Developing a custom Content Management System (CMS) for USA’s largest media network

 

The project kicked off with our business analysts diving deep into understanding the client’s needs. Collaborating closely with software architects, they created an optimal structure for the new content management system, refining functional requirements to create a clear roadmap.

Once the strategic blueprint was in place, we seamlessly integrated the requirements into our technological framework. Our UI experts focused on user-centric design principles, ensuring an intuitive interface for the application.

While the previous system was built using Angular, careful consideration was given to technology selection for the new CMS. We opted for Next.js to develop and deploy these modular applications, ensuring seamless integration and compatibility. Leveraging the latest technology, we developed a robust CMS with custom access controls to meet the client’s specific needs.

Transitioning from monolithic to microservices

Given the tightly coupled nature of the client’s infrastructure, built on monolithic architecture, modifying or updating specific components of the system proved challenging without impacting others. The deployment of the entire application as a single unit necessitated deploying the entire system for any change, leading to increased downtime, unnecessary costs, and a higher likelihood of errors. In response to these challenges, Team Daffodil proposed transitioning to a microservices architecture.

To initiate this transition, we conducted a thorough analysis of the client’s current system. Subsequently, we decomposed their monolithic CMS into individual microservices, prioritizing components based on their business value and complexity. Modules supporting core functionalities such as article/stories management, multimedia embedding, and user authentication were singled out for extraction. By adopting this approach, we aimed to enhance modularity and flexibility, facilitating smoother collaboration and content distribution across the client’s diverse properties.

Some highlights of the new Content Management System:

In our efforts to enhance content creation and distribution efficiency, we developed an application called “Content Discovery.” This tool facilitates advanced global search functionality, allowing users to easily locate all available content across various properties.

The newly developed CMS comes with a dedicated control panel for managing multiple content assets, including blogs, videos, images, alerts, promos, and more. Unlike before, where all assets were managed on a single webpage, each asset now has its own application. This setup provides enhanced control and configuration options, streamlining the workflow for publishers and editors.

End users now benefit from easy access to existing assets via unique IDs, redirecting them to independent applications for making content adjustments. With various filters available, such as asset type, byline, publish status, and creator, finding the right content has never been easier for our client.

Each asset module including story, gallery, and video playlist, offers comprehensive metadata management capabilities. The application enables users to modify details such as brief descriptions, image sources, captions, credits, tags, and even perform image cropping for different screen sizes. This individualized approach to asset management ensures that metadata can be updated independently without affecting other content elements.

Ultimately, all assets are utilised within the “Story Editor” application, where editors compile and publish final content pieces. Leveraging PHP for backend functionality and ReactJS for frontend development, this application empowers end users to manage headlines, meta descriptions, embeddings, URLs, scheduling, and more with ease.