August 2018 Summaries

Gatsby, when used with Drupal as a headless CMS, offers a robust and modern development experience by combining Drupal's enterprise-level content management capabilities with Gatsby's powerful UI creation and performance tools. This setup, known as decoupled Drupal, is increasingly popular for building enterprise-grade websites, supported by Drupal community leaders. The integration is simple, requiring the addition of the gatsby-source-drupal plugin and access to Drupal data via GraphQL queries. Drupal is particularly well-suited for projects involving complex page layouts, multi-stage content creation processes, and teams that prefer open-source technologies, although it may not be ideal for those needing a slick content editing interface. Using Gatsby and Drupal together provides a free, open-source alternative to expensive enterprise content management systems, enhancing performance, scalability, and security typical of the JAMstack architecture.

Horacio Herrera shares his positive experience with pair programming alongside the Gatsby team, highlighting its benefits in learning and contributing to open-source projects. Initially apprehensive due to his limited experience with Gatsby, Herrera found the session with Jason Lengstorf to be immensely valuable, as it boosted his confidence and led to his first contribution to the project. He appreciated the collaborative dynamic where both participants were actively engaged, and he was particularly surprised by Lengstorf's willingness to assist a stranger. Herrera enthusiastically recommends pair programming, especially for those new to the practice, emphasizing its value beyond just coding to include learning and development with an expert.

Gatsby has launched a Swag Store to reward all contributors to its open-source projects, allowing them to receive free items like stickers, socks, and t-shirts as a token of appreciation. Contributors can claim their swag by logging into the store with their GitHub account and requesting a discount code, which is valid for one free item. The initiative is available to all contributors, including non-code contributors, who are encouraged to email Gatsby for their free swag. Shipping is globally free, although the company hints that this might not be sustainable indefinitely. The Swag Store's open-sourced code uses a Gatsby v2 site, Shopify for product management, Auth0 for authentication, and a custom API for discount codes. Gatsby invites its community to share photos of their swag on social media using the hashtag #buildwithgatsby and encourages feedback and ideas for new rewards.

Gatsby has launched a new Partner Program aimed at supporting agencies and development shops that use Gatsby to build fast websites and web apps. This initiative promises to enhance visibility for partners by featuring their work in the Gatsby Site Showcase, and it aims to offer additional benefits such as developer training, joint case studies, and exclusive partner merchandise in the future. Agencies can express interest by submitting their Gatsby-built websites and filling out a form to receive updates on program developments. The program is designed to foster a collaborative community and provide resources that help partners grow alongside Gatsby's expanding open-source ecosystem.