Hi JAMers! I'm here with the third edition of the JAMuary update. It's been a great month to learn about the JAMstack, the ecosystem, and everything that goes with it. Let's look at everything that's been covered the third week of JAMuary by our very own, talented, Divya aka @shortdiv.
To catch up here are the other two awesome recap posts: week 1 & week 2.
JAMuary Digest: 15th - 21st
JAMuary 15th - Is the JAMstack really better for SEO? Quality SEO has always been a tough subject for the web because how some frameworks render sites on the fly. So, how much of an SEO boost do you get from pre-rendering? Is that the only steps you should take to optimize your SEO? Learn more here where Divya discusses Search Engine Results Page, JSON-LD, and what all these have to do with the JAMstack.
"When it comes to optimizing your content, the JAMstack architecture sets your site up perfectly to hit your SEO goals. Actually reaching those goals however may take a bit of leg work."
Further reading: Five SEO Rules for Your JAMstack Site by Aaron Autrand
JAMuary 16th - Can content marketers create personalized experiences on the JAMstack? Not only does this post tell you that you can create personalized experiences but it also tells you how. It covers CMS features like analytics, standalone personalization services, and A/B testing at the edge.
"The decoupling between the presentation layer and content management means content delivery can be treated as a yet another service to plug into."
Further reading: Netlify Analytics - Accurate insights without performance impacts by Phil Hawksworth
JAMuary 17th - Do I have to know git to use the JAMstack? I have to admit I'm a bit biased because git has saved me so much time when I've borked a project and quickly git reset --hard to revert to the code where my project worked. But is it necessary to use it if you're coding a JAMstack site? This post will look at atomic deploys, immutability, and how much (or little) git you actually need to know.
"With the gaining momentum of JAMstack, there are now more opportunities than ever before for non technical users to access the JAMstack."
Further reading: Git-Centric Workflow: The One API to Rule Them All by swyx
JAMuary 18th - Is there such thing as too many APIs in a JAMstack site? These days it feels like there is an API for everything. For instance, are you ever in dire need of a Kanye quote? Me neither, but nonetheless there's an API for that. Using too many APIs can slow down your site as well as add more development time to use those APIs. Read this post to get some insight into API usage and the JAMstack.
"Stopping to consider the use case and sometimes even crafting a custom solution to an easily solvable problem (like comments) can mean a more lean, performant JAMstack site."
Further watching: You need an API: Now what? by Erin McKean
JAMuary 19th - Is there a risk to relying on external APIs on the JAMstack? Now that we've discussed the amount of APIs, Divya shines a light into how we use these APIs. Covering the use of APIs in JAMstack projects and how they effect the complexity of the development process she helps us weigh out API options.
"The move towards an API driven architecture offers flexibility and promises an improved developer experience, but doesn’t make the claim to prevent over-engineering. Instead, the JAMstack approach pushes developers to think critically about their sites, and make conscious decisions on what and how to consume and build."
Further reading: Check out the Netlify API
JAMuary 20th - Can the JAMstack be used for the public good? Spoiler alert 🚨 the answer is, "yes!" Government sites have to deal with compliance standards and security which may make the JAMstack seem like a bad choice. Yet, Divya walks us through the many ways that the JAMstack can actually be a really smart choice utilizing prerendering assets, decoupling front and backend, Git workflow, and serving static content over a CDN.
"By encouraging a separation between frontend and backend, and a reliance on Git for version control and user management, the JAMstack eases the workflow for building and delivering federally compliant websites."
Further reading: Site of the Week: Water for People
JAMuary 21st - What does the M in JAMstack actually mean? This post clarifies that the M in JAMstack stands for Markup and not Markdown as some may misconstrue. The process of content delivery is the focus as well as the ups and downs (see what I did there) of different approaches.
"The ambiguity of the acronym aside, the M in JAMstack emphasizes how content is delivered, instead of what format that content was in prior to pre-rendering. Content on the JAMstack can effectively come from anywhere, but as long as it’s pre-rendered it counts as “M”."
Further Reading: JAMstack Examples
Tune in Next Week 📺
We hope you've enjoyed this installment of the JAMuary catch up. We'll be coming out with the another one for the last week (😩) of this JAMuary season. Stay tuned and remember, it doesn't need to be JAMuary season for you to enjoy the JAMstack too!
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