2020-08-11_00-35-32

Summary

This video offers a project management perspective on developing and integrating extensions for Scandi PWA, a Magento 2 extension. It covers the setup of Magento and Scandi PWA, the importance of GraphQL for data communication, and the process of creating custom extensions that include backend functionality and frontend rendering. The video also addresses the integration of existing Magento market extensions into a headless architecture, emphasizing the necessity of a GraphQL layer for seamless data interaction.

Takeaways

• 🛠️ The video describes the process of developing an extension for Scandi PWA, a single-page application for Magento 2.
• 🔧 The traditional Magento stack includes PHP, MySQL, Redis, Elasticsearch, GraphQL, Varnish, and Nginx.
• 📱 Scandi PWA is a web application downloaded to a personal device, utilizing a service worker for data caching and proxy.
• 🔄 Varnish is used for persistent caching, checking for data availability before making a request to GraphQL.
• 💡 Extensions for Magento can involve backend functionality like admin grids and frontend rendering for users.
• 📝 Extensions require both backend development in PHP and a GraphQL layer to make new data available to the frontend.
• 🌐 Creating a headless, decoupled application with GraphQL allows for more granular data retrieval from the Magento database.
• 🔧 Scandi PWA allows for extending the theme and service worker, which is a correct way to add new functionality since version 3.
• 🛑 When creating an extension, it's important to invalidate cached data in Varnish using ETags to ensure data consistency.
• 📦 For a decoupled system, there are typically two separate packages: one for the frontend and another for the backend.
• 🔄 If an existing Magento extension lacks a GraphQL layer, it needs to be added to facilitate data communication with the frontend.
• ❓ The video suggests reaching out to Scandi Clever or leaving comments for any questions regarding the extension process.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video?

The video describes the process of developing an extension for Scandi PWA, a Progressive Web App (PWA) for Magento 2, and how to integrate it with the existing Magento setup.

What is a traditional Magento stack consist of?

A traditional Magento stack typically includes PHP, MySQL, Redis, Elasticsearch, GraphQL, Varnish, and Nginx.

What is the role of a service worker in Scandi PWA?

The service worker in Scandi PWA acts as a proxy, caching data and ensuring that the application does not request data that is already available on the user's device.

Why is Varnish used in the setup?

Varnish is used for caching data served by GraphQL. It checks if the requested data has been served before using a request key or hash and serves it from the cache if available, reducing load times.

What is the significance of GraphQL in the context of this video?

GraphQL is used as a data pipe to provide a more granular and efficient way to get data from the Magento database for the front-end application, compared to REST APIs.

How does the extension development process differ for Magento and Scandi PWA?

For Magento, the extension is written in PHP and may involve additional tables or columns. For Scandi PWA, a separate front-end extension is needed, which is written in React and uses GraphQL queries to get data from the server.

What is the role of Redux in the Scandi PWA extension?

Redux is used to manage the global state of the application within the Scandi PWA, allowing the front-end to manage and interact with the data provided by the backend.

How does the video script address the issue of extending existing Magento extensions to work with Scandi PWA?

The script suggests creating a compatibility layer or extension on the front-end that interacts with the existing backend data through GraphQL, ensuring seamless integration with the headless architecture.

What is the importance of invalidation tags in the context of Varnish and extensions?

Invalidation tags are used to identify and tag the data that the extension is transmitting to the front end. When changes occur in the backend, these tags help in invalidating the cached data in Varnish, ensuring that the user receives updated information.

How should a project manager approach the integration of a new or existing Magento extension with Scandi PWA?

A project manager should ensure that the backend extension is developed or updated with GraphQL resolvers and that a front-end extension is created to manage the data and user interactions in the headless architecture.

What are the potential challenges when integrating a Magento extension without a GraphQL layer?

If the extension lacks a GraphQL layer, additional work is required to add this functionality, ensuring that the data can be properly transmitted to and from the front-end application.