Magento is an ecommerce platform that has become a de-facto standard in the field of digital marketplaces. It can run on several different server environments, but the majority of its users create their stores using it on Amazon Web Services. Despite the growing popularity and widespread adoption, every ecommerce application faces challenges. For example, every store must deal with performance issues like slow page loads and speed fluctuations. If you develop your own ecommerce website or operate one of many online shops powered by this CMS, here is some advice about how to boost your development performance:
Run automated tests
Automated tests are an essential part of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). They help catch bugs and assure quality at each stage of the creation process — from design to development, testing, and deployment. Furthermore, they are an essential part of Magento development process with Continuous Integration (CI). The idea is simple — with the help of automated tests, you can ensure that the code works as expected. In addition, you can also ensure that it follows best practices and standards at each stage of development. As a result, you can catch bugs earlier than when they are discovered in the production environment. Automated tests can be written in any programming language, but for quicker and easier access to data, most developers choose a test framework. The most popular ones are JMeter, Selenium, and SauceLabs. If you choose one of these test frameworks, make sure that it includes a feature that allows you to access data from your store’s backend.
Keep new codebase isolated from the old one
As you develop your ecommerce solution, you may create new codebases. If you keep them isolated from the old ones, you can avoid introducing bugs into your application. To keep the new codebase isolated, you should have a clear separation between the old codebase and the new one. You can do this by creating new repositories for each project, or you can use a feature like Gitflow that allows you to replicate the behavior of the Subversion repository. In both cases, make sure that the new codebase does not have any connections to the old one. This can be a Subversion or a Git repository, or any other connection that allows you to access the source code from the older codebase.
Use static site analysis tools
Static site analysis tools are useful for finding visual and structural issues in your website. They can be used to discover broken images, misaligned text, missing alt text on images, and other issues that affect the appearance of your website. Their benefits extend beyond simple visual checks, though. A tool that identifies potential security vulnerabilities in your website can prevent a serious issue from affecting your users. Furthermore, the analysis can discover performance issues in your website as well as potential issues with your caching. One tool that many ecommerce developers use is Zapier. Besides static site analysis, it also has many other features like real-time data analysis and workflow automation. The reason why most developers choose it is not just because of these features, but also because it is relatively easy to set up.
Run continuous integration (CI) and build tasks on every commit
There are many benefits to setting up a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflow. You can easily test every commit on a codebase and deploy the new code to a server when it has passed all tests. This workflow can have several different arrangements. For example, you can have a dedicated server for your CI/CD process and have your developers run all their tests on it. Or, you can use a cloud service like Codeship, which allows your developers to run their tests on their local machines. One of the most important parts of the workflow is setting up a build system on the server. With it, you can run all the build and deployment tasks on every code commit.
Avoid heavy load on single point of failure
Security is one of the most important aspects of any ecommerce website. It is a good idea to have a security scanning tool like ScanSecurity on your server. This can help you discover potential security issues like broken images on your website and code vulnerabilities. Another component of security is the load on your server. You should make sure that the configuration of the application is secure and that it is not being overtaxed by heavy traffic. One way to do this is to use a load testing tool like New Relic to simulate traffic on your website. One component of load that can significantly affect development performance is memory consumption. It is important that you use only the amount of memory that your application needs. Too much load on one component can be a sign of a potential memory consumption issue.
Automate performance checks with Puma or Varnish
One of the most important ways to boost development performance is to automate performance checks. With them, you can discover potential issues with your code, hardware, and other components of your server environment. One of the most popular tools for this is Puma or Varnish. With it, you can simulate heavy loads and check the setup of your server environment. You can use it to discover problems with your hardware and operating system. Puma or Varnish can be used to simulate heavy traffic on your server. If you are using it for performance checks, you can use the tool to send a certain amount of traffic to your application. The tool can have several settings, but the most common one is the chance to hit your server. If you use the tool for this purpose, make sure that you do not exceed the configured load.
Conclusion
Developing an magento ecommerce development company can be challenging, but with these tips in mind, you can boost your development performance. As you work to improve these areas, make sure to check in with your users. They can tell you if your website is performing well, or if they need additional support.