This repository is a reference architecture showcase extracted from a real, long-running production system. It focuses exclusively on architectural structure, execution boundaries, and modernization strategy --- not on business-specific logic or a ready-to-deploy application.

The full system context, constraints, and outcomes are described in the corresponding case study: 👉 https://rocketdeploy.dev/en/case-studies/commerce-platform-modernization/

Business logic, proprietary rules, customer data, and sensitive identifiers have been removed or anonymized. This repository is provided for architectural review and educational purposes only.

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Technical Architecture Showcase

1) Overview

This system is a long-running PHP-based modular monolith built on an MVC framework and continuously used in production for approximately a decade.

The architecture combines:

• Interactive web-based operational workflows
• Scheduled automation scripts
• Direct integrations with external service providers
• Shared relational persistence and filesystem artifacts

The current engineering objective is controlled architectural evolution:

Preserve operational continuity while progressively formalizing boundaries, isolating responsibilities, and preparing the system for service-level extraction, a dedicated BFF layer, SPA frontend migration, and future AI-assisted operational augmentation.

This document focuses on architecture, boundaries, and modernization trajectory --- not on business logic.

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2) System Context

At runtime, the platform exposes:

• A primary operational web surface
• A secondary scoped administrative surface (separate namespace/session context)
• Multiple scheduler-triggered entry scripts
• Direct external-provider integrations (HTTP/XML/SDK-based)

The repository also includes containerized deployment configuration and CI/CD validation pipelines.

Evidence: The codebase defines two separate HTTP front controllers and separate rewrite rules, each bootstrapping a web application runtime with its own surface configuration (namespace/base URL/session scope).

Evidence: Multiple standalone scripts instantiate the same web application container and execute internal actions directly (interactive run() vs scheduled runAction(...)).

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3) Start Here (Reading Map)

For architectural analysis:

1. Application bootstrap and configuration merge
2. Module composition and component registration
3. HTTP controllers as entry adapters
4. Domain entities and orchestration-heavy methods
5. Scheduler entry scripts and automation paths
6. Integration adapters and external-provider contracts
7. Containerization and CI pipelines

Evidence: Both HTTP surfaces and scheduler scripts load the same autoload/bootstrap stack and compose runtime configuration via explicit merge steps (common + surface-specific).

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4) Architecture at a Glance

The current system can be described as a stabilized modular monolith:

• Single process runtime
• Shared relational database
• MVC-based presentation layer
• Active Record domain modeling
• Embedded integration adapters
• Script-triggered background automation

Controllers orchestrate domain state transitions. Domain models frequently coordinate persistence and integration calls. Automation scripts reuse application runtime and action logic.

Evidence: Scheduler entry scripts bootstrap the same application container as HTTP and dispatch internal actions directly rather than running an isolated worker runtime.

Evidence: Controllers serve both server-rendered HTML responses and JSON responses by switching response format and returning structured payloads.

Modernization focuses on explicit boundary formalization rather than replacement.

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5) Architecture Boundaries

Logical boundaries currently identifiable:

• Presentation Boundary --- MVC controllers and views
• Application Orchestration Boundary --- state transitions, queue writes, downstream calls
• Domain Boundary --- entity modeling and persistence
• Integration Boundary --- provider-specific adapters and communication layers
• Execution Boundary --- HTTP lifecycle vs scheduler-triggered execution

Physical deployment remains single-unit; logical separation is visible and incrementally formalized.

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6) Module / Component Map

Functional grouping includes:

• Core shared configuration and base models
• Primary operational module
• Secondary scoped module with separate session/base URL
• Infrastructure layer (runtime, containerization, CI definitions)
• Embedded provider SDK layer

Namespace-level modularization exists without runtime isolation.

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7) External Integrations

Integration strategies include:

• Direct HTTP invocation
• XML-based request/response contracts
• Embedded SDK calls
• Environment-configured transport mechanisms

Evidence: External-provider integrations are implemented through direct HTTP calls, XML request/response handling, and embedded SDK inclusions; invocations occur both from controller-level orchestration and from domain-model methods, with error handling largely local to operations.

Modernization aims to formalize contracts and isolate integration density.

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8) Execution Flows

Flow A --- Interactive Operation

1. HTTP request enters controller
2. Application bootstraps configuration
3. Access-control rules evaluated
4. Domain mutation performed
5. Optional integration invoked
6. Response returned (HTML or JSON)

Flow B --- Scheduled Automation

1. Scheduler executes standalone script
2. Full application runtime bootstrapped
3. Internal action dispatched
4. Batch operation executed

Evidence: Scheduled scripts invoke internal actions via direct dispatch after bootstrapping the full web application container.

Flow C --- Deferred Queue Processing

1. Operational action writes queue entry
2. Queue-processing action reads and deserializes payload
3. Event dispatched and processed
4. Entry removed from storage

Evidence: A persistent queue entity stores event metadata and serialized parameters in a database table; a dedicated queue-processing action deserializes payloads, dispatches by type/event, and deletes processed entries.

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9) State & Data Management

Primary persistence:

• Relational database
• Active Record entities
• Status-driven workflow state

Secondary state:

• Filesystem artifacts
• Deferred execution queue

Queue payload uses serialized parameter blobs and compact item lists to support deferred orchestration.

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10) Reliability & Failure Handling

Reliability mechanisms are primarily localized:

• Application-level logging
• Inline integration error handling
• Conditional fallback logic
• Queue preprocessing to reduce grouped-operation inconsistency

Modernization objectives include standardized retry policies, explicit idempotence boundaries, and centralized observability.

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11) Security Model (High-Level)

Security controls include:

• Session isolation between surfaces
• Controller-level access rules
• Request validation components
• Environment-based credential handling

Future evolution targets boundary-level policy centralization.

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12) Key Engineering Decisions & Trade-offs

Historical strengths:

• Single deployable unit simplified operations
• In-process orchestration reduced duplication
• Shared runtime enabled rapid feature evolution

Trade-offs:

• Increasing integration density raised coupling
• Scheduler reuse blends execution contexts
• Cross-cutting orchestration spans multiple layers

These characteristics reflect natural system evolution under sustained operational load.

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13) How to Evaluate This Codebase

Recommended review approach:

1. Inventory entry points
2. Map orchestration paths
3. Identify integration density clusters
4. Separate domain transitions from I/O side effects
5. Locate implicit boundary crossings
6. Prioritize extraction candidates by coupling and I/O exposure

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14) Modernization Strategy Model

Transformation follows a staged model:

• Phase 0 --- Stabilized Modular Monolith
• Phase 1 --- Boundary Formalization
• Phase 2 --- High I/O Domain Extraction
• Phase 3 --- BFF Introduction
• Phase 4 --- SPA Migration
• Phase 5 --- AI-Assisted Operational Augmentation

Extraction sequencing is guided by integration density and orchestration complexity rather than UI structure.

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15) Architectural Target State

Target characteristics:

• Domain services with explicit interfaces
• Isolated integration adapters
• Dedicated worker execution context
• Clear BFF boundary
• Separation of domain logic and side effects
• Centralized observability and retry semantics

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16) AI-Assisted Operational Boundary

Future AI integration is positioned as a decision-support augmentation layer:

• Operates on structured operational data
• Generates recommendations or summaries
• Does not mutate state directly
• Does not call providers directly
• Respects explicit orchestration contracts

AI augments operational tooling without replacing deterministic workflow execution.

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17) Closing Note

This repository reflects a realistic modernization stage:

A production-proven modular monolith whose domain model has demonstrated long-term viability and is now being systematically evolved toward service isolation, boundary clarity, and frontend decoupling.

The transformation is incremental, contract-driven, and operationally safe.

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If you are dealing with a similar challenge --- modernizing a legacy operational platform, extracting services from a modular monolith, or evolving a production system without disrupting business continuity ---

👉 https://rocketdeploy.dev/en/contact