February 2021 Summaries

We'll build an Angular site that grabs data from Sanity.io, a headless CMS, using Netlify Functions and Build Hooks. We'll start with a pre-rendered Angular site template and set up a headless CMS with Sanity.io. Next, we'll grab the data from the CMS using Netlify serverless function. In Part 2 of this series, we'll add an Angular Service to handle the incoming data, create Angular components to display the data, and setup a build hook to update the page when new data is added. We'll use Sanity.io's schema creator to define our custom schemas for products, categories, and block content. We'll then set up a Netlify Function to fetch the data from Sanity.io and deploy it to a live site. Finally, we'll integrate the fetched data into an Angular Service and component, and setup a Build Hook to re-deploy the site with the newest data as soon as it's entered.

The Netlify team has introduced a new support forum, which is now called the Netlify Forums, with a focus on fostering a collaborative and inclusive community. The forums will continue to provide helpful guides, search functionality, and access to knowledgeable pilots who can assist users. The new features of the forums include dark mode as the default view, an improved search feature, and the introduction of Savvy, a friendly mascot. The Netlify team is dedicated to creating a best-in-class community space for collaboration and problem-solving, where users can ask questions, share knowledge, and get timely assistance from support staff and pilots.

Atomic deployment refers to making updates available only when they are complete and totally in place, ensuring no interim state or maintenance window. Immutable deployment guarantees the integrity of previous deploys by insulating them from future actions, providing a known state and enabling instant rollbacks and versioning. This approach unlocks efficient and effective workflows, allowing development teams to have confidence that their sites are being served as intended, with no partially deployed states or destructive deployments.

The development workflow provided by Netlify is designed to support modern web applications, including those using serverless functions. This allows for atomic and immutable deploys, enabling site owners to easily revert changes and benefit from more manageable configurations. The Netlify Functions offering aims to provide a seamless integration with the rest of the platform and development workflow, allowing developers to write code, push it, and have it deployed without requiring zero configuration. The service provides flexible deployment options, boundless function deploys, and unified development workflows, making it easy for developers to work with serverless functions in their projects.

The Lunch Money web app is a personal finance tracking and budgeting tool that has gained popularity despite being developed by a team of one. Its success can be attributed to its use of the Jamstack architecture, which promotes decoupling front-end from back-end services, allowing for agility and confidence in development. The application's features include transaction tracking, budget analysis, and multi-currency support, all delivered through a user-friendly interface built with React and hosted on Netlify. Lunch Money's backend is provided by a mixture of third-party services and in-house services, leveraging NodeJS Express, Redis, and PostgresSQL. The application's decoupling enables easy iteration and updates, allowing for rapid deployment to production environments. Its use of the Jamstack architecture has enabled it to scale efficiently and achieve success as a solo project.

Angular Universal is used for server-side rendering and pre-rendering Angular applications, providing content on the page for quick interaction and SEO benefits. Pre-rendering with Angular Universal allows developers to deploy their applications to Netlify with ease. To achieve this, two main steps are required: adding Angular Universal using the `ng add` command and running a script to pre-render routes. The pre-rendering process involves managing server-side rendering and deployment to a CDN like Netlify.

Laurie, a Senior Data Analyst at Netlify, joined the company after co-founding npm Inc in 2014. She was initially hired into a role that wasn't officially open and met with various departments to discuss her position within the organization. Laurie's role involves working between product and data teams, providing insights on user behavior and helping inform design decisions. As a remote worker since joining Netlify, she has adapted to the company culture and found it suitable for her personality. Laurie values web development and enjoys building websites, making her a great fit for the company. She advises others to care about web development in general, regardless of their current role or experience level.

Netlify has released several updates in January 2021, including a new Next.js on Netlify one-click install feature, Rust support, and improved build plugins. The company also introduced new events called onSuccess and onEnd for Build Plugins, allowing users to automate more of their DevOps workflow. Additionally, Netlify has made improvements to its DNS management, forms, and documentation, as well as added features such as faster builds, better logs for failed deploys, and a Jamstack Explorers learning hub. The updates aim to make it easier for developers to build and deploy web applications with server-side rendering and live preview mode on Netlify.