orion/docs/architecture/url-routing/overview.md

Orion Multi-Tenant URL Routing Guide

Quick Answer

How do customers access a store's storefront in Orion?

There are three ways depending on the deployment mode:

⚠️ Important: This guide describes customer-facing storefront routes. For store dashboard/management routes, see Store Frontend Architecture. The storefront uses /stores/{code}/storefront/* (plural) in path-based mode, while the store dashboard uses /store/{code}/* (singular).

1. SUBDOMAIN MODE (Production - Recommended)

https://STORE_SUBDOMAIN.platform.com/storefront/products

Example:
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/products
https://techpro.orion.lu/storefront/categories/electronics

2. CUSTOM DOMAIN MODE (Production - Premium)

https://STORE_CUSTOM_DOMAIN/storefront/products

Example:
https://store.acmecorp.com/storefront/products
https://shop.techpro.io/storefront/cart

3. PATH-BASED MODE (Development Only)

http://localhost:PORT/platforms/PLATFORM_CODE/stores/STORE_CODE/storefront/products

Example:
http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/products
http://localhost:8000/platforms/loyalty/stores/techpro/storefront/checkout

---

Multi-Platform URL Routing

Orion supports multiple platforms (OMS, Loyalty, Site Builder), each with its own marketing site and store ecosystem.

Platform URL Structure

Development Mode (localhost)

URL	What it serves
/	Main marketing site homepage (main platform)
/about	Main marketing site about page
/platforms/oms/	OMS platform homepage
/platforms/oms/pricing	OMS platform pricing page
/platforms/oms/stores/{code}/storefront/	Store storefront on OMS
/platforms/oms/admin/	Admin panel for OMS platform
/platforms/oms/store/{code}/	Store dashboard on OMS
/platforms/loyalty/	Loyalty platform homepage
/platforms/loyalty/features	Loyalty platform features page

Production Mode (custom domains)

URL	What it serves
orion.lu/	Main marketing site homepage
orion.lu/about	Main marketing site about page
oms.lu/	OMS platform homepage
oms.lu/pricing	OMS platform pricing page
oms.lu/admin/	Admin panel for OMS platform
oms.lu/store/{code}/	Store dashboard on OMS
https://mybakery.lu/storefront/	Store storefront (store's custom domain)
loyalty.lu/	Loyalty platform homepage

Note: In production, stores configure their own custom domains for storefronts. The platform domain (e.g., oms.lu) is used for admin and store dashboards, while storefronts use store-owned domains.

Quick Reference by Platform

For "oms" Platform

Dev:
  Platform:   http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/
  Admin:      http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/admin/
  Store:     http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/store/{store_code}/
  Storefront: http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/{store_code}/storefront/

Prod:
  Platform:   https://oms.lu/
  Admin:      https://oms.lu/admin/
  Store:     https://oms.lu/store/{store_code}/
  Storefront: https://mybakery.lu/storefront/  (store's custom domain)

For "loyalty" Platform

Dev:
  Platform:   http://localhost:8000/platforms/loyalty/
  Admin:      http://localhost:8000/platforms/loyalty/admin/
  Store:     http://localhost:8000/platforms/loyalty/store/{store_code}/
  Storefront: http://localhost:8000/platforms/loyalty/stores/{store_code}/storefront/

Prod:
  Platform:   https://loyalty.lu/
  Admin:      https://loyalty.lu/admin/
  Store:     https://loyalty.lu/store/{store_code}/
  Storefront: https://myrewards.lu/storefront/  (store's custom domain)

Platform Routing Logic

Request arrives
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Check: Is this production domain?   │
│ (oms.lu, loyalty.lu, etc.)          │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
      │
      ├── YES → Route to that platform
      │
      ▼ NO (localhost)
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Check: Does path start with         │
│ /platforms/{code}/ ?                │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
      │
      ├── YES → Strip prefix, route to platform
      │         /platforms/oms/pricing → /pricing on OMS
      │
      ▼ NO
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Route to MAIN MARKETING SITE        │
│ (no platform context)               │
│ /faq → Main site FAQ page           │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Platform Codes

Platform	Code	Dev URL	Prod Domain
Main Marketing	main	localhost:8000/	orion.lu
OMS	oms	localhost:8000/platforms/oms/	oms.lu
Loyalty	loyalty	localhost:8000/platforms/loyalty/	loyalty.lu
Site Builder	site-builder	localhost:8000/platforms/site-builder/	sitebuilder.lu

See: Multi-Platform CMS Architecture for content management details.

---

Three Deployment Modes Explained

1. SUBDOMAIN MODE (Production - Recommended)

URL Pattern: https://STORE_SUBDOMAIN.platform.com/storefront/...

Example:

• Store subdomain: acme
• Platform domain: orion.lu
• Customer Storefront URL: https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/products
• Product Detail: https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/products/123

How It Works:

1. Customer visits https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/products
2. store_context_middleware detects subdomain "acme"
3. Queries: SELECT * FROM stores WHERE subdomain = 'acme'
4. Finds Store with ID=1 (ACME Store)
5. Sets request.state.store = Store(ACME Store)
6. context_middleware detects it's a STOREFRONT request
7. theme_context_middleware loads ACME's theme
8. Routes to storefront_pages.py → storefront_products_page()
9. Renders template with ACME's colors, logo, and products

Advantages:

• Single SSL certificate for all stores (*.orion.lu)
• Easy to manage DNS (just add subdomains)
• Customers don't need to bring their own domain

---

2. CUSTOM DOMAIN MODE (Production - Premium)

URL Pattern: https://CUSTOM_DOMAIN/storefront/...

Example:

• Store name: "ACME Store"
• Custom domain: store.acme-corp.com
• Customer Storefront URL: https://store.acme-corp.com/storefront/products

Database Setup:

-- stores table
id | name        | subdomain
1  | ACME Store  | acme

-- store_domains table (links custom domains to stores)
id | store_id | domain              | is_active | is_verified
1  | 1         | store.acme-corp.com | true      | true

How It Works:

1. Customer visits https://store.acme-corp.com/storefront/products
2. store_context_middleware detects custom domain (not *.orion.lu, not localhost)
3. Normalizes domain to "store.acme-corp.com"
4. Queries: SELECT * FROM store_domains WHERE domain = 'store.acme-corp.com'
5. Finds StoreDomain with store_id = 1
6. Joins to get Store(ACME Store)
7. Rest is same as subdomain mode...

Advantages:

• Professional branding with store's own domain
• Better for premium stores
• Store controls the domain

Considerations:

• Each store needs their own SSL certificate
• Store must own and configure the domain

---

3. PATH-BASED MODE (Development Only)

URL Pattern: http://localhost:PORT/platforms/PLATFORM_CODE/stores/STORE_CODE/storefront/...

Example:

• Development: http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/products
• With port: http://localhost:8000/platforms/loyalty/stores/acme/storefront/products/123

How It Works:

1. Developer visits http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/products
2. Platform middleware detects /platforms/oms/ prefix, sets platform context
3. store_context_middleware detects path-based routing pattern /stores/acme/...
4. Extracts store code "acme" from the path
5. Looks up Store: SELECT * FROM stores WHERE subdomain = 'acme'
6. Sets request.state.store = Store(acme)
7. Routes to storefront pages

Advantages:

• Perfect for local development
• No need to configure DNS/domains
• Test multiple stores and platforms easily without domain setup

Limitations:

• Only for development (not production-ready)
• All stores share same localhost address

---

Complete Route Examples

Subdomain/Custom Domain (PRODUCTION)

https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/                        → Homepage
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/products                → Product Catalog
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/products/123            → Product Detail
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/categories/electronics  → Category Page
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/cart                    → Shopping Cart
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/checkout                → Checkout
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/search?q=laptop         → Search Results
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/account/login           → Customer Login
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/account/dashboard       → Account Dashboard (Auth Required)
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/account/orders          → Order History (Auth Required)
https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/account/profile         → Profile (Auth Required)

Path-Based (DEVELOPMENT)

http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/                → Homepage
http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/products        → Products
http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/products/123    → Product Detail
http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/cart            → Cart
http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/checkout        → Checkout
http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/account/login   → Login

API Endpoints (Same for All Modes)

GET  /api/v1/storefront/stores/1/products              → Get store products
GET  /api/v1/storefront/stores/1/products/123          → Get product details
POST /api/v1/storefront/stores/1/products/{id}/reviews → Add product review

---

How Store Isolation Works

Multi-Layer Enforcement

Layer 1: URL Routing

• Store is detected from subdomain, custom domain, or path
• Each store gets their own request context

Layer 2: Middleware

• request.state.store is set to the detected Store object
• All downstream code can access the store

Layer 3: Database Queries

• All queries must include WHERE store_id = ?
• Product queries: SELECT * FROM products WHERE store_id = 1
• Order queries: SELECT * FROM orders WHERE store_id = 1

Layer 4: API Authorization

• Endpoints verify the store matches the request store
• Customers can only see their own store's products

Example: No Cross-Store Leakage

# Customer on acme.orion.lu tries to access TechPro's products
# They make API call to /api/v1/storefront/stores/2/products

# Backend checks:
store = get_store_from_request(request)  # Returns Store(id=1, name="ACME")
if store.id != requested_store_id:       # if 1 != 2
    raise UnauthorizedStorefrontAccessException()

---

Request Lifecycle: Complete Flow

Scenario: Customer visits https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/products

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. REQUEST ARRIVES                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
   method: GET
   host: acme.orion.lu
   path: /storefront/products

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. MIDDLEWARE CHAIN                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

   A) store_context_middleware
      ├─ Detects host: "acme.orion.lu"
      ├─ Extracts subdomain: "acme"
      ├─ Queries: SELECT * FROM stores WHERE subdomain = 'acme'
      └─ Sets: request.state.store = Store(ACME Store)

   B) context_middleware
      ├─ Checks path: "/storefront/products"
      ├─ Has request.state.store? YES
      └─ Sets: request.state.context_type = RequestContext.STOREFRONT

   C) theme_context_middleware
      ├─ Queries: SELECT * FROM store_themes WHERE store_id = 1
      └─ Sets: request.state.theme = {...ACME's theme...}

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. ROUTE MATCHING                                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
   Path: /storefront/products
   Matches: @router.get("/storefront/products")
   Handler: storefront_products_page(request)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4. HANDLER EXECUTES                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
   @router.get("/storefront/products", response_class=HTMLResponse)
   async def storefront_products_page(request: Request):
       return templates.TemplateResponse(
           "storefront/products.html",
           {"request": request}
       )

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 5. TEMPLATE RENDERS                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
   Template accesses:
   ├─ request.state.store.name → "ACME Store"
   ├─ request.state.theme.colors.primary → "#FF6B6B"
   ├─ request.state.theme.branding.logo → "acme-logo.png"
   └─ Products will load via JavaScript API call

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 6. JAVASCRIPT LOADS PRODUCTS (Client-Side)                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
   fetch(`/api/v1/storefront/stores/1/products`)
   .then(data => renderProducts(data.products, {theme}))

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 7. RESPONSE SENT                                                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
   HTML with ACME's colors, logo, and products

---

Theme Integration

Each store's storefront is fully branded with their custom theme:

# Theme loaded for https://acme.orion.lu
request.state.theme = {
    "theme_name": "modern",
    "colors": {
        "primary": "#FF6B6B",
        "secondary": "#FF8787",
        "accent": "#FF5252",
        "background": "#ffffff",
        "text": "#1f2937"
    },
    "branding": {
        "logo": "acme-logo.png",
        "favicon": "acme-favicon.ico",
        "banner": "acme-banner.jpg"
    },
    "fonts": {
        "heading": "Poppins, sans-serif",
        "body": "Inter, sans-serif"
    }
}

In Jinja2 template:

<style>
  :root {
    --color-primary: {{ request.state.theme.colors.primary }};
    --color-secondary: {{ request.state.theme.colors.secondary }};
  }
</style>

<img src="{{ request.state.theme.branding.logo }}" alt="{{ request.state.store.name }}" />
<h1 style="font-family: {{ request.state.theme.fonts.heading }}">
  Welcome to {{ request.state.store.name }}
</h1>

---

Key Points for Understanding

1. Customer Perspective

• Customers just visit a URL (like any normal e-commerce site)
• They have no awareness it's a multi-tenant platform
• Each store looks completely separate and branded

2. Store Perspective

• Stores can use a subdomain (free/standard): acme.orion.lu
• Or their own custom domain (premium): store.acme-corp.com
• Both routes go to the exact same backend code

3. Developer Perspective

• The middleware layer detects which store is being accessed
• All business logic remains store-unaware
• Database queries automatically filtered by store
• No risk of data leakage because of multi-layer isolation

4. Tech Stack

• Frontend: Jinja2 templates + Alpine.js + Tailwind CSS
• Backend: FastAPI + SQLAlchemy
• Auth: JWT with store-scoped cookies
• Database: All tables have store_id foreign key

---

Path-Based Routing Implementation

Current Solution: Double Router Mounting

The application handles path-based routing by registering storefront routes twice with different prefixes:

# In main.py
app.include_router(storefront_pages.router, prefix="/storefront")
app.include_router(storefront_pages.router, prefix="/stores/{store_code}/storefront")

How This Works:

1. For Subdomain/Custom Domain Mode:

   • URL: https://acme.orion.lu/storefront/products
   • Matches: First router with /storefront prefix
   • Route: @router.get("/products") → Full path: /storefront/products

2. For Path-Based Development Mode:

   • URL: http://localhost:8000/platforms/oms/stores/acme/storefront/products
   • Platform middleware strips /platforms/oms/ prefix, sets platform context
   • Matches: Second router with /stores/{store_code}/storefront prefix
   • Route: @router.get("/products") → Full path: /stores/{store_code}/storefront/products
   • Bonus: store_code available as path parameter!

Benefits:

• ✅ No middleware complexity or path manipulation
• ✅ FastAPI native routing
• ✅ Explicit and maintainable
• ✅ Store code accessible via path parameter when needed
• ✅ Both deployment modes supported cleanly

---

Authentication in Multi-Tenant Storefront

Customer authentication uses store-scoped cookies:

# Login sets cookie scoped to store's storefront
Set-Cookie: customer_token=eyJ...; Path=/storefront; HttpOnly; SameSite=Lax

# This prevents:
# - Tokens leaking across stores
# - Cross-site request forgery
# - Cookie scope confusion in multi-tenant setup

---

Summary Table

Mode	URL	Use Case	SSL	DNS
Subdomain	store.platform.com/storefront	Production (standard)	*.platform.com	Add subdomains
Custom Domain	store-domain.com/storefront	Production (premium)	Per store	Store configures
Path-Based	localhost:8000/platforms/{p}/stores/{v}/storefront	Development only	None	None

---

Next Steps

1. For Production: Use subdomain or custom domain mode
2. For Development: Use path-based mode locally
3. For Deployment: Configure DNS for subdomains or custom domains
4. For Testing: Create test stores with different themes
5. For Scaling: Consider CDN for store-specific assets

---

Generated: January 30, 2026 Orion Version: Current Development