November 2018 Summaries

Netlify is improving its developer workflows by allowing users to deploy sites and applications using AWS CloudFormation as a custom resource. This enables users of AWS CloudFormation, SAM, and the Serverless framework to deploy Netlify sites from their existing workflows within the AWS ecosystem. The deployment process involves defining the site settings in the CloudFormation template, including the Netlify token, GitHub token, repository URL, branch, directory, command, allowed branches, and environment variables. This infrastructure as code approach removes manual setup steps, reduces human error, and makes multi-stage and multi-region deployments easier. It also enables integration testing, repeatable, auditable, automated deployments, and spinning up and down different versions of the site. The new feature allows users to deploy Netlify sites as part of their existing AWS infrastructure, leveraging some of the power features of Netlify alongside their existing AWS resources.

Authentication is a crucial aspect of securing data and content online, enabling clients and servers to verify user credentials before accessing sensitive information. Cloud-based authentication services like Auth0, Okta, and Netlify Identity offer streamlined solutions, reducing the technical overhead of building custom authentication frameworks. Single Sign On (SSO) allows users to authenticate once across multiple applications, utilizing a Central Server to manage access. Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) requires additional verification steps, often involving something you know, have, or are. Social login enables users to sign in with external social media providers, while passwordless authentication uses magic links or other methods to bypass passwords altogether. To choose the right authentication provider for an application, developers must assess user needs and goals, considering factors like cost, vendor lockdown, and UI/UX workflow. Tools like Auth0's Lock Widget, Okta Sign In Widget, and Netlify Identity Widget can help simplify the process.

We have introduced a new feature in our build-image that monitors lingering processes, which can prevent builds from ending cleanly due to unintentionally spawned side processes. This warning is printed when any lingering processes are found, helping users save time while debugging their builds. The change was made to address a common issue faced by customers, and the updated changes can be viewed on the build-image repo.

Netlify has begun rolling out its IPv6 support across its global Application Delivery Network (ADN) to improve internet connectivity. The rollout aims to provide more addresses, reduce the need for NAT solutions, and enhance scalability, feature parity, TLS compatibility, and other complexities in handling multiple cloud providers. The support is available on subdomains of `netlify.com`, custom domains registered from external domain registrars, and DNS management through Netlify's dashboard. However, some Enterprise customers may require special configuration to ensure proper IPv6 migration.

The inaugural Vue Conference Toronto brought together a diverse group of attendees and speakers from over 25 countries. The conference featured a range of talks on topics such as Content Optimization, VuePress, Accessibility, WebGL, client-side routing, authentication, and serverless computing. The event showcased the growth and adoption of Vue around the world, with a significant increase in regional conferences. The conference also highlighted the importance of good documentation, security, and performance optimization in web development. The talks were well-received by the audience, who appreciated the expert insights and practical advice from the speakers. The conference was successfully organized by Jilson Thomas and his team, despite being their first event.

Netlify has launched its full public integration with Zapier, an online tool that simplifies automated tasks with minimal setup. This integration aims to improve the developer experience by connecting Netlify sites with other tools and services in a more streamlined way than traditional methods using code, webhooks, or API keys. With this integration, users can create "Zaps" that connect services through triggers and actions, automating workflows and improving productivity. The integration offers various features such as deploying on a schedule, sending form confirmation emails, and customizing notifications, making it easier for developers to focus on what matters most - building their site.

Netlify has made it easy to set up a Basic Attention Token (BAT) publisher, allowing creators to earn cryptocurrency by sharing their content with users who have Brave browser installed. BAT breaks the traditional advertising model by paying publishers directly based on user attention, and its utility is based on user engagement. To get started, users need to sign up for a Brave account, verify their website through Netlify, and implement a verification method. Once set up, visitors to the site who have Brave browser installed will earn BATs, which can be redeemed for cryptocurrency. This setup process is straightforward and takes only a few minutes to complete.

The author of the text was interviewing for a position at Netlify that involved maintaining, extending, and contributing to Apache Traffic Server, a high-throughput open-source HTTP proxy. The interview process included some practical work, where the author explored the contributions made by previous team members, specifically around ImageMagick, a well-established library used for image manipulation. The author then connected the powerful ImageMagick command line tool to an URL through a query parameter, creating a plug-in that could modify images without requiring code modifications in the plug-in itself. This plug-in was successfully implemented and presented at the Apache Traffic Server Fall Summit, where it received positive feedback from the community. The interview project was later merged into the Apache Traffic Server repository, allowing others to contribute to the open-source project.