Yes, it’s true that software giants and influencers often ride the hype of a technology trend, only to later pivot or abandon it—leaving users wondering if it was ever worth the effort. This phenomenon is driven by marketing cycles, FOMO, and a rush to be seen as “innovative.”
One strong example is Meta (formerly Facebook) and its pivot to the metaverse. After renaming the entire company and pouring billions into VR/AR development, by 2024–2025, internal reports and public updates showed a clear deprioritization of the metaverse. The public shift toward AI (especially LLMs) further accelerated this change, making many early metaverse promises seem like vaporware.
Or consider Angular, a framework originally developed and promoted by Google. When it first launched, one of its most touted features was two-way data binding—the ability to automatically sync data between the model and the view. It was marketed as a game-changer in custom web development.
However, within a couple of years, the industry began to shift. Facebook’s React popularized a simpler, more predictable one-way data flow model, which many developers found easier to debug and reason about. Eventually, Angular had to evolve. With Angular 2 and beyond, Google restructured the framework significantly—moving away from many of the original AngularJS paradigms and adopting patterns similar to React’s one-way data binding and component-based architecture.
We should expect no exception when it comes to super app development—the same cycle of overhyped trends and architectural pivots will likely play out. As this new wave gains momentum, the way technology and architecture are positioned will evolve rapidly, often driven more by narrative than necessity.
If you’re new to the concept or want to understand the broader context, start with our foundational article: What is a Super App?
In today’s article, we’ll focus heavily on technology architecture—specifically, how nocode tools like Acenji can reshape the future of super apps by enabling solid, scalable architecture beneath the surface.
What are the most common types of super app architecture today?
1. Embedded (Monolithic or Spaghetti Architecture)
Embedded (Monolithic or Spaghetti Architecture)
This is perhaps the most common starting point for founders or business owners who want to build a super app but lack deep technical experience. In this model, all features are baked into one giant codebase from day one. At first, it feels fast and efficient—everything is in one place, and progress appears smooth.
But that simplicity is short-lived.
As more services are added, the system becomes increasingly difficult to manage. Shared dependencies create tight coupling, making even small changes risky and time-consuming. The architecture begins to resemble a bowl of spaghetti—tangled, brittle, and resistant to growth.
Many teams label this their “MVP phase,” with the hope of refactoring later. Some, like Gojek, successfully transition to modular architectures. Others continue to struggle under the weight of their own complexity, fighting technical debt and scalability issues at every turn.
- Plugin-Driven Architecture
Plugin-Driven Architecture
Driven by developers—both internal and external—this architecture allows the core app to be extended through modular plugins. These plugins hook into exposed API points, adding new features without changing a single line of core code.
A prime example is the LINE super app. It offers tools like LINE Mini Apps and LINE Business Connect, allowing developers to build and deploy chatbots, e-commerce storefronts, and more. You don’t need to be part of the LINE team to participate—just follow their registration process, and LINE manages the deployment lifecycle.
Another great example is KakaoTalk from South Korea. Kakao enables both internal and external teams to develop services like ride-hailing, payment gateways, gaming, and media streaming, all of which seamlessly plug into the Kakao ecosystem through standardized interfaces.
In the fintech world, Revolut takes a similar modular approach. Users can enable features like crypto trading, travel insurance, budgeting, and more. Each of these is delivered as an independent module, designed to plug into the broader app experience without interfering with core services.
The real strength of this architecture lies in its loose coupling. Plugins operate independently and can be deployed, updated, or even rolled back without touching the main app. This reduces technical debt, supports real-time interconnectivity, and enables granular control—admins can adjust permissions, enable or disable specific modules, and maintain overall system stability.
- Mini Apps (Micro-Frontend) Model
The mini app model is a modular approach where each feature or service is treated as a self-contained app within the super app ecosystem. It’s a flexible architecture that enables large-scale systems to grow with minimal friction between teams or third-party contributors.
There are two main variations:
3.a Fully Decoupled Mini Apps
Fully Decoupled Mini Apps
In this setup, each mini app is:
- Developed, hosted, and maintained independently
- Loaded into the super app via webviews, iframes, or SDK integrations
- Designed to run in its own runtime context, often with its own tech stack
This gives maximum autonomy to developers—especially third-party contributors. However, it can lead to performance challenges and inconsistent UX if not governed properly.
Example: WeChat Mini Programs—developers build independent apps that run inside WeChat, such as shopping experiences, ticket booking systems, or games.
Another example: AliPay Mini Apps, which follow a similar philosophy and are widely used for financial and retail services in China.
3.b Cohosted Mini Apps
Cohosted Mini Apps
In this variation:
- Mini apps are developed independently but deployed together as part of the super app’s main infrastructure.
- They share common resources like authentication, design system, or core data services.
- Apps can still be modular but benefit from unified performance optimization and smoother UX.
If we have to summarize, we could say that mini apps have independent life cycle and Single-Sign-On is used to maintain seamless login experience. In addition, you have shared state context or in some cases communicaitns bridge between the core app and the mini apps. The rules and regulations are very clear for third party apps
4. Federated Architecture with Shared Core
Federated Architecture with Shared Core
The federated architecture model strikes a balance between autonomy and standardization. In this approach, each module or feature is treated as a self-contained unit (similar to micro frontends or services), but they all connect to a centralized core platform that handles shared responsibilities.
Think of it like a hub-and-spoke model: the core (hub) manages common systems, while each federated module (spoke)can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently.
If we have to clacify the services, we can group them into three Groups:
4.a Shared Core Services
As the name suggest, some of the most common services that fall under this categories are :
- Authentication & authorization
- User profile management
- Notifications, messaging, and analytics
- Theming and UI guidelines
- Data access and API gateway
4.b Autonomous Feature Modules
- These are the modules built by vendors oir even different internal teams.
- They can be built using different languages/frameworks
- They are deployed independently
- All communications to the Core is done via API, events or a service mesh
4.c Shared UI Shell or Runtime
The promise here is to allow runtime composition of services focused on user interface. This model is highly compatible with micro frontends and because of that allows usage in we, mobile and desktop applications.
The examples, While not quite ready as super apps, we are including them here to show trends and progress when using this type of architecture.
SAP, Saleforce, ServiceNow, AWS Console
5. Super App Nocode Architecture – How ACENji does it
Super App Nocode Architecture – How ACENji does it
While traditional super app architectures are built by large dev teams using microservices, plugins, or federated systems, Acenji introduces a completely nocode-native approach—designed to be modular, scalable, and lightning fast across platforms.
5.a Device-Agnostic & Channel-Ready
Acenji runs seamlessly across web, mobile, smart TVs, kiosks, and other endpoints. The system is device-agnostic by design, meaning there’s no difference in logic or behavior based on where the app is accessed.
5.b One Entry Point, Infinite Mini Apps
The platform begins with a single app entry point, but inside it lives an unlimited number of mini apps. What sets Acenji apart is that:
- At runtime, there is no “main app”—each mini app is treated as an equal citizen.
- Mini apps can communicate with each other—sending and receiving data both vertically (to platform services)and horizontally (to other mini apps) in real time.
- This promotes true peer-to-peer modularity within a unified user experience.
5.c Role- and Location-Based Access
Authentication and access control are handled through:
- Roles and permissions, which govern what each user or team can access or manage.
- Optional geolocation filters, allowing certain mini apps or features to be available only in specific regions or devices.
5.d Instant, Seamless Deployment
Acenji features single-click deployment with real-time performance optimization:
- Only the mini app that changed is redeployed.
- Total load time for mobile and web stays under 400ms, even at scale.
- This minimizes disruption while enabling rapid iteration and testing.
5.e 100% Built with Nocode
Unlike traditional systems that use nocode as an afterthought or on top of hard-coded layers, Acenji is:
- Fully constructed using nocode principles
- Extremely flexible, allowing builders to deploy advanced workflows, user journeys, and features without writing a single line of backend code
5.f Built on Top of Its Own Language: ACENji
One of Acenji’s most powerful innovations is that it’s built entirely on top of its own declarative language, called ACEJi.
ACEJi isn’t a general-purpose programming language—it’s purpose-built for nocode super app creation. It allows builders to:
- Describe every pixel on the user interface with precision
- Define component structures, layout behavior, styling, and responsiveness
- Handle logic, actions, workflows, and data flows declaratively—no imperative code required
- Create dynamic apps with conditional rendering, looping, data binding, and real-time interactions—all using readable, modular JSON structures
Super app architecture has evolved significantly—from early monolithic builds packed with tightly coupled features to more modular approaches like plugin systems, mini apps, and federated services. Each step in that evolution has brought more scalability, flexibility, and speed to how super apps are built and deployed.
The latest shift in this journey is the rise of nocode platforms. Nocode introduces a new layer of accessibility to super app development—allowing teams to build complex architectures without writing traditional backend code, while still preserving modularity, real-time communication, and performance.
What’s especially interesting is how nocode doesn’t replace architecture thinking—it demands more of it. Behind every drag-and-drop interface or visual builder is a declarative engine, an event model, and a deployment layer that still requires strategic design. The difference is that nocode empowers a broader range of teams to participate in building these systems, reducing reliance on massive engineering headcount while accelerating time to market.
As super apps become more global and niche-specific, we can expect nocode to play a leading role—not just in prototyping, but in powering full-scale, production-ready platforms that meet modern expectations for speed, modularity, and cross-device experiences.
Want to learn more about how nocode saves time and money in real-world business scenarios?
Check out this article: No-Code Platforms on the Rise: Saving Companies Time and Money
Thanks for reading
By Ivan Assenov
