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4 September 2025

Plugins for Adobe Commerce: extension tools (App Builder, etc.) are becoming the essential API for building official connectors.

Image de presentation adobe commerce

Announced in spring 2025, Adobe Commerce As a Cloud Service is a SaaS e-commerce solution, which is the evolution of Adobe Commerce (PaaS version of Magento, acquired by Adobe in 2018).

Historically, two development interfaces were available on Adobe Commerce for creating extensions:

  • Magento’s PHP API, used for most plugins from the open source ecosystem.
  • App Builder, the unified development framework for Adobe products.

Until now, App Builder has seen little adoption, mainly due to developers’ familiarity with the legacy PHP API and the great freedom offered by the PHP API.

With Adobe Commerce As a Cloud Service, the legacy PHP API will no longer be accessible. Developers will therefore be required to use App Builder to create or maintain extensions. 

About Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service

Unlike Adobe Commerce, which was hybrid (SaaS components and a PaaS core), Adobe Commerce As a Cloud Service is a 100% cloud-native, SaaS solution. As the core of the platform is unalterable, direct access is no longer possible, making the PHP API too intrusive and therefore incompatible.

The main innovations of the ‘as a Cloud Service’ version

  • Commerce Storefront : a headless frontend based on Adobe technology called “Edge Delivery Service” with performance advertised as exceptional
  • Dropins : Ready-to-use frontend components to accelerate development (e.g. store locator)
  • API Mesh : a GraphQL-based API layer for aggregating data from different sources (catalogue, stock, prices, etc.)
  • B2B features micro-services exposed by the core
  • Integration of Adobe’s generative AI tools for generating text and image variants for AB testing or personalisation purposes.

It should be noted that Adobe is actually launching two products:

  • Adobe Commerce As a Cloud Service, which is the SAAS solution we have just presented
  • Adobe Commerce Optimizer, which is an overlay for e-commerce CMS, bringing the features of Commerce As a Cloud Service to legacy CMS. Magento-based e-shops immediately spring to mind: Adobe Commerce Optimizer allows you to benefit from the modern technologies of Commerce As a Cloud Service without migrating the backend.

For more details, we recommend this article.

App Builder becomes the benchmark

Available for three years, App Builder is Adobe’s development platform for all Adobe web products. It enables you to:

  • Develop serverless functions (Node.js)
  • Host lightweight front ends (React, View, etc.)
  • Manage temporary storage (File Store, State Store)
  • Connect to the entire Adobe ecosystem (AEM, Analytics, etc.)

Official resources are available on Experience League and in the video recording of Régis Quintin’s presentation at Meet Magento Paris Back from Adobe Summit.

Please note that Adobe offers two starter kits to save time when creating the most common integrations (50% time saving claimed).

  • BackOffice Starter Kit : for backend integration (ERP, PIM, OMS, etc.)
  • Checkout Starter Kit : to recreate critical modules of the purchase funnel (payment, delivery, taxes)

Adobe is currently working with the publishers of the most widely used plugins on the Commerce Marketplace (Adobe Commerce app store) on a migration process to App Builder, with specific support.

And what about Magento Open Source in all this?

App Builder is not available on Magento Open Source. Publishers therefore have two options for maintaining their connector on Magento:

  • Maintaining a Magento-specific plugin
  • Create a ‘hybrid’ plugin that reuses App Builder resources

A new tool to embrace for real benefits

App Builder offers numerous advantages for implementing connectors: modern technology for more efficient development, version compatibility support from Adobe (to a certain extent, as with any SAAS solution), simpler maintenance, etc.

Beyond the obligation, adopting this new technology therefore presents a real opportunity for software solution publishers to modernise their connectors.