The overall structure of e-commerce is divided into the e-commerce application layer structure (referred to as the application layer) and the basic structure (three layers) that supports the implementation of applications. The basic structure generally includes three levels and two pillars. The three levels from bottom to top are the network layer, the transport layer, and the service layer. The two pillars are security protocols and technical standards, and public policies and legal norms.

The first three levels are the basic levels, and above them are various specific e-commerce applications. It can be seen that the three basic levels and two pillars are the conditions for e-commerce applications.