July 2018 Summaries

This project utilizes Netlify Functions to handle OAuth login flows, specifically with Intercom as the third-party provider. It creates a custom "login with Intercom" button for an application by using two serverless Lambda functions: `auth.js` and `auth-callback.js`. The `auth.js` function redirects the user to Intercom's login screen after setting up an authorization URI, while the `auth-callback.js` function handles the authorization grant code returned from the successful Intercom login, exchanging it for a valid access token. This flow uses the Authorization Code Grant method and demonstrates how to securely connect with any number of third-party OAuth providers using serverless functions.

Hugo can be used to create an author page that displays the author's name, bio, and list of articles. To achieve this, a taxonomy called "author" needs to be created in the site config.toml, and metadata for each author is stored in a directory under content/authors. An authors template is then created using a list.html template to display information about the author and their posts, with an optional terms.html template used to render the list of authors. Finally, the authors can be added to the front matter of posts, allowing additional information about the authors to be displayed on the post page.

Netlify CMS 2.0 introduces support for Bitbucket as a backend, bringing the total number of supported Git collaboration providers to three, including GitLab and GitHub. This release aims to make Netlify CMS more tool-agnostic, allowing users to work with their preferred tools. The new monorepo architecture provides benefits such as easier extension authoring and sharing, making it more modular and productive for developers and contributors. Upcoming feature releases will include image handling features and improved APIs, further expanding the possibilities for future CMS extensions. Netlify CMS is now open source and supports tens of thousands of businesses that use Bitbucket, including 60 Fortune 100 companies.

Static site generators have a rich history, dating back to the early days of the web. They emerged as an alternative to Content Management Systems (CMS), which became popular due to their ease of use and non-technical user interface. However, CMSs were criticized for being slow and clunky, leading to the resurgence of static sites. Static site generators provide a lightweight and flexible solution, decoupling the build phase from hosting, and integrating with modern frontend workflows. They offer features like version control, security, scalability, and performance improvements, making them an attractive option for developers and non-technical users alike. The landscape is evolving, with trends including CLI development, zero-config workflows, interface improvement for non-technical users, and the integration of serverless functions. As a result, static site generators are likely to remain a mainstay in the web development ecosystem, offering ease of use and performance improvements for creating websites.

Serverless functions are gaining popularity due to their pay-per-execution pricing model, scalability, and ability to give frontend developers superpowers. Devs can build robust backend applications and APIs using simple AWS Lambda functions, making it an attractive option for building CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) APIs. By using FaunaDB as the backing database and Netlify Functions, developers can create a seamless experience between the frontend and backend. The tutorial covers how to set up a CRUD API using Netlify Functions and FaunaDB, including creating functions for each operation, connecting them to the frontend app, and deploying the application. With this knowledge, developers can build scalable and efficient serverless applications with ease.

Netlify has launched a collection of free website project templates that allow users to quickly bootstrap projects, link them to new Git repositories, and deploy them. The templates are Git repositories that can be cloned and used as starting points for personal or learning projects, offering a range of options including GatsbyJS, Hugo, and Eleventy. With just one click, users can deploy their sites to Netlify's global CDN with continuous deployment, HTTPS, and custom domains enabled. The templates are easily accessible at `templates.netlify.com`, and contributors are welcome to submit their own template ideas.

Netlify is making a significant change to its platform by automatically requesting a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate for all new sites, enabling HTTPS by default. This move aims to increase the security of the web and follows browser vendors' trends, with 75% of page loads now being over HTTPS. Netlify has ambitious goals for this year, including having all custom domain sites use HTTPS and all subdomains include HSTS headers by September 28th. To achieve these goals, users must ensure their site's URL links are HTTPS, and those without HTTPS set up will receive notifications. Additionally, users can submit their site to the HSTS Preload list for faster loading times in major browsers.