Empowering Digital Equality at Scale: Microservice Architecture for a Global Leading Web Accessibility Platform

A man in a wheelchair sitting in front of a computer

Services:

Application Modernization

Location:

USA, VA

Client since:

2023

Our client is a global web accessibility software and services company that campaigns for digital equality. They believe everyone should have access to information, services, apps, and everything on the web, regardless of their abilities. The client collaborates with enterprise-level businesses to enhance the accessibility of their products and services across various platforms.

25+ years on the market
900,000+ installed accessibility extensions
CPACC, WAS, & CPWA-certified staff

Business challenge

One of our client’s core accessibility services, responsible for site-wide scanning and accessibility reporting, was built on a monolithic architecture with a deprecated technology stack. This outdated system was causing significant issues in security, scalability, and user experience. Most critically, it could not integrate with other accessibility tools in the client’s ecosystem.

Deprecated monolithic product architecture

The problem came to a head when a major retail customer requested a full website accessibility scan. Due to legacy dependencies and deprecated packages, the system failed to run the scan on the client’s server. Recognizing the urgent need for modernization, the organization engaged Sombra to help re-architect the product.

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Technical solution

Tech stack: TypeScript, React, Node.js, Java, Spring

Architecture modernization: We restructured the legacy monolith into a microservices-based architecture, enabling independent scaling, better fault isolation, and streamlined updates.

Security acceleration: Each client now operates on a dedicated on-premise server, improving data security and supporting client-specific configurations.

Flexible user management and workflow automation: We integrated the platform with the client’s accounting system, user and team management tools, and custom permission controls for fine-grained access (view, edit, assign, etc.).

Bulk editing feature development: End users can now select multiple issues across scanned pages and perform batch actions like assigning or marking them as fixed.

Advanced exporting: Users can now selectively export specific data rather than using an “all-or-nothing” method.

UI Upgrades: Continuous enhancements are being implemented to create a more user-friendly interface.

Other technical enhancements: Contributed to the optimization of a custom command-line utility that automates browser-based accessibility scans using Axe-core rules. This improves accuracy and developer productivity within the platform.

Performance testing: On the main dashboard, the system now collects and displays the number of scanned pages almost in real-time, even for customers with millions of pages, instead of taking 30 to 60 seconds.

Business value

Scalable architecture
Microservices allow the client’s customer to spin up additional scans on demand, ideal for handling high scan volumes.

High availability
If one service fails, others remain functional. Users can still access scanned data without disruption.

Cost-effective resource allocation
Core services run on lightweight servers; heavy scan workers use high-performance servers, optimized for cost and scale.

Performance boost
System response times improved from 30–60s to under 5–10s, near real-time tracking of millions of scanned pages on the dashboard.

New revenue streams

Integration with other client tools enabled bundled offerings, opening cross-sell and upsell opportunities.

UI improvements

Changes to the user interface now allow end-users to interact with the tool without the lengthy onboarding, as well as other integrated client’s products.