December 2015 Summaries

The Star Wars franchise is generating significant hype, with its first Disney installment expected to bring in $4 billion. The Netlify servers are experiencing high traffic due to the increasing interest. Three websites related to Star Wars have been identified as being built using modern static build tools and hosted on Netlify: Wikia's Star Wars page, Carrot's website, and Sphero's (BB-8) site. These sites showcase the creativity and engagement of fans, with Wikia offering a comprehensive resource for true fans, Carrot featuring an innovative recruitment process, and Sphero's site attracting attention due to its unique droid prototype.

You can host a website built with Docpad on Netlify by installing Node.js, creating a new Docpad project, building the site using `docpad run`, setting up continuous deployment with GitHub, and connecting your repository to Netlify. Once connected, you can configure your settings, build your site, and deploy it automatically whenever changes are made to your code. With this setup, your website will be live on the internet in no time.

This guide provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to host a book built with GitBook on Netlify, including setting up continuous deployment. The process begins by creating a new directory and initializing it as a Git repository, followed by installing the necessary packages, including GitBook and its CLI tool. The guide then walks through connecting the repository to GitHub and configuring settings for continuous deployment. Once connected, users can push their changes to GitHub and Netlify will automatically deploy their site, making it live for public viewing.

Metalsmith is a static site generator that allows developers to create custom sites with ease. It's known for its simplicity, pluggability, and ability to imitate other static site generators. Metalsmith can be used to create a simple site with continuous deployment on Netlify using GitHub. The guide provides step-by-step instructions on setting up a basic Metalsmith demonstration site, including creating a folder structure, installing plugins, configuring the build file, and deploying the site to GitHub and Netlify.

Netlify has introduced a new Zapier integration in beta, allowing users to connect their forms or deploy notifications to hundreds of external services such as MailChimp, Hipchat, Google Docs, and more. This enables users to set up notifications for specific events, like form submissions or deployment completion, which can be sent via email, Slack, or other platforms. The integration is easily accessible through the Netlify beta invitation page, where users can learn more about Zapier and start creating their own custom integrations with Netlify.

To set up a Hexo site with Netlify CMS, you need to first prepare your local environment by installing the netlify-git-api CLI tool and cloning the hexo-netlify-cms repository. You then need to add users to the system, start the Netlify CMS server, install the Hexo CLI, test the site locally, and deploy it to a production environment. To do this, you need to configure your site's settings, push your changes to GitHub, connect your site to Netlify, register a new application on GitHub, set up GitHub API access for your site, and try out the Netlify CMS system. Once everything is set up, you can use the site and test its functionality, including its performance and security features. The process involves some technical steps, but with the right tools and knowledge, it's possible to create a fully functional site using Hexo and Netlify CMS.

We've got lot's of news, so we will get right to it! Zapier has been added to Netlify, allowing users to integrate form submissions or deploy notifications with hundreds of external services. The new feature enables sending notifications to external services like MailChimp, Hipchat, and Google Docs in a few easy steps. Smarter Redirects have also been implemented, avoiding chained redirects by detecting the chain and redirecting straight from http to https. Additionally, Post processing settings have been introduced, giving users detailed control over site performance, Pretty URLs, bundling, minification, and lossless image compressions.