Meeting the Demands of Modern Gaming Commerce

The convergence of gaming and commerce has created a new category: G-Commerce. For our client, one of India’s top gaming applications, success hinged on delivering seamless gameplay alongside integrated shopping experiences. This required more than just a functional backend. It demanded an architecture that could scale rapidly, remain resilient under extreme load, and meet stringent security and compliance requirements.

Our role was to design and implement the entire backend from the ground up, stress testing it to 100,000 concurrent gaming sessions with minimal issues. This case study details how we approached the challenge and the lessons learned along the way.

The Core Challenge

The client’s vision combined two demanding domains: real-time gaming and secure e-commerce. Both present unique backend challenges. Gaming platforms must process thousands of simultaneous interactions in milliseconds, while e-commerce requires secure, compliant handling of payments and personal data. Achieving both at scale—without compromising performance—was the central challenge.

Additionally, the solution needed to:

• Scale dynamically as user traffic surged.

• Maintain strong data security aligned with Indian regulatory requirements.

• Support rapid iteration and deployment of new features.

• Provide real-time monitoring and alerting to maintain uptime.

Architectural Overview

Our design was anchored on AWS cloud infrastructure, with a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) at its core to ensure tight network isolation and control. Subnets were divided across availability zones for high availability, and networking rules were carefully regulated for least-privilege access.

Key architectural components included:

• Nginx reverse proxy for efficient routing and load balancing.

• Dockerized microservices stored in Amazon ECR, deployed via ECS for container management.

• Node.js Apollo GraphQL backend as the application core.

• Redis caching on EC2 for high-speed data access, chosen over ElastiCache after cost-performance benchmarking.

• Amazon RDS and custom columnar databases hosted on EC2 instances, ensuring flexibility where managed services fell short.

• Periodic DB dumps with email notifications to safeguard against data loss.

• Amazon CloudWatch with alarms for proactive monitoring.

Scaling for 100,000 Concurrent Sessions

Scalability wasn’t theoretical—it had to be proven. We simulated up to 100,000 concurrent gaming sessions to validate performance. The combination of containerized workloads on ECS and distributed Redis caching allowed the system to scale horizontally without degradation.

Our stress testing revealed that Redis on EC2 was significantly more cost-effective and easier to manage than integrating ElastiCache at this scale. Similarly, hosting columnar databases on EC2, while unconventional, allowed us to fine-tune configurations unavailable in Amazon RDS.

Key takeaway: Scaling isn’t about choosing the most “enterprise” service; it’s about making informed trade-offs between cost, flexibility, and operational complexity.

Security and Compliance by Design

Security was a non-negotiable requirement. We implemented multiple layers of protection:

• Strict VPC subnetting and security groups.

• Encrypted data flows between services.

• Controlled database access policies.

• Compliance with Indian data protection regulations.

Payment integrations with Juspay and Razorpay were configured to meet compliance standards while ensuring smooth user experiences. Shipway was added to provide real-time order tracking within the app, integrating notifications via email and in-app updates.

Takeaway: A secure system balances compliance requirements with seamless user experience, ensuring trust without friction.

Enhancing User Engagement Through Analytics and Messaging

To keep users engaged, we integrated Firebase Analytics for behavior tracking and event logging. In-game messaging relied on Firestore, while Firebase Cloud Messaging allowed us to test notification templates and optimize click-through rates.

We layered in CleverTap for intelligent nudging. For example, if a user viewed a game but didn’t complete the flow, CleverTap would trigger contextual reminders to encourage them back into the funnel. This blend of analytics and behavior-driven messaging drove measurable improvements in retention and conversion.

Monitoring, Observability, and Reliability

To keep the backend reliable under high load, Amazon CloudWatch was central to our observability stack. We configured alarms to monitor health metrics and alert the team in real time, allowing proactive resolution before users were impacted.

Database dumps and notification cycles added resilience by ensuring that, even in the event of system failure, data loss would be minimal and recoverable.

Takeaway: Observability and recovery planning are as critical as raw performance in delivering dependable systems.

Lessons Learned

This project reinforced several insights:

1. Managed services aren’t always the best fit. Redis and columnar DBs on EC2 outperformed managed alternatives when cost and flexibility were considered.

2. Scalability is an end-to-end property. Caching, orchestration, networking, and monitoring all had to align for the system to handle 100,000+ sessions.

3. User engagement tools are business-critical. CleverTap and Firebase weren’t “extras”—they directly supported retention and monetization.

4. Security requires constant trade-offs. Balancing strict access controls with usability was a continuous exercise.

Conclusion: Building for Growth and Trust

In designing and delivering the backend for India’s first G-Commerce application, we created more than a system—we built a foundation for growth. By aligning scalability, security, and engagement capabilities, we enabled our client to serve 100,000+ concurrent gamers with confidence.

For decision-makers, the lesson is clear: backend architecture isn’t just a technical choice. It’s a strategic investment that shapes user experience, trust, and business success. The right balance of managed services, custom deployments, and intelligent monitoring can unlock both performance and resilience, ensuring platforms are ready for whatever the future brings.