tailor these settings catering to their specific needs.  Some built-in features might not be required for every deployment and keeping them activated may lead to performance degradation.    

1. Complicated Custom Settings   

Any complicated custom setting of SFRA might be challenging for optimal performance management. If settings are poorly documented, they may lead to slow load times and misconfiguration. Additionally, customs settings need extensive testing to make sure they do not negatively influence performance, which may be a time-consuming task.   

Solutions for SFRA Optimization 

Here are some effective strategies for optimizing SFRA including modular code optimization, asset management, API call optimization, implementing built-in optimization, and a complete streamlined optimization process.   

1. Modular Code Optimization

For modular code optimization, regularly review and audit the components utilized in SFRA implementation. Also, reduce overhead by removing unused modules. Deploy lazy loading for non-essential components to delay their loading until required. You can also utilize the code-splitting technique to use only essential modules.   

1. Inefficient Asset Management  

You can use tools like TinyPNG or ShortPixel to compress image size in modern formats like WebP without compromising the quality of your image. Also, minify JavaScript and CSS to decrease load times. You may automate this process with tools like Webpack. Moreover, it leverages content delivery networks (CDNs) and browser caching for quick delivery of assets to users.   

1. APIs Call Optimization  

For APIs call optimization, assemble multiple API calls into a single request, if possible, to minimize the number of network round trips. For data storage you should implement caching strategies on the client end. This would minimize the requirement for API calls.  

1. Deploy Built-in Optimization  

Make sure you use all the built-in performance optimization features of SFRA like efficient data fetching strategies and server-side rendering. You can also adjust settings as per your application needs to ensure optimal performance. Salesforce commerce cloud experts can be hired to facilitate your optimization process.  

1. Streamlined Optimization Process 

Regular testing of SFRA performance would assist you in streamlining the whole performance optimization.  You can conduct performance audits, identify issues, and areas to improve with the help of tools like Google Lighthouse. Additionally, you should maintain all detailed documents of best practices and audits for your team in case of future proceedings.  

Wrapping Up

While SFRA possesses modern capabilities and features, it can also introduce performance challenges that if not corrected may block your eCommerce success. By having a clear idea of potential pitfalls in SFRA performance and deploying targeted solutions businesses can benefit from the strengths of SFRA while minimizing its weaknesses.   

In the end, the choice between SFRA and SiteGenesis should depend upon your project requirements, long-term goals, and technical capabilities.