June 2017 Summaries

Today, Netlify is introducing a series of changes that make it even more valuable for teams and companies. The free tier has been made far more useful and permissive for solo developers, open source projects, and production-quality websites. New features include Better Collaboration with Teams, Getting to the Edge: Edge Logic Requests (ELRs), Branch-Based Split Testing, and Visitor Access Control with JSON Web Tokens. Netlify's pricing plans have also changed to be based on the number of users on your paid team, rather than per-site pricing.

Algolia is a hosted search as a service that offers high performance indexing and querying capabilities, as well as configurability. Its Instant Search UI library makes it easy to build a great search interface. The company was founded by Brian Douglas, but the episode actually features Vincent Voyer and Emily Hayman discussing Algolia. The key differentiator of Algolia is its performance, which sets it apart from other search services.

The post discusses extending Netlify CMS by creating custom widgets. The example project uses reveal-md to create web-based slideshows from Markdown documents. To start, you need to get a build system set up that allows you to use ES6, npm modules, and JSX. Then, install netlify-cms as a dependency, create a cms.js file, and register the new widget with Netlify CMS. The minimum viable widget is created using React, styled-components, and the CMS's built-in widgets. The post explains how to add controls for creating, deleting, and moving slides, including using props passed in by the CMS. By following this guide, you should now be able to create your own custom widgets to extend Netlify CMS to fit your content.

In a recent episode of JAMstack Radio, Brian Douglas, founder of OpenSauced, invited Georges and Charles from Snipcart to discuss their JavaScript-based shopping cart solution that can be easily integrated into any website. The founders shared the benefits of using Snipcart over traditional shopping carts, including not having to host e-commerce parts themselves. They also talked about how the JAMstack has impacted their business dynamic with clients, and why they chose to build a custom solution using this technology stack.

The JAMstack is a movement that pushes for a separation between client and server code, allowing different consumers to leverage APIs independently. This approach has several benefits, including fewer threat vectors when serving static content, making sites more portable, and reducing the need for servers. The trend towards isomorphic server-side rendering in JavaScript applications is being reevaluated, with some arguing it's not the right approach for solving the wrong problems. Server-side rendering can be beneficial for SEO, but this benefit may not outweigh the costs of running a server. In contrast, the JAMstack offers a cost-effective solution with scalability through CDNs, making it an attractive alternative to isomorphic server-side rendering. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are another option that can deliver amazing user experiences without the need for always-on servers. The key takeaway is that each approach has its pros and cons, and the choice ultimately depends on solving the right problems and meeting specific performance, speed, and cost requirements.

Netlify recently hosted its first-ever JAMstack focused conference, which showcased the core concepts of modern web workflows. The event featured talks on Design Systems and Serverless technologies, providing insights into how to effectively transition from design to production and build frontend applications with server-less stacks. The conference also included a keynote by Netlify's CEO, Matt Biilman, discussing the rise of the JAMstack. The recordings of the conference are now available for viewing, offering attendees an opportunity to learn from industry experts and expand their knowledge on the JAMstack ecosystem.