March 2023 Summaries

The importance of performance optimizations and low latency is critical for developers building complex sites and web applications, particularly those with ecommerce stores, social media platforms, and other high-traffic apps. A new integration with PolyScale by Netlify addresses performance issues caused by slow database access by storing frequently accessed data in the cache, reducing load on the underlying database and improving overall application performance. The integration enables developers to easily create or select a PolyScale cache from the Netlify UI, execute queries against the cache from serverless functions, and use generated code snippets to get started quickly.

Netlify has released a new feature called Real User Metrics, which allows users on its Pro plan and above to monitor Core Web Vitals metrics directly within the Netlify app. This feature provides real-world feedback about how a site's performance measures up to industry standards, by analyzing data from actual visitor interactions on the website. The features include Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and First Contentful Paint (FCP) metrics, which can be filtered by device type and viewed across various percentiles of all page loads. Users can also view overall "health" standings for each metric to identify potential areas of improvement. To try the feature, users need to enable it in Labs, select Analytics > Real User Metrics, and follow prompts to get started. The feature is now available on Netlify's Pro plan and above, with more functionality planned before its release out of Labs.

Collaborative Deploy Previews are now available with Bitbucket repositories, allowing teams to preview incoming changes before they land in production. This feature is supported alongside Github, Gitlab, and Azure DevOps. Deploy Previews enable discussions, screenshots or screen recordings, and issue filing directly within the Netlify Drawer. These collaboration tools are available inline on the Deploy Preview and automatically sync back to relevant pull requests on Bitbucket. To get started with Deploy Previews for existing sites, re-link your site to a Bitbucket repository in Site Settings > Build & deploy > Manage repository. New sites imported from an existing Bitbucket project will have Deploy Previews enabled by default.

Netlify's annual survey data shows that just a handful of web frameworks dominate the landscape, with top 4 frameworks accounting for 40%+ of all users. The majority of these top 4 frameworks are React-based, and their popularity shifts among paying and Enterprise users, with Next being the clear favorite in both groups. This trend suggests that Create-React-App may not be "Enterprise ready" as it is less popular among serious developers who invest more money in their websites. Other frameworks like Nuxt, Vue, Gatsby, and Docusaurus also have a presence on Netlify, with some being more popular than others across different tiers of users.

The discussion at the exclusive breakfast event highlighted the importance of composable and MACH architectures in enabling businesses to create agile, scalable, and flexible technology infrastructures that can keep pace with the rapidly evolving needs of the modern business landscape. The speakers emphasized the need for workflows and communication across different tools and processes to fully leverage these technologies. They also discussed the benefits of using modular approaches to building software systems, including improved agility, scalability, flexibility, innovation, and customer experience. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of demonstrating ROI and cost savings to executives in order to gain buy-in for MACH and composable architectures.

Netlify has introduced a new feature that allows users to set custom domains for Deploy Previews and branch deploys, enabling better brand safety, security, and third-party integration. With this update, teams can now customize their deploy subdomains, making it easier to manage preview environments and integrate with third-party services. The feature is available as a Labs beta today and will be generally available soon. To set up custom domains for deploys, users need to go to Site Settings > Domain Management > Automatic deploy subdomains and follow the simple steps outlined in the guide. This update aims to improve productivity while maintaining security and brand safety standards.

We're excited to announce that we're launching a new program for Netlify customers called Netlify Tech Lead, which offers expertise in translating business requirements into technical requirements, working with headless architecture systems, best practices and avoiding costly mistakes, training on cutting-edge framework features, and guidance to empower teams to build amazing web experiences. The program is designed for teams of any size or experience level who want to be empowered to build amazing web experiences, with a dedicated Netlify Tech Lead and Success Manager assigned to each team. The program includes Netlify Onboarding, biweekly pairing sessions, quarterly strategy sessions, and access to training on modern web development best practices.

This article discusses the growing need for e-commerce solutions to adapt to changing market demands, with a focus on the limitations of traditional monolithic commerce platforms. The shift towards composable commerce is driven by the need for faster time-to-market, cost reduction, omnichannel experiences, and improved differentiation. Composable commerce enables teams to separate frontend and backend functionality, allowing for quicker iteration and scalability. With its benefits including faster web experiences, more secure web apps, scaling capabilities, increased employee retention, and reduced costs, composable commerce is becoming a crucial aspect of digital commerce strategies. The article highlights the challenges faced by traditional monolithic platforms, such as slow iteration speeds, high costs, and difficulties in catering to omnichannel shoppers.

The Marqeta marketing leadership team transitioned from a multi-site WordPress setup to Next.js and Netlify to improve web stack agility. With the help of experienced web developer Sam Bennett as tech lead and eng manager, they implemented a composable architecture, design system, and routing layer using Next.js with Netlify's redirects. This allowed for staged migrations of various website sections, resulting in improved performance (`30%+ better` core web vitals), increased developer efficiency, and faster publishing times (`from 1-2 weeks to a few clicks`). The new setup enabled the team to launch multiple product suites, platform pages, solutions pages, and a resource center on the new stack, with Algolia search.

The latest integration with Contentful in Netlify Labs simplifies the workflow for users by removing unnecessary steps and enabling easy setup. When connecting a Contentful space to a Netlify site, authentication is supported, and automatic redeployment occurs upon changes. Publishing content in Contentful no longer requires manual webhooks to trigger a build on the Netlify site. Instead, the Netlify sidebar app can be installed in the Contentful UI to deploy the site from within the Contentful interface. The new preview functionality allows users to visualize updates without affecting the production environment, improving the content editing experience. To configure previews, users select Integrations > CMS > Contentful > View and enter a prefix for their frontend build system or framework. This prefix is used in code snippets to conditionally render either the preview or production version of the site.

Netlify has updated its Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) to make them more accessible, easy to read, and up-to-date with current data privacy laws. The company has merged the terms applicable to Self-Serve customers into one document and published its Enterprise Master Subscription Agreement online for the first time. Additionally, Netlify has reviewed and updated its Data Processing Agreement (DPA) to reference important data privacy legislation in Europe and the United States.

Netlify is launching a new logo, called The Netlify Spark, after 8 years of using its signature teal gem logo. This change marks an exciting first step towards a whole new visual identity for the company. With exceptional growth and recent acquisition of Gatsby, Netlify is poised to enter an incredibly exciting new era. The design process was iterative, starting with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) approach, and involved research, thought, and care. The new logo tells the story of Netlify, drawing inspiration from optical dispersion, convergence, velocity, and growth. It combines elements to represent strength, durability, approachability, and a singular output, using Netlify as the conduit. The Netlify Spark is more than just a new logo, but an iteration of the company's story and its commitment to building for the modern web.