Modern Web Development on the JAMstack

Description

The comprehensive guide to JAMstack best practices This practical report explains how to run your web projects—from simple sites to complex applications—on the JAMstack, a modern web architecture for deploying fast, secure and highly-scalable sites that don’t require a traditional origin server. With this report, you’ll explore: Methods for solving web development challenges—from bloated legacy architecture to managing microservices Why the JAMstack’s cleaner architecture eliminates the need to scale sites up front How separating the frontend from your build process makes maintenance easier Best practices for adopting the JAMstack in your organization A case study that examines how Smashing Magazine applied the JAMstack for commerce, authentication and membership, and publishing at scale Cover Netlify Copyright Table of Contents Introduction The JAM in JAMstack A Workflow for Productivity and Performance Version Control and Atomic Deploys Contributing on the JAMstack APIs to Process and Personalize Bringing It All Together: A Smashing Magazine Case Study Ready? Time to Get Our JAM Session Started Chapter 1. The Challenges of Modern Web Development The Drawbacks of Monolithic Architectures Limited Flexibility Performance Concerns Scaling Challenges Security Woes The Risk of Staying the Same Chapter 2. Introducing the JAMstack What’s in a Name? JavaScript APIs Markup Prebuilding Markup Types of JAMstack Projects HTML Content Content from a CMS Web Applications Large Web Properties Hybrid Experiences Summary Chapter 3. Advantages of the JAMstack Simplifying Systems and Simplifying Thinking Better Comprehension and Mental Agility You Don’t Need to Be an Expert at Everything Reduce Moving Parts at Runtime Costs Financial Costs Team Efficiency The Price of Innovation Scale Aping Static in Order to Scale Geography Redundancy Performance Where to Focus Optimization Efforts Only Turning the Gears When Necessary Security Reducing Surface Area Reducing Risk with Read-Only Outsourced or Abstracted Services For the Developer; For the Project; For the Win Chapter 4. Planning for the JAMstack Setting Up the Project Strategies for Managing Content Text Files Git-Based CMS Headless CMS Self-Hosted CMS Choosing a Site Generator One: The Type of Website Two: The Programming Language Used Three: The Templating Syntax Four: Speed Five: Developer Tooling Adding Automation Using GitHub Pages and GitLab Pages Using Your Own Infrastructure Using a Hosted Deployment Service Selecting a CDN Edge Locations Instant Updates Multiple Providers Providing Functionality: APIs Chapter 5. Shifting the Mental Model A Mindset and an Approach One: Get to the CDN Designing for the Best Use of a CDN Two: Design for Immutability and Atomic Deployments Confidence from Immutability The Advantages of Immutable Deployments Positioning for Immutable Deployments Atomic Deployments Three: Employ End-to-End Version Control Reducing the Cost of Onboarding Making Version Control the Backbone of Your Project Four: Automation and Tooling A Powerful Site-Generation Pattern Minimizing the Risk of Human Intervention Five: Embrace the Ecosystem Forms Search Notifications Identity Six: Bridging the Last Gaps with Functions as a Service Being Comfortable with Breaking the Monolith Chapter 6. Applying the JAMstack at Scale A Case Study: Smashing Magazine The Challenge Key Considerations Duplicated Templates Performance, Reliability, and Security Membership Picking the Right Tools Static Site Generator Asset Pipeline Frontend Framework Content Migration Utilizing Structured Content Working with Large Sites Building Out the Core Search Content Management Integrating Netlify CMS Listings, Search, and Assets: Customizing the CMS for Large Projects Identity, Users, and Roles JWTs and Stateless Authentication Ecommerce Identity and Orders Membership and Subscriptions Tying It Together: Member Discounts in GoCommerce Job Board and Event Tickets: AWS Lambda and Event-Based Webhooks Workflows and API Gateways Deploying and Managing Microservices Summary Chapter 7. Conclusion And One More Thing... About the Authors