May 2021 Summaries

Strapi is a headless content management system (CMS) for NodeJS-based applications, allowing developers to build fast applications with client-side frameworks like Vue.js, React, Angular, etc., or Jamstack applications. To ensure an application is free from bugs and other abnormalities, software testing is crucial. This article explores unit testing with Jest, Supertest, and sqlite3, as well as end-to-end testing with Nightwatch.js in a Strapi application. Unit testing involves testing individual units of the application, while end-to-end testing evaluates the overall flow of the software, including communication with subsystems, interfaces, and databases. The article provides a step-by-step guide on how to set up Jest, Supertest, sqlite3, and Nightwatch.js for unit and end-to-end testing in a Strapi application.

The tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to building a podcast app using Strapi, a headless CMS based on Node.js, and Next.js for the frontend. It begins by explaining how to set up a Strapi project to host a podcast API, detailing the creation of collections for podcasts and episodes, and establishing a one-to-many relationship between them. The guide then walks through setting up a Next.js project, incorporating components to display and manage podcast data fetched from Strapi's RESTful or GraphQL endpoints. It covers the creation of UI components for listing, adding, and deleting podcasts, and how to utilize Axios for making HTTP requests to the Strapi backend. The tutorial emphasizes the use of software engineering practices to build scalable and maintainable web applications, concluding with an encouragement to explore additional features and UI enhancements.

Strapi, a self-hosted Headless CMS, allows users to maintain it on private servers, with various methods available for setup, including the Command Line Interface (CLI), one-click buttons, or Docker Compose. Docker Compose serves as a command-line tool that organizes multiple Docker containers into applications using a descriptor file, facilitating the creation of self-hosted Strapi projects with any database across different operating systems. The blog post outlines configurations for linking Strapi projects with several databases, such as SQLite, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MySQL, and MariaDB, providing specific `docker-compose.yaml` file examples for each. Users are encouraged to pull the latest images using `docker-compose pull`, though it's optional, as running `docker-compose up` will automatically pull images. The text concludes with a note that newer versions of Strapi may have been released since the post's publication, and readers are invited to report outdated content.

A new major version of the gatsby-source-strapi plugin has been released, providing enhanced compatibility with the latest versions of Strapi and Gatsby, which have introduced new features and updates. This plugin facilitates the integration of Strapi's content management capabilities with Gatsby's website building prowess, offering benefits like automatic image optimization. The updated plugin, now supporting internationalization and simplifying dynamic zone usage through JSON, reflects a significant update since its initial release in 2018, which had garnered significant use and contributions. Users are encouraged to update their Gatsby and Strapi applications to benefit from the latest features, which include better performance for image-heavy pages and improved documentation for advanced configurations. This release, however, involves breaking changes, necessitating updates to configurations and package dependencies. The Strapi team, actively working to enhance the ecosystem with projects like starters and plugins, invites feedback and promises further updates on their offerings.

Strapi has announced plans to transition its community communication platform from Slack to Discord. This shift is driven by Discord's superior capabilities in managing large communities, including enhanced moderation tools, roles, and multimedia features that Slack lacks in its free version. The change is also motivated by the limitations of Slack, such as the inability to view more than 10,000 past messages and the high cost of a paid subscription. Strapi's community has grown significantly, prompting the need for a more efficient platform to foster engagement and accessibility. The transition will occur gradually, with phased implementation allowing time for feedback and adjustments based on community needs. The Strapi Community Stars program will continue to evolve on Discord, further empowering active members. The company emphasizes the importance of community feedback in shaping this transition and acknowledges the support from Orbit.love in planning this move.

In a tutorial written by Chidume Nnamdi, the process of building a movie application using Angular and Strapi is explored, demonstrating how these technologies can be leveraged to create a seamless integration between frontend and backend development. Strapi, an open-source headless CMS based on Node.js, facilitates the rapid design of APIs, allowing developers to define business models, create collections, and generate endpoints for easy data management. The tutorial guides users through the setup and configuration of a Strapi project to create a movie API that supports CRUD operations, which can then be consumed by an Angular frontend. The Angular application is structured with various components to display and manage movie data, including features for adding, editing, viewing, and deleting movies, all while emphasizing the benefits of using Strapi for backend development due to its support for RESTful and GraphQL APIs and its ease of deployment to the cloud.

In 2021, the landscape of frontend development is expected to be shaped by several key trends, according to Piero Borrelli. React continues to dominate the frontend framework market, although new frameworks like Svelte and Stencil are gaining traction. TypeScript is becoming a standard for developing complex web applications due to its ability to enhance code readability and maintainability. Jamstack architecture is gaining popularity for its performance and cost benefits, with Gatsby and Next.js leading the way in static site generation. Testing remains a critical component of development, with Jest as a popular tool thanks to its integration with React. Headless CMS solutions are seeing increased adoption for their flexibility in delivering content across multiple platforms. As the frontend world rapidly evolves, developers must stay informed and adapt to these emerging technologies to advance their careers.

Recently, a recap was published summarizing discussions from the Integrate track of StrapiConf, which focused on utilizing Strapi with various JAMstack technologies and platforms. The event featured several speakers who explored diverse topics such as integrating open-source search engines into Strapi projects, the complexities of headless architecture in e-commerce, and the creation of custom event pages using Strapi as a backend. Additionally, the importance of observability in Strapi apps was highlighted, alongside a demonstration of relevant tools. The conference addressed challenges faced by non-developers in adapting to headless CMS and best practices to ease their transition. A presentation elaborated on the advantages of combining Strapi with Encore for user onboarding, and a session covered how headless commerce can overcome traditional e-commerce hurdles. Victor Coisne, VP Marketing at Strapi and an open-source advocate, has a rich background in Open Core B2B companies and enjoys various hobbies in his leisure time.

Chidume Nnamdi, through a guest post, outlines a comprehensive tutorial on building a multilingual news application using Strapi and React.js, leveraging Strapi's i18n plugin for content internationalization. Strapi, an open-source headless content management system based on Node.js, facilitates the creation of API endpoints without server-side coding. The guide explains setting up Strapi to manage backend API endpoints and using React.js for the frontend, showcasing how to enable localization for various languages such as English and French. The tutorial provides detailed steps for scaffolding a Strapi project, installing the i18n plugin, and setting up content models with localization. Additionally, it guides through building the React frontend, enabling CRUD operations via a user-friendly interface, and fetching localized content from the Strapi backend. The article demonstrates the integration of Strapi's internationalization features with a React app, enhancing its usability across different languages, and concludes with a practical test of adding and displaying content in multiple languages, illustrating the simplicity and effectiveness of Strapi's internationalization capabilities.

StrapiConf recently showcased a series of presentations highlighting how companies are utilizing Strapi to create JAMstack architectures and shared best practices for Strapi-powered applications. The event covered a range of topics, including building community and commercial plugins, implementing SEO strategies, and ensuring application security. Speakers such as Mateusz Ziarko, Maxime Castres, and Vladimir de Turckheim discussed areas like plugin development, SEO optimization, and security measures. Other experts like Ukpai Ugochi and Scott Agirs Neminskis delved into content modeling and Strapi customizations, while Jim Laurie provided insights on extending Strapi’s core capabilities. Alexander Lichter demonstrated the synergy between Strapi and Nuxt.js, and Sam from Gatsby highlighted the benefits of combining Strapi with Gatsby for web development. The event emphasized the versatility and potential of Strapi in the context of modern web development, facilitated by a vibrant community and open-source innovation, as emphasized by Victor Coisne, VP Marketing at Strapi.

StrapiConf, a major event for the Strapi community, offered over 30 breakout sessions and workshops to explore Strapi's use cases, best practices, and integrations. The event featured three tracks catering to different expertise levels, and included case studies and practical demonstrations of Strapi's application in diverse industries. Highlights included a weather app built with Strapi and Ionic, a Strapi integration with multiple microservices for a Dutch newspaper, and a showcase platform developed by IBM's Anisha Malde. Additional talks focused on boosting productivity at Sandals Resort, empowering tech and marketing teams in Croatia, and building Jamstack sites with Strapi and Next.js. Victor Coisne, Strapi's VP of Marketing, has a background in open-source communities and enjoys activities like wine tasting and sports in his free time.

StrapiConf, the first ever Strapi conference, took place recently and featured keynotes from Strapi's co-founders and Engineering Lead, Pierre Burgy, Aurlien Georget, and Alexandre Bodin. Pierre shared Strapi's vision for the future, focusing on improving developer experience, connecting to a large ecosystem of plugins, and collaborating with content managers. Aurlien emphasized the importance of open-source values and introduced the concept of Atomic Content, which breaks down content into reusable pieces. He also announced internationalization features, enabling content translation in multiple languages, and Strapi V4, a new version with a free design system and improved performance. The conference also featured guest speakers from AECOM and MindGym, who shared their experiences migrating to Strapi, and a fireside chat between Pierre Burgy and Guillermo Rauch on the future of the JAMstack ecosystem.