When recording, guitarists have been going direct into the board for as long as I an remember letting the engineer shape their sound. Due to digital recording, we now have audio interfaces and apps that include effects, reverbs, compression, auto tune, and amp types and cabinet simulators. You can use these to record music. You can even play music live without lugging a heavy amplifier to your gig.
When I was younger, I used to lug around a 1965 Deluxe Reverb, then later a 1969 Bandmaster with head and cabinet to gigs. I had to take the back seat out of my VW Beetle to fit the cabinet in the car. A few years ago when we moved I stored most of my equipment away but for an old Line 6 Spider 3 and a Roland Microcube which I use at home.
Good news for guitarists that gig. You can now plug directly into the sound system and create the sound that you love. Many guitarists ditched the amplifier years ago. Towards the end of his career, Pat Martino played through a Clarus Acoustic Image preamp directly into the venue's sound system. His rider stated a speaker cabinet be provided. Joe Pass quit lugging his Polytone Mini-Brute in favor of just a DI box that he could store in his guitar case. Al DiMeola and Tommy Emmanuel both use small AER amps with a direct line to the house system. Many other players no longer use amplifiers in concert. I saw DiMeola years ago at a guitar clinic. He had a Roland guitar synth, his signature Ovation was plugged into the guitar synth then into a small Tascam mixer with loads of reverb that he ran through the sound system.
Instead of lugging that amplifier around, you can instead use an analogue pre-amp and power amp pedals, digital pedals or software through a DAW that emulates the sound of a guitar amp. The output from the pedal is then connected to the PA system or recording interface, which enables you to play without a physical amplifier or cabinet onstage.
The benefits of this arrangement includes portability, since you are not lugging around an amp, You are going directly into the house public address system or your bands sound system. This way you get a consistent sound, as the DI interface projects the sound the audience hears, and you hear in the monitor. The stage volume is lower. No more ringing ears, feedback, or fight with the guy running the mix. Long cord runs are no longer a problem. And let’s not forget the load in and load out. All you are bringing to your gig is your pedal board and DI connection.
A friend used to bring his pedal board rig, and a small powered monitor with an XLR cord that he ran to a direct box. This went into the house sound He could hear his guitar in the monitor while the soundman ran the audio.
To play gigs without an amplifier you will need a preamp to shape the sound, which can your pedal board, or multi-effects board. You also need a power amp to boost the sound.
Another friend uses a Quilter Micro Block, but you can use a power amp pedal such as a Electro Hamonix 44 Magnum, MXR Micro amp or you can use a low watt practice amp. A powered monitor will work. If you have an interface with a cabinet simulator, well 'Bob’s yer uncle.'
Of course you need a DI box as well and there are lots of them to chose from. Some are passive, and some are active.