Why to Migrate Your Current Ecommerce Store to Magento 2?
Ecommerce platforms have had a proud history of evolution. With smarter technologies ruling the roost, businesses are fast embracing new changes to enhance customer experience.
Magento – one of the leading eCommerce platforms, is certainly no different. The developers followed the known suit leading to the unveiling of Magento 2.
But, hang on! Does a new release imply everyone’s happy onboard?
Well, yes, and no!
There are several eCommerce clients who are still running their online shops on the previous version and are yet to make the shift. Frankly, it’s quite a dilemma, as a lot of e-commerce businesses are still in the dark as to whether they should consider an upgrade, and with no holds barred for official Magento 1 support already done and over with in June, Magento 2 platform here seems to be in the spotlight.
Reportedly, in the second quarter of 2020, more than 30,000 online stores with no less than 27000 unique domain names saw themselves go live on Magento 2. The stats further depict:
- 5.29% of Magento 2 store users are Shopping and Ecommerce businesses, whereas Lifestyle brands take the lead by 9.34% and another 5.76% by Home and Garden brands.
- There are more than 75,000 websites in the US alone running on Magento and is said to be the highest in the world followed by the UK with more than 15,000 sites and Germany with more than 13000 sites.
- Magento is also downloaded almost close to 5,000 times each day, thus accounting for its popularity among e-retailers.
The official marketing lingo for Magento 2 goes– ‘brands, retailers, and businesses across B2C and B2B industries to quickly and cost-effectively deliver engaging omnichannel shopping experiences.”
Evidently, one of the plus points of the latest version Magento 2 is its flexible architecture and enhanced performance. Take the inclusion of touch-friendly features for instance– definitely, a rewarding move allowing eCommerce store owners to track and manage their businesses from underneath their palms, via a smartphone.
Nevertheless, the transition from Magento 1 to Magento 2 can appear a tad bit complex for most users. Sure, there are external tools to help you, but knowing things by yourself, and for the most part, why upgrading Magento 1 store is necessary, offers a clear perspective.
This post discusses a handful of compelling reasons Magento 2 migration that will not only do away with your confusion with Magento 2 but happily encourage you to upgrade this platform by hiring the best Magento developers.
Read on to find out more about the Magento migration process.
8 Reasons to Migrate Your Current Ecommerce Store to Magento 2
1. Embracing the Modern Technology Stack
With an open-source Magento 2 store, you get to witness an upgraded tech sack. For instance, PHP 5.5 is the version that receives the minimum support, whereas MySQL 5.6, HTML5, CSS3 are now what is being looked at as standard.
Plus, Magento 2 is built to easily facilitate optimal viewing as well as easy effortless interactions and improved performance across multiple device types– a much-needed feature that was missing in its earlier version.
The web API’s in Magento 2 also allow one to connect their eCommerce store with a bunch of advanced payment methods, merchandising solutions, and a host of marketing capabilities.
2. Enhanced Scalability and Performance
Undeniably, the built-in full page cache is the singular most significant feature of Magento 2, and it is this full page cache that offers support for varnish as the back end.
The upgraded Magento version now allows for faster load time for pages, like products and categories, and to be precise is measured to be less than 1.5 seconds for a better user experience.
On the compatibility front, Magento 2.0 supports Varnish 4 as well as HHVM 3.6 which in turn makes it possible to compile all PHP codes on the go.
Furthermore, Magento 2 is way faster in general than Magento 1 owing to a truckload of front-end doings that can be pre-compiled and worked AJAX. Now, you will be able to share databases by functional area, which means your product information can be stored on a different server altogether, and thus any information can be retrieved a lot faster for one and all users.
In essence, it has also contributed to a faster and seamless checkout process which invariably adds to the scalability of your eCommerce platform.
3. Faster Load Time For Pages
While Magento 1 required tons of JS to load in order to build a single eCommerce page, Magento 2 has significantly lowered the same to save time and load pages faster.
Enhanced Javascript management, especially the movement from using a prototype JS to JQuery has made things run a lot smoother. Last, the developers have also included JavaScript Bundling contributing to lower page load time.
4. Seamless Customisation
Magento 2 has a restricted code base that functions to direct everything under a specific module right under and within a single module. Plus, it employs the de facto PHP package manager and Composer to help manage the module installation process.
And that’s not all. The logic for business, as well as presentation, has also been worked on separately, thus making it possible to maintain all customization efforts, despite the product patches installed.
5. Smart Integration of Third Party Modules
All well-defined APIs have been published by Magento 2 marketplace to effortlessly act as an interface for all third-party modules. Doing so has also made it possible to keep external modules unaffected by any significant code changes and vice versa. In essence, the whole structure has contributed towards the enhancement and customization of the modules like never before.
6. A CodeBase That is Outright Modern and Clean
Magento 2 has successfully removed all bad and legacy codes. Thus, in Magento 2, there seems to be no easy way to leave any code that’s non-optimized in the right place for all Magento sites.
7. Easy Upgrade and Installation Process
One of the most compelling reasons for migrating from Magento 1 to 2 has to be its easy upgradability as well as installation process, especially for the patches.
As an eCommerce merchant, it greatly benefits one as they are now seamlessly upgrading their store to the best platform that’s available, only to enjoy all the latest functionalities and features under one umbrella.
With easy installation of security patches too, it has greatly contributed to the security of the site.
8. Minimised Effort For Testing
Magento 2 is a hallmark of come-of-age, automated test strategies. What it means is how developers now have the scope to write several test cases ensuring the customizations implemented have not played foul with any core functionalities.
Moreover, the Magento Test Framework also allows for functional testing, since it is an open-source cross-platform offering. In other words, it is not dependent on a single OS to run things and allows one to run quick functional tests using the native Magento application itself.
Furthermore, all functional tests can be performed at any point in time, either independently or with multiple tests at one go. Thus, it has brought the effects of user interaction testing to a bare minimum.
The Leap Ahead
Undeniably, the expansion of the eCommerce business and its constantly evolving nature has made Magento see some bad days in the recent past.
Notwithstanding the fact that Magento was once the top-seeded player out there for content management systems, the arrival of WooCommerce, SquareSpace, Shopify, and Wix have changed the game for good.
Nevertheless, Magento has been doing well and has always managed to keep the scorecard going with a pretty impressive list of users signing up. Sure, the figures can change for some years, but that certainly has nothing to do with the credibility of a platform like Magento. With its newest upgrade, things are looking very promising and it won’t be a surprise if you see a large number of users making a comeback with Magento 2.
Following Adobe’s acquisition in 2018, Magento as an innovation company has constantly made an effort to revive its lost glory by enhancing the core features, upping the security, and engaging eCommerce retailers globally through conventions and gala events. With Magento 2 in the picture, perhaps the company is due for a glory tale in times to come.
As an eCommerce business owner running your store on Magento 1, no time can be better than right now to consider an upgrade. Now that you’ve got a comprehensive idea about what you can expect from Magento 2, you can plan accordingly to implement new features and probability shape up your business plan as well.
However, while considering upgrading to Magento 2, it is recommended in the best interest that you always get it done from a certified Magento Solution Partner, or from a Magento Certified Developer to avoid any hassles. With trained hands by your side, the intricate doings and other inherent capacities can be handled easily and you won’t have to lose your sleep over it.
6 Best Node.JS Frameworks for Web App Developers
JavaScript was one among the many players that scripted the success of companies at a time when the internet was booming. It enabled developers and programmers to fashion great websites with newfound interactive elements like embedded video players, animations, and maps that ultimately sought to enrich user experience. Like any other programming language, JavaScript too evolved with different versions and additional layers launching at different times – one among them was the Node.JS framework.
It is essentially a broad environment with extensive libraries for developing advanced applications and taking web development to the next level. More importantly, they can be used to run JavaScript code outside web browsers. Clients that hire Indian programmers have taken a liking to Node.JS especially because it can be used to develop rich and efficient applications on the server-side that is also scalable.
This is why, in this blog post, we will list out some of the best Node.JS frameworks in 2021 that dedicated Node.Js developers could check out.
Top 6 Best Node.Js Frameworks For Developers:
1. Meteor–
As proclaimed by the platform, Meteor is an open-source framework that is compatible with web, mobile (both iOS and Android), and desktop. Many international companies like Mazda and Qualcomm use Meteor and rightly so – there is integration with Mongo, Vue, Angular; build applications for multiple devices; lightweight and integration of technologies. Yet the best feature of Meteor is its thriving community support that addresses developer questions on forums and hosts events.
2. Koa –
Koa is a next-generation framework designed by the people at Express with the mandate of providing a robust and lithe framework to build apps. It does away with complex code and instead incorporates an array of middleware functions that are executed in a progressive manner. Therefore, it ensures interoperability while making coding hassle-free for developers. Because it has a small footprint – meaning that it produces greater output with less input, developers would surely be enthralled working with it.
3. Socket.io–
This framework is primarily used by clients to design bi-directional and situational communication mechanisms. Boasting a web-socket architecture, this tool is all about reliability and speed –this can be leveraged in generating insightful analytics and work collaboration by multiple users. What’s more? Socket.io also helps developers to design smart chatbots for clients looking to address customer queries in a proactive manner.
4. Adonis –
This Adonis framework screams ease of use, doing everything in its power to make the developer’s work easy and bring about stability. There is a great set of documentation blogs that includes code samples for developers to get started quickly. With seamless authentication and robust database management of SQL, we are sure that developers, especially freelancers can get a hold of Node.JS.
5. Sails.JS –
It is one of the most popular MVC (Model-View-Controller) frameworks out there, that works akin to Ruby on Rails. One of the best features is the auto-generated REST APIs that help developers kick-start the backend operations without much coding. Besides many companies like Microsoft using Sails.JS, it also comes with ORM that allows it to connect any two incompatible type systems. Having support for multiple front-ends, this framework is fully written in JavaScript, allowing for speedy module development.
6. Nest.JS –
This Nest.Js is yet another progressive framework that is both versatile and extensible, as the framework incorporates adaptability and flexibility to build any sort of application with access to other libraries. One thing to note is that it helps clients, particularly big clients, that our programmer for building scalable solutions for future enterprises. The framework’s modular structure makes for smart development, testing, and maintenance of apps.
There are several Node.JS frameworks that cater to different purposes and we did find some of them interesting such as Hapi. dev, Diet.JS, Flatiron.JS, and many more. The above frameworks are just some of the favorites that we thought are worth sharing.
Have you come across any framework that we may have missed out on? Let us know your thoughts below.
Feel free to go through the developer portfolio and testimonials and if satisfied you can contact our team for hiring our web development services.
Read More:
Is Node.Js the Future of Web Development?
Node.js vs PHP: Which is better for backend development?
NodeJS vs AngularJS: Which is The Best For Your Project?
A Feasible Workaround to JavaScript
As a major player in the web development space and having an enviable record of undertaking diverse projects, we have had the fortune of using many programming languages. One of the most popular programming language which we have time and again used in most of our assignments is Javascript. Of course, like any other programming language it has both pros and cons but there is a reason why it is endorsed by a 12 million strong developer community – its wide scope for deploying applications from cloud to IoT along with its simple syntax. It is also the undisputed leader in front end web development and developers love using Javascript for developing applications for their clients.
Having said that, there are also some aspects of Javascript that developers are averse to such as differential execution in different browsers, single inheritance and lack of debugging functionalities. In a world of ample choices, the developer is ever on the lookout for any viable alternatives to Javascript. So, in today’s blogpost, we make an attempt to provide our insights on the different workarounds to Javascript available in the market. Now, we do acknowledge that these tools transpile another language to Javascript. Nevertheless, these are some noteworthy alternatives
Typescript
Typescript, developed by Microsoft, is an easy recommend for it not only improves upon Javascript but also adds a lot more features, making it an awesome alternative. It has support for static typing and Node.js, among other things. This open-source tool can be used in any browser with any host and any operating system. Clients hiring a programmer can especially use Typescript for developing large enterprise applications. It goes without saying that coding in this language requires a certain level of expertise.
Kaffeine
Kaffeine can be thought of as extensions to Javascript that enhances the latter’s functions in many aspects with a special focus on debugging. In fact, debugging has never been simpler. It adopts a practical approach, often doing away with over the top features of Javascript. The main pro of using this tool is its ease of use both for developers and end users, making the case for a smooth user experience.
Dart
‘Paint your UI to life’ is what this Google developed Dart VM proclaims and rightly so. Having support of type inference, Dart improves upon Javascript by removing some of its common irritants. It also comes with Google’s own kit, which enables Dart to go a step further and helps developers to design standalone web and mobile applications. At the same time, we also ask developers to tread cautiously, for there is not much of online resources in case of programming trouble.
Elm
Are you looking for advanced front end web development? Then Elm might be for you. It is not the typical general purpose language like Javascript. It proclaims itself as that friendly tool that seek to help in every which way – from displaying error messages and hints to eliminating runtime exceptions. However, given its capabilities, the learning curve is steep, thereby making it difficult for newbies to develop applications in a short period.
Coffeescript
Coffeescript is a decent attempt in bringing out the best of Javascript, especially improving on the latter’s readability. The execution is faster when compared to Javascript and having support for Node.Js is yet another advantage. However, the downside is that developers still need to be an expert in the original language and also has limited features. Moreover, the recent updates (ES6) of Javascript means that developers need not think twice about going back to Javascript itself.
No alternative in the above list is complete and has its share of pros and cons. For one, almost every tool requires some level of expertise to master it. At HireIndianProgrammers, we still believe that a true heir to Javascript is yet to arrive at the scene.
WordPress and October CMS – A Comparison
Recently, WordPress launched its React powered Gutenberg to provide a revamped content management system (CMS) experience. But this has gone too well with much of the users and has rather garnered a lukewarm response. Are you one of those people, looking to shift to another platform? Then this post might be for you.
So, in this blogpost we will look at the next best alternative – October CMS and also see how it stacks up with our beloved WordPress. If you are looking for any developer out there, you can now hire a WordPress developer at HireIndianProgrammers, who will make your transition into website development for your business a smooth process.
October CMS is a free, open source, relatively new and dynamic content generator that is based on the Laravel framework. Having a sizeable community, one key difference between WordPress developmentand October CMS is that while the former has basis on procedural programming the latter has basis on object oriented programming.
Both WordPress development and October CMS run on the LAMP stack i.e Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. You must also know that they both have the same language basis – HTML, CSS, Javascript.
Content Creation and Plugins
With the launch of Gutenberg, there are two new features for WordPress developers – Introduction of the usage of components over the earlier coding blobs of HTML and another feature known as the block. Blocks are supposedly introduced to provide a way to insert content into the site.
What does it entail for users?It ensures a simpler user experience. It is in stark contrast to the earlier version of WordPress that added content through shortcodes, buttons, menus etc; Installing many blocks isn’t a hassle either. What this essentially achieves is that it provides users with a modular approach. However, as with anything new, the learning curve for React is rather steep, thereby testing your patience.
For October CMS, knowing just HTML is enough to build sites. The pages are written using twig templates. With respect to design, it allows users to select the appropriate layout including header, footer, placeholders and so on. So customisation is a breeze. If at all, you are not satisfied with only HTML, you can always add PHP functions to produce a dynamic code.
While anyone can use a WordPress site, October CMS is rather developer-friendly.That means dedicated programmers may have no problems to use, but the layman like marketers may not find it helpful.
With regard to plugins, both platforms offer an advanced yet simplified mechanism that allows users to search, install new plugins and update existing plugins to their latest version. This can be achieved from the backend itself.
Documentation
We are all very much familiar with the documentation in WordPress. While in-site documentation doesn’t cover everything, there are several external sources and general sites such as CSS Tricks and online courses sealing with every WordPress topic under the sun.
On the other hand, the documentation provided by the founders of October CMS, though doesn’t enjoy widespread recognition, does the job pretty well for a new entrant. It’s more than enough for people looking to start coding. What’s more? The founders regularly add new content to the documentation. However, you must know that it is not 100% perfect and it is a work in progress.
Security
Due to its immense popularity, WordPress is riddled with large amount of negative externalities. Users therefore have to constantly update all of their plugins and related software to prevent any major hacks.
Meanwhile, October CMS being a fairly new entrant in this space and owing to its size, doesn’t have that problem. Moreover, during the wizard installation process itself, it allows users to input the CMS backend URL (changeable). This makes it almost impossible for hackers to attack.
Community Support
The sheer vastness of the community forums of WordPress programmers, both online and offline doesn’t need introduction. Not only in size, but also from a diversity point of view. It brings together people from different countries, backgrounds, professions – developers and users alike. So, it is very likely that whatever challenge you may be facing, there is always someone out there to help you out in these forums. In addition to that you could also make use of the WordCamps held in various cities to learn how to use the platform.
October CMS is not bad either, especially for one that recently came into picture. Though it doesn’t match the level of WordPress development support forums, it is steadily gaining popularity. Even the platform’s owners join the discussion forum from time to time. This is good news for those who are starting out, in need of tips and tricks. The only con is that these forums are more oriented towards the developer.
So what do you think would be a better choice for you? Both WordPress and October CMS have their own set of pros and cons. While WordPress is favourable for both the developer and the user, October CMS is geared towards developers.
However, your choice may differ according to the project or team or company. What are your requirements? Make a note of it and decide on THE CMS for you.
Frontend Checklist for Smooth Performance of Web Applications
In this age of digital media, businesses’ mission to establish a solid image, pull in customers and retain them for a long period have become more challenging. Especially so, if your business is just starting, it is imperative you gain solid ground by signing up new customers. This is where the Frontend experience comes into the picture. It plays an important role in the background – enabling a smooth experience for first time customers without hiccups that includes but not limited to data loading, optimisation and Background processing. That calls for a robust frontend development from an expert programmer.
Now that we have realised the importance of a good frontend experience, let us look into some of the items in the Frontend checklist to ensure a smooth performance of web applications. That includes mobile experiences also.
A Clean Document
A critical aspect of frontend development is loading speed. No one wants to wait for a sluggish site to proceed to the next page. For that, you need to write your HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) code in a concise way. Referencing other resources within our HTML doc also matters. For instance, rather than placing CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) at the bottom, it is recommended to place it at the top to ensure a clean rendering. The same goes for the placement of Javascript. What it effectively does is saying goodbye to impatient visitors leaving the website after waiting in a blank page.
Minimal Click Events
Remember, the lesser clicks you ask from the visitor, the better likely he will end up staying in the site. This translates to successful signup conversions. Adding excessive buttons will frustrate the customer and prove that you are quite demanding! Minimal click events also mean that you have to reduce invalid click scenarios.
An Intuitive UI
By designing a UI to be intuitive, you keep the customer at the top with all the buttons at his disposal. Such should be the ease of use that includes navigation too. It can be as simple as setting contrasting colors for navigation buttons to as complex as designing the webpage to optimisation across all platforms (Web, mobile, browsers etc). Also, ensure that there is a natural flow in your website. Ultimately it will seek to guide the visitor flawlessly. This
Optimising the Images
Excessive megabyte sized images can be a potential UX killer, if you fail to optimise them. They can be optimised by removing the excess information related to the image like dates, locations, camera specifications and so on. This can massively improve loading times.
Going Minimalistic
At the end of the day, it is your business and only you know / can determine what features you want to add to your web application, thereby starting with a framework that is lightweight. No user would like a cluttered website that will only confuse them. Some minification techniques will help you eliminate unnecessary characters in the file.
If your business caters to a global market, you can opt for a CDN (Content Delivery Network) that will considerably increase the performance of your website. This will offload some of the traffic from a singular server and links to a network of servers.
You can now Hire an expert Programmer at HireIndianProgrammers, who, rest assured, can delve into your project needs and design a website with maximum performance and optimisation.