Architecture Overview

Overview

Webiny is a serverless content platform built on a modular, extensible architecture. Unlike monolithic platforms, Webiny is designed from the ground up to support complex projects through its component-based approach. Every part of the system can be extended or modified without breaking upgrades.

Core Components

Applications

Webiny includes several built-in applications:

• Headless CMS - GraphQL-based content management with content modeling
• Website Builder - Visual page builder with component-based architecture
• File Manager - Asset management with transformations and CDN delivery
• Admin - Unified interface for managing all applications
• Publishing Workflows - Content approval and publishing pipelines

Developer Toolkit

The Webiny Framework provides:

• Extension System - Modify any part of the platform through extensions
• API Framework - Build custom GraphQL schemas and resolvers
• UI Framework - Extend the Admin interface with custom components
• Infrastructure as Code - Automated AWS deployment with Pulumi

Infrastructure

Webiny deploys to your AWS account with:

• Serverless Architecture - Auto-scaling Lambda functions
• Managed Services - DynamoDB, S3, CloudFront, Cognito
• Security by Default - IAM roles, VPC isolation, encryption
• Multi-region Support - Deploy across AWS regions

When to Use Webiny

Good Fit

Webiny excels for projects requiring:

• Data Control - Self-hosted in your AWS account
• Scalability - Handles millions of records and petabytes of assets
• Customization - Extend every aspect via the framework
• Multi-tenancy - Isolate content and users across tenants
• Enterprise Security - SOC2 compliance, SSO, fine-grained permissions
• Complex Workflows - Custom approval processes and integrations

Poor Fit

Consider alternatives for:

• Simple Sites - Static site generators may be more appropriate
• Non-AWS Hosting - Webiny requires AWS (on-premises not supported)
• Non-JavaScript Teams - Requires React, TypeScript, and GraphQL knowledge
• Quick Prototypes - Initial setup requires AWS account and deployment

Architecture Principles

Modularity

Everything in Webiny is a module or extension:

• Core features are extensions you can replace
• No hard dependencies between components
• Upgrade without breaking customizations

Serverless-First

Built for serverless from day one:

• No servers to manage or scale
• Pay only for what you use
• Automatic scaling for traffic spikes

Developer Experience

Designed for modern development:

• TypeScript throughout
• React for UI extensions
• GraphQL for API development
• Infrastructure as Code

Licensing

Webiny offers two editions:

• Community Edition - MIT licensed, includes core features
• Business/Enterprise Edition - Commercial license with advanced features:
  • Multi-tenancy
  • Advanced ACL
  • Priority support
  • SOC2 compliance
  • SSO integration

Choose based on your project’s requirements and scale.