November 2022 Summaries

Strapi announced the end of life for its version 3 (v3) on December 31st, 2022, after extending support which initially was to last for six months post the release of Strapi v4 at the end of 2021. Although v3 projects will continue to function, no further updates, support, or security patches will be provided. The documentation for v3 will remain accessible, and Enterprise Edition customers can find migration support through specific articles and the support portal, while Community Edition users are encouraged to utilize available migration resources and join community channels. Strapi has also provided migration scripts, tools, and a YouTube playlist to assist users in transitioning from v3 to v4, acknowledging the complexity involved due to data and customization requirements. Only Strapi version 4.4.x or higher is supported on Strapi Cloud, and for additional migration services, users are advised to reach out to official Solution partners. Victor Coisne, VP of Marketing at Strapi, has been actively involved in the open-source community and brings extensive experience from working with Open Core B2B companies.

The article provides a comprehensive guide to creating and customizing a Strapi project using TypeScript, with a focus on the internal systems such as services, controllers, and routes that handle requests and responses. It outlines the process of setting up an API for articles and demonstrates how to create content types and relationships, while also highlighting the flexibility of Strapi's headless CMS for developers and editors. The tutorial also explains the use of Strapi's Entity service and Query API for database interactions and provides detailed instructions on modifying default services and controllers to add functionalities like auto-generating slugs from article titles. Additionally, it discusses the creation of custom routes and the integration of middleware and authentication settings, aiming to equip developers with the skills to confidently manage and extend their Strapi backend. The article is authored by Alexander Godwin, a software developer who advocates learning by doing, and it encourages following him on Twitter for further insights.

This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to create a simple but fast blog application using Blazor WebAssembly, Tailwind CSS, and Strapi. It covers the installation of necessary software, setting up the Strapi backend API, creating content types for posts, building the frontend with Blazor, styling the app with Tailwind CSS, and finally deploying the application on Heroku and Netlify. The author also provides a Github link to access the source code implementation.

This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to create a simple but fast blog application using Blazor WebAssembly, Tailwind CSS, and Strapi. It covers the installation of necessary software, setting up the Strapi backend API, creating content types for posts, integrating the Strapi API with the Blazor frontend app, styling the blog using Tailwind CSS, displaying all posts on the home page, and creating a separate page for each post. The article also provides information on deploying the application using platforms like Heroku and Netlify.

Strapi, an open-source, customizable headless CMS, is widely used for creating websites, mobile apps, and APIs, offering robust features for backend content management and compatibility with various front-end technologies. To enhance website performance, Strapi provides a marketplace featuring essential plugins developed by its community, including Awesome SEO for SEO analysis, Measurement Protocol for integrating with Google Analytics, and Internationalization (i18n) for managing localized content. Other notable plugins include GoogleAuth for enabling secure visitor authentication, EZ Forms for customizable and spam-resistant web forms, Rest Cache for HTTP request caching to optimize website speed, Import Export Entries for efficient data handling, and CKEditor 5 for advanced content editing and customization. These plugins collectively aim to improve website functionality, security, and user engagement, providing valuable tools for business website owners seeking to optimize their digital presence.

This tutorial guides on deploying a Strapi application as a Docker container in AWS Elastic Beanstalk, connected to PostgreSQL in Relational Database Service. To start, create a new project using the command `npx create-strapi-app my-project --template blog`, then configure the database connection to use PostgreSQL. Next, create two Dockerfiles for development and production environments, and use Docker-Compose to simplify the process of building and running multiple containers. After that, deploy the image in Elastic Beanstalk by creating a Dockerrun.aws.json file and uploading it to an S3 bucket. Finally, automate deployment using AWS CLI and GitHub Actions.

The author, who works remotely for Strapi, a 100% remote-first company, has been adapting to working from home and finding ways to stay connected with colleagues despite the physical distance. The company uses various tools such as onboarding processes, bots, and regular meetings to facilitate communication and socialization among employees. To overcome the lack of in-person interactions, the author established an office space downtown that they use frequently, taking advantage of a subsidized co-working space budget offered by Strapi. This setup has allowed them to stay productive while still enjoying the freedom of remote work. The company's emphasis on teamwork, communication, and alignment of mindset is essential for its success, and the author looks forward to many years of growth and learning in this new work environment.

Strapi has reached a significant milestone of 50K GitHub stars, marking the journey of the project since its first commit in 2015. The achievement is attributed to the community of users and contributors who have supported and contributed to Strapi's growth. Being open-source and transparent has been part of Strapi's DNA from the beginning, with contributions to upstream projects and initiatives such as Storybook, Webpack, and Babel. The Strapi Community Organization plays a crucial role in reinforcing this commitment, and the community is excited to continue building the future of Strapi together, aiming to hit 100K stars in the near future.

In this article, we will explore how to integrate Elasticsearch with a Strapi application to create a search engine for our application by adding a search feature to the Strapi Foodadvisor application. We'll use Elasticsearch to build a search index and then connect it to our Strapi server using an Elasticsearch client. The benefits of using Elasticsearch include its ability to help everyone find what they need faster, provide speed and accuracy in searching through large amounts of text, and offer a full-blown search engine integration into the application. To start, we'll create a new Strapi project, install the required packages, and set up our Elasticsearch instance. We'll then connect our Strapi server to Elasticsearch using an Elasticsearch client and implement a search service that can be used in our application. The search service will allow users to enter a search query and retrieve relevant results from the index. We'll also implement pagination and display the results in a user-friendly format. Finally, we'll test our search feature to ensure it's working correctly and provide examples of how to use it.

The article delves into the process of building a Static Site Generation (SSG) blog application using Strapi and Next.js, highlighting the advantages of various rendering methods such as Client-Side Rendering, Server-Side Rendering, and Static Site Generation. It explains the setup of a Strapi project for managing blog data, the integration of Next.js to pre-render pages at build time for fast loading and reduced server requests, and the use of webhooks for automatic updates upon content changes. The tutorial guides readers through creating a Strapi-backed Next.js application, configuring environment variables, styling, and deploying the application on Vercel. It also covers setting up webhooks to trigger automatic site redeployments when new blog posts are published, showcasing the seamless communication between the content management system and the static site to keep content up-to-date.

Strapi is an open-source headless content management system designed for ease in developing APIs and integrating with frontend frameworks. It offers flexibility in hosting environments, requiring developers to choose from various deployment options such as AWS, Azure, Digital Ocean, Heroku, Platform.sh, Render, and the newly introduced Strapi Cloud. Each platform comes with its unique set of advantages and limitations, allowing developers to select based on their specific project needs, budget, and scalability requirements. Strapi emphasizes customization, open-source innovation, and flexibility while introducing Strapi Cloud to simplify infrastructure management, enabling developers to focus on building web experiences without the burden of server management. The platform is committed to supporting developers through community engagement and resources, ensuring that both self-hosted and cloud options cater to diverse project demands.

The text provides a detailed guide on optimizing data retrieval in a Strapi project by using route-based middleware to set default "populate" options. This approach minimizes the need for repetitive and unruly queries on the frontend by handling data population at the backend level, ensuring lean and organized frontend requests. By integrating custom middleware, developers can control what data is returned by default, avoiding unnecessary data exposure and enhancing frontend efficiency. The guide explains how to implement middleware logic in Strapi, using a blog post example to demonstrate the process, and highlights the benefits of using the query-string package for more readable and reusable queries. Additionally, it outlines steps to enable and configure middleware within a Strapi project, emphasizing the middleware's role in automatically managing queries, thereby eliminating the need for explicit query strings on the frontend.

Strapi v4.5 has been released, offering improvements that enhance app performance and user experience, particularly by optimizing the handling of relations between content types. This update introduces a "Load More" button for managing large sets of relational entries, and moves relational fields to the main layout of the edit view, enabling easier searching, adding, and deleting of relations. The Strapi Market continues to evolve with new plugins such as CKEditor 5, Country select custom field, Drag & drop content types, and TinyMCE, while encouraging user contributions and showcasing projects. Additionally, Strapi Cloud has launched a beta program, inviting users with Postgres-based projects to join. Community participation is pivotal to Strapi's growth, with opportunities to contribute through GitHub, suggest features, create plugins, and display projects in the Strapi Showcase.

The text discusses the advantages of using a headless content management system (CMS) like Strapi, a leading open-source platform, which separates the content repository from the presentation layer, allowing for more flexible and efficient content delivery across various digital platforms. It highlights the benefits of integrating an on-site search functionality to enhance user experience, improve navigation, and optimize performance, particularly for dynamic and complex websites. The article explores different on-site search solutions such as Meilisearch, Algolia, Elasticsearch, and Typesense, each offering unique features to enhance search capabilities. It provides a detailed guide on setting up Meilisearch with Strapi for a web application, emphasizing the importance of a robust front-end development to create a seamless and personalized digital experience. The integration of on-site search with a headless CMS can significantly improve the user experience, streamline content delivery, and support omnichannel marketing strategies.

Next.js Conf 2022 was marked by the release of Next.js 13, which brought significant enhancements aimed at reducing client-side JavaScript and improving application performance. Among its notable features are the new app/directory for routing and layouts, support for server components, and streaming and suspense for data fetching. Vercel introduced Turbopack, a Rust-based successor to Webpack, promising unmatched bundling speed for web applications. Additionally, Vercel partnered with Splitbee to enhance analytics capabilities, providing developers with real-time insights and A/B testing tools. Strapi, a sponsor of the event, highlighted the synergy between Strapi and Next.js for building content-rich digital experiences, with plans for easy deployment on Strapi Cloud. For those interested in exploring these technologies, resources such as blogs, tutorials, and starter projects are available to streamline the learning process.

Strapi is a Headless CMS designed for composable and flexible content management that reconciles the needs of various stakeholders. It aims to provide an efficient content publication workflow with a refined dashboard, suitable for Content Managers who want to move from traditional CMS to a Headless CMS like Strapi. The onboarding process can be improved by modifying codebase or leveraging patch-package, avoiding issues with customization due to the removal of the "extension" system in v4. A well-designed content editing workflow should have four steps: preview and save, publish, add dynamic zones, and choose components to assemble the page. Strapi offers various extensions that can enhance a collaborative experience, but it's essential for developers to evaluate plugin requests critically and consider cleaning up their stack by adding only necessary features.