March 2021 Summaries

Strapi offers a streamlined way to create full-stack applications using its CLI tool, which allows users to quickly set up a monorepo with both frontend and backend components. Users can initiate projects using either the "yarn" or "npx" commands to connect a Strapi starter with a template, creating applications with technologies like Next.js, Gatsby, and others. The starter repositories need to include a "starter.json" file and a "starter" directory to facilitate the process. While Strapi has decided to focus on maintaining a single Next.js Starter due to resource constraints, they encourage users to explore and develop their own starters using the provided structure. The CLI automatically installs dependencies and runs the project, enabling users to access both the backend and frontend in their browser seamlessly. Users are also invited to share their projects and provide feedback to help expand the starter catalog. Mark, a software developer and classical guitar player, exemplifies the community's creative and collaborative spirit.

Strapi is a headless CMS that utilizes Node.js and React.js for its development, offering a unique plugin design pattern and a flat learning curve. It has gained popularity due to its flexibility in integrating with various JavaScript front-end frameworks such as Nuxt.js, Vue.js, React.js, Next.js, among others. Strapi can be used with core HTML, CSS, and Vanilla JavaScript or jQuery. The platform comes pre-equipped with rich APIs that cater to most Jamstack needs. To implement Facebook authentication in Strapi, developers need a Facebook developer app to redirect users after successful login. Ngrok is used as a tool to expose the local development server to the internet for simplicity. Once set up, Strapi integrates seamlessly with Nuxt.js applications to provide social media authentication capabilities. The integration process involves creating a new Strapi project, installing Ngrok, setting up the Facebook developer app, and configuring the Strapi dashboard to redirect users after successful login.

In this article, the author creates a new project using Strapi, a content management system (CMS), to build a static site with Angular and Scully. The CMS is configured for GraphQL, and the author sets up user roles and permissions to control access to content. The project is built and deployed to Netlify, where it is automatically updated when new content is published on Strapi. The author demonstrates how to use Strapi's webhooks to trigger a build on Netlify whenever new content is created or updated. The project showcases Scully's ability to generate static pages from GraphQL queries, making it an ideal solution for building fast and secure websites.

StrapiConf, a virtual conference scheduled for April 22nd, 2021, is set to feature an expanded program with three tracks to accommodate the high volume of quality submissions received. The event will focus on different aspects of using Strapi, including its adoption at scale, best practices for customization, and integration with JAMstack technologies. Attendees can engage with virtual sponsor booths and discover how various products integrate with Strapi, thanks to contributions from over ten sponsors worldwide. The conference offers diverse content for participants, with continuous announcements of new speakers, and highlights the vibrant community and ecosystem surrounding Strapi, a leading headless CMS.

In a recent webinar, the Strapi Team introduced a new plugin that integrates Sentry with Strapi applications, facilitating error monitoring and debugging by automatically sending error data and metadata from both the backend and frontend to Sentry. The session featured a Jamstack demo app using Strapi as the backend and React for the frontend to illustrate this process. Participants inquired about platform selection for Sentry projects, confirming that either Node.js or Koa could be used, and discussed best practices such as using one DSN per git repository and managing code visibility in environments like on-prem GitLab. The webinar also addressed how to resolve errors with Sentry using the sentry-cli and its release management features, sparking anticipation for future meetups.

In response to the booming e-commerce sector, Strapi offers a catalog starter designed to facilitate the creation of engaging online shopping experiences by integrating with a Gatsby frontend and allowing for the management of product data through the Strapi admin. This open-source solution supports a seamless setup for e-commerce projects, providing features like categories, search, and customizable product details, and can be personalized further with Tailwind CSS. The project encourages community involvement through bug reporting and pull requests, and additional resources and support are available through a GitHub repository, tutorials on the Gatsby CMS page, and forums.