Category: Web Development

What Are the Essential Design Elements of a High-Performing WordPress Website?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Businesses are ruled by customers. For online businesses, the user experience is one of the most crucial factors that determine the success of your company. It is important for your website to drive maximum traffic and have high lead conversions. A well-designed and high-performing website adds credibility to your offerings. Remember that it takes very little time for the user to form an opinion about your website! Research shows that over 80% of users are unlikely to return to a website after a bad experience. 

WordPress is the most popular CMS (Content Management System) that powers over 40% of the websites globally. Given its popularity, it is easy to get your website started. However, integrating your website with the right set of tools, plugins, and design is crucial to make it a high-performing differentiated offering versus competitors. 

In this article, we have highlighted key design considerations while building a WordPress website.

  • Branding

Before even starting working on a WordPress site, you need to focus on branding elements such as logo, color palette, high-quality images, fonts, etc. Your brand represents your business, and good branding helps you stand out in a competitive online environment. 

  • Navigation

Navigation helps the flow of your WordPress website and therefore, it is important to enhance the user experience by having simple but effective navigation. Since a lot of traffic these days comes from mobile devices, it is even more important to have good navigation of your website. It will also enable better SEO and result in higher traffic to your website.

The navigation should be designed keeping your users and these questions in mind – Why are they visiting your website? What actions do you want them to perform? We recommend avoiding unnecessary menu options and will focus on simplicity. You should also have CTAs (call to action) for your users. 

  • Consistent design

Your WordPress website should have a consistent design and layout. In simple words, common user interface elements such as logo, site navigation, page content, images, etc. should appear in the same place throughout the website. This allows visitors to navigate through your website efficiently as they know where these common website elements are placed on every page. This also leads the users to spend time engaging with your content. 

In addition to a better user experience, there’s also a time/cost-saving benefit to you of having a consistent design. Having a consistent layout means that your website developer only needs to create a small number of reusable templates which effectively cuts down on the overall development time and costs.

  • Responsive Design

This is a crucial design element of your WordPress website. Your website must be responsive and should adjust to your user’s devices and their screen/size. Search engines such as Google rewards websites that prioritize the mobile experience for visitors. WordPress has several tools (Elementor, Gutenberg, etc) that help develop high-performing responsive websites. 

  • Selection of right tools & plugins 

The performance of any WordPress website is measured by the loading time. The speed of the website is a very important factor and can result in a bad user experience leading to a user abandoning your website within seconds. A few important considerations to improve your WordPress website’s performance is – 

  • Plugins: You should focus on including only necessary plugins for your website’s features/functionalities. Unnecessary plugins can increase load time. 
  • Image Optimization: Heavy Images can lead to an increase in the site load time hence using optimized and presentable images can help reduce the site load time.
  • Enable Caching: Caching saves certain data which can be later accessed directly instead of being loaded again. This reduces the load on your WordPress hosting server and makes your website run faster.  
  • Minimize HTTP Requests: The request that any visitor’s web browser sends to the WordPress hosting server is called an HTTP request. This request contains details of your website such as content and images. Having more files or having more pages on your website results in a longer response time from the server to respond, and hence poor website performance. This problem can be improved by carrying out activities such as combining your CSS files, removing redundant images, etc. 

Conclusion

No doubt WordPress is the most popular and quick way to get your website started. But, making your website a high-performing one requires paying attention to these little details. A well-made website would drive maximum traffic and result in achieving your business objectives. If you’ve any doubts related to WordPress website development and if you need assistance developing one, then feel free to talk to us here.

How to Estimate the Cost of Building an Ecommerce Store?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Building an Ecommerce store is important for your business to stay ahead of the competition. It also builds a connection between your users and your brand. Your company’s growth and success will be determined by your Ecommerce website. However, the crucial question that everyone faces before building an Ecommerce store is how much it would cost to build one? 

There is no formula and an exact answer to determine the right cost as numerous factors come into play, and each of them has a direct impact on the overall costing. We have listed a few important considerations that will help you estimate the right cost based on your business needs and will also help you in the selection of the right development company. 

Having clarity on these considerations as well as having a clear action plan will not only help you estimate the right cost for developing and running an Ecommerce store but will also ensure that you do not overshoot your budget. 

1. Ecommerce software

Ecommerce websites’ costs can vary based on design, out-of-the-box features, chosen software, and services provided. There are several platforms (Shopify, Magento, WordPress, WooCommerce, etc) to choose from based on your requirements. There are many pros and cons of each of these platforms, and the selection based on your business needs will greatly affect the cost of your Ecommerce website. 

The cost of developing an Ecommerce website based on basic features on these platforms can vary between $5,000 and $15,000. However, customizing advanced features will require a bigger budget depending on the features/functionalities. 

2. Domain name and hosting 

Your company’s domain name is one of the smaller cost components in your Ecommerce website. Typically purchasing a domain name via GoDaddy, Hostinger, Bluehost, etc, costs between $5 and $20 per year. Prices vary depending on the uniqueness of your choice as well as the extensions (.com, .shop, etc). 

After you have registered a domain name, you will have to find a web host. BigCommerce and Shopify, for example, are cloud-based solutions that include web hosting as part of the subscription. This implies that you won’t need to opt for third-party hosting or the myriad challenges involved in website management. A typical website hosting plan can range from $40-$200 per year. Securing your Ecommerce website is important given the personal data of your customers and an SSL certificate can cost between $70 and $300 per year. 

3. Website design

Business’ success largely depends on the User Experience you would provide. Creating a unique user experience involves building store themes and using add-ons, plugins, and extensions. Some standard costs are associated with the design. This includes – 

  • Store theme and design costs: In Ecommerce platforms, some themes may not cost anything more than what you already paid to use the platform. However, there are paid themes that cost between $60 to $200 per theme.
  • Add-on, plugin, and extension costs: Depending on your business needs, you would require add-ons, plugins, and extensions to your selected platform. These could be integrated with CRM, email marketing solutions, inventory management, chatbots, etc, and come at a cost that varies based on the platform. For example, Magento add-ons typically require expensive custom development. Magento’s marketplace has thousands of extensions that vary in price and can go up to $15,000. On the other hand, Shopify merchants have access to hundreds of free and premium apps with varying prices.

4. Payment Gateway

There are payment processing fees that are paid to payment gateways (such as PayPal, Stripe, etc) as users make payments online on your Ecommerce website. These prices depend on the volume of transactions, geography, total amount, etc. 

5. Marketing and SEO

Product marketing, SEO, and analytics help create brand awareness and drive traffic to your online store. These costs will depend on your business objectives but should be factored in while creating an Ecommerce store. 

6. Maintenance

Running an Ecommerce website required timely attention and maintenance. These could be technical maintenance (version upgrades, bug fixing, feature enhancements, etc) as well as store maintenance. Maintenance costs depend on the size of the Ecommerce store. A typical small to medium-sized business requires maintenance spend between $500 to $1,500 per year. For bigger businesses with high customizations, a higher maintenance budget is required. 

Conclusion

Your business needs to have a feature-rich and robust Ecommerce website. If you’ve any doubts related to Ecommerce platforms and if you need assistance developing one, then feel free to talk to us here.

About Galaxy

We, at Galaxy Weblinks, specialize in developing the best online experiences for your users. We have expertise in customizing websites using multiple platforms, be it Shopify, Woocommerce, Magento. Contact us for your Ecommerce project today.

How to select the right WordPress developer?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

WordPress is the most popular CMS (Content Management System) that powers over 40% of the websites globally. More than 500 websites are built using WordPress daily! 

The reason is that it offers versatility, thereby allowing users (even non-developers) to create feature-rich ecommerce websites, forums, and corporate websites. WordPress websites are highly customizable, can be easily optimized for mobile, and are SEO friendly. WordPress is open-source; is completely free, redistributable, and offers unlimited validity.

However, creating a good WordPress site requires a lot of skill. You need to be well-versed with programming languages (JavaScript, PHP), HTML/CSS, databases, SEO, responsive design, etc. This makes selecting the right WordPress developer or a company crucial in achieving your end objective. 

In this article, we have highlighted a few important considerations that will help you make the right choice. We have also compiled five important questions later in this article to help you in making the right decision. 

1. Objective alignment

Once you have identified the overall goal as well the key features and functionalities of your website, finding the right WordPress developer is the next step towards achieving your goal. The developer should be aligned with your needs and should have the relevant skillset. Based on your end objective, be it a new website or a redesign, you should hire your developer. 

For a website consisting of a traditional site structure (such as a home page, about page, contact page, blog, et all), the right developer would be someone with good front-end design experience. However, if your website needs a lot of features and functionalities, a developer with more back-end technical expertise would be the right candidate. There are various marketplaces where you can find WordPress freelancers for simple websites. However, for developing a website with a lot of features and functionalities, going with a bigger company is more suited given their access to multiple resources with diverse experience. 

2. Technical skills 

A good WordPress developer should be able to understand your site’s needs and design a website that stands out. The developer should have advanced website development skills such as design understanding, page customization, plugins, site speed optimization, etc. Given that over half of the website traffic globally is via mobile devices, the developer should design a website that is compatible and responsive with all mobile devices. 

A good way to evaluate expertise is to ask about their WordPress portfolio and check out some of the websites they have developed. A few evaluation criteria could be design, compatibility across different devices, ease of navigation, etc.

3. Pricing

Pricing remains one of the important considerations in the selection process. Once you have evaluated a few developers/companies on their project understanding as well as their capabilities, understand the # of hours and project plans each is proposing. Then compare their total costs and timelines in selecting the right choice. 

Five questions to help you decide the right WordPress development partner

Based on the above considerations, here are five important questions for which you need clarity to select the right WordPress developer/company. 

  1. What expertise do they have in WordPress? Can they provide some work examples?

(Tip: Ask about a few sample projects completed. Have a Zoom/Skype call with the WordPress developer to know his experience/communication skills.) 

  1. What will be their approach towards building the website? 

(Tip: Ask them about their approach around using existing/custom themes, mobile responsiveness, SEO, security, work best practices, etc.)

  1. In the case of outsourcing, have they worked with clients from your location?

(Tip: Ask them about a few clients that they worked with as per your timezone so that you become comfortable with issues such as time difference, cultural and linguistic barriers.)

  1. How much will the website development cost?

(Tip: Ask them about their pricing including the number of hours they estimate for the work. Note that website development costs vary depending on factors such as the complexity of the features/functionalities, themes, integrations, etc.)

  1. Will there be continued support after the website is developed?

(Tip: Ask them about their support and maintenance after the website is developed. These may include plugin updates, feature enhancements, etc.)

Conclusion

We know how important it is for you to get things right as your business is in question. If you’ve any doubts related to website development and if you need assistance developing one then feel free to talk to us here.

About Galaxy Weblinks 

Galaxy Weblinks is your one-stop solution for WordPress solutions. We offer a complete range of IT services including WordPress development and WordPress optimization. Contact us now for complete WordPress solutions.

Scaling in WooCommerce – Challenges and Solutions

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Scaling an Ecommerce website can be a challenging undertaking. You have to factor in a lot of situations like logged-in user accounts, order information, add-to-carts, coupons, pricing variables, etc. These situations need to be dealt with besides common scaling issues such as well-written code, custom database tables, and server infrastructure. 

It is important to approach this with great care because delays or breaks can have a direct financial impact. According to Kissmetrics a single-second page delay can potentially cost $2.5 million in lost sales over a year, for a website that brings in $100,000 of business every day. This proves that it’s crucial to have a highly functional and efficient Ecommerce website. 

WooCommerce is typically installed over WordPress CMS and the sites running WooCommerce are often customized to fit specific business needs. These customizations can range from something as basic as integrations with external services to custom SQL interfaces that don’t use WooCommerce or WordPress classes. As the number of these customizations increase, so does their difficulty to scale. A majority of customizations are one-off and not made to scale under load. This makes it difficult to approach scaling as a one-size-fits-all solution.

However, this doesn’t imply that scaling is impossible. Some methods work despite a website’s complexity and customizations.

Figure Out The Problem Areas

You can’t fix things you can’t see. So the first plan of action is to find out the problem areas, especially related to sales and incoming revenue. 

  • Begin with a site audit and gather information about code, the server, services, and integrations. 
  • Identify the problem areas with the help of this data you can identify the problem areas. For example, issues such as slow query logs in server information may show up. 

Run Query Monitor

We suggest you use Query Monitor to identify things that are running slowly on different pages. Notice where the slow-down is occurring. For example, is it happening when you’re adding a product to the cart or when you’re applying a coupon? A quick study of the system process and interactions in checkout can help reveal things that need fixing.

Perform Load Testing

The next step is to perform load testing. Design test cases around different sales activities with a load testing service to analyze the website’s performance when there’s a sudden spike in traffic and activity. Ensure that you’re doing these kinds of tests in staging and not in a live environment. Also perform load tests when you introduce new functionality, integrations, or other changes in your system. You’d want to be double sure as there are new variables in the system. 

Keep Databases Separate

WordPress has a single database table for all post types while it stores all post meta content in another table. This can work for small-volume websites but might pose a major problem for larger ecommerce websites. And since all the content is in only two database tables, it causes a performance bottleneck when the volume increases. In that case, user orders might fail or users might find it difficult to add or remove items from the cart. All this will eventually cause your revenue to take a hit. 

Consider creating custom database tables based on the bottlenecks you encounter. That way you will be able to store different content in their separate tables. When the post types have separate homes, you can optimize SQL queries for faster load times.

Upgrade Older Code

As WooCommerce has evolved, some older functions and processes have become completely obsolete and hence been replaced with better code. With updated core WooCommerce code Legacy custom websites might not perform as their modern counterparts. 

Identify outdated functionality and replace it with newer code from WooCommerce Core or custom code based on the latest practices and standards. To replace the legacy code you must know what it does first. This is where detailed code documentation comes in handy. The better the documentation, the easier it becomes to upgrade.

Find An Alternative To Default WordPress Search

The default search in WordPress is built on a set of queries to the database. This is bad news for complex site searches, filters, or custom content pages. Look for custom search solutions like Elastisearch or Algolia. These alternatives will perform better in complex higher-volume sites than WordPress’ default. 

Final Thoughts

A smooth and flawless user experience is key to customer retention in an Ecommerce business. Scaling the website to match rising traffic is a good problem to have. It can be easily facilitated by strategy, thought, and customization.

You can outsource this important task to an experienced WooCommerce development agency to reinforce your Ecommerce website from the inside out.

About Galaxy Weblinks 

Galaxy Weblinks is your one-stop solution for WooCommerce solutions. We offer a complete range of IT services including WooCommerce development and WooCommerce optimization. Contact us now for complete WooCommerce solutions.

5 Tips to Protect Your WordPress Site Against DDoS Attacks

Posted on by galaxy-admin

We all have been on the internet long enough to know that while it brings the world in our palms, it is also vulnerable to theft and attacks. When your website grows, it also gets vulnerable to security threats like DDoS attacks, phishing attacks, SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting(XSS), password thefts, and more.

In this blog, we are going to talk about the most common threat – a DDoS attack. A DDoS or Distributed Denial of Service, dramatically slows down your website and renders it inaccessible to users. This may directly impact your conversions and business revenue, as it causes an unsatisfactory user experience.

Understanding DDoS

Distributed Denial of Service attack is essentially a process of swarming the server or a network with bot traffic, to overwhelm the system and ultimately cripple the website for real users. With the help of multiple computers, the attackers send thousands of requests to the target server, typically more requests than the server were built to support at a time.  

Here are some tips to keep your WordPress website safe from DDoS attacks: 

1. Get your Hosting right

There are plenty of options when it comes to web hosting. But choosing the right one can be a deciding factor in keeping your website safe. 

Not all web hosts are created equal! Some may kneel under even a moderate strain. Ensure that your host is capable of handling DDoS attacks and your website remains functional and accessible to users under worst-case scenarios. 

2.  Setup a Website Application Firewall (WAF)

Another way of securing your WordPress website is to set up a Website Application Firewall (WAF). It protects your website by adding a layer of protection between your site and web traffic. It also utilizes an intelligent algorithm that automatically blocks incoming malicious traffic. 

3. Disable XML-RPC

XML-RPC is a WordPress feature that allows you to connect your site with any 3rd party application. It comes enabled by default and you may find it difficult to disable it. The ability to connect with 3rd party applications is a great thing but it comes at a cost. It leaves your website vulnerable to security threats such as DDoS. 

Although it’s absent from the dashboard, there is a way to disable XML-RPC. You can do so by accessing your .htaccess file through your host’s cPanel account. Just copy-paste the code mentioned below at the end of the file.

# Block XML-RPC

<Files xmlrpc.php>

order deny,allow

deny from all

allow from // IP

</Files> 

Save and exit.

4. Disable REST API

Just like the XML-RPC, REST API also allows 3rd party applications to access your WordPress site. It allows the plugins to send/receive data or delete content. However, it also leaves your website vulnerable to attacks.

Unlike XML-RPC, disabling REST API is not a chore. It’s pretty straightforward. This plugin will disable it for you. 

5. CDN to the rescue

CDN or Content Delivery Network utilizes multiple servers spread across the world to reduce loading time and increase the speed of your website.

What CDN does is that it stores your website’s files in caches residing in their data centers. Now whenever a visitor requests your website the CDN immediately loads it through their caches without having to approach your host server. While the CDN is increasing the speed of your, it’s also filtering out malicious traffic to prevent DDoS at the same time. 

Related blogs:

9 steps to ensure high speed of WordPress website

What makes a great WordPress plugin

Final Thoughts

As you expand your business and more and more users start to show up to your website, the potential impact of a threat such as a DDoS also grows. So do what all is necessary and secure your WordPress website today. Our tips will help you along the way and if you’re looking for WordPress experts to fortify your website then give us a call.

About Galaxy Weblinks Galaxy Weblinks is your one-stop solution for WordPress solutions, We offer a complete range of IT services including WordPress development and WordPress optimization. Contact us now for the complete WordPress solutions.

Top Python Frameworks for Web Development in 2022

Posted on by galaxy-admin

What does a Python programmer need to make their life a little bit easier for themselves? Using frameworks is the answer. This allows developers to focus on application logic rather than routine elements because frameworks automate the implementation of redundant tasks.

Python is one of the most popular programming languages, and there is no dearth of available frameworks. These Python frameworks have their own set of pros and cons and therefore, their selection must be based on project requirements as well as developer preferences.

When it comes to implementation, the Python programming language has a wide range of applications. In this blog, we will learn about the top Python frameworks. 

We will cover – 

  • Why Python for Web Development
  • Why Use A Framework?
  • What Are Popular Frameworks In Python?
  • Top Python Uses In The Real World
  • Conclusion
  • Useful Resources

Why Python for Web Development

Quicker prototyping: Python takes comparatively lesser time to finish your projects vis-a-vis other programming languages. Therefore, it takes lesser time to structure your ideas. This is the reason Python is the programming language of choice for startups.  

Large user base: Python is one of the most widely used languages in the world, with users from all over the globe. On account of its popularity, Python continues to add new features and libraries, as well as providing excellent documentation and community assistance. When it comes to support and framework for new developers, Python excels.

Libraries and ecosystem: Python offers a wide range of library tools and packages, which allows you to access much pre-written code, reducing the time it takes to develop applications. You can use Numpy and Pandas for mathematical analysis, Pygal for charting, and SQLALchemy for composing queries, for example. You can use web frameworks in Python such as Django and Flask, which we’ll talk about further down in this article.

Why Use a Framework?

A toolbox would be a good metaphor for what we are trying to achieve. It consists of pre-written, standardized packages and modules that make the development of web applications faster and easier, as well as more reliable and scalable. Instead of having to do all of the grunt work yourself, frameworks come with built-in components that “set up” your project from the ground up. 

As a server-side technology, Python web frameworks are primarily used to aid URL routing, HTTP requests and responses, accessing databases, and web security. When developing web applications, a web framework can help you develop complex applications in a fraction of the time.

What Are Popular Frameworks In Python?

In order to make their lives easier, Python programmers require frameworks. Frameworks reduce development time by automating the implementation of redundant tasks, allowing developers to focus on application logic rather than routine elements.

The fact that Python is one of the most popular programming languages means that there is no shortage of frameworks. There are advantages and disadvantages to using different frameworks. As a result, the selection should be based on the project’s requirements and developer preferences. Here is a list of some best python frameworks:

1. Bottle

Bottle generates a single source file for each application created with it. It is one of the most effective Python web frameworks. Python’s microframework was originally designed to help developers create APIs. One of the most significant benefits of using this framework is that it allows developers to work more closely with the hardware. 

The Bottle is an excellent choice for learning the organization of web frameworks and prototyping, in addition to creating simple personal-use apps.

 2. CubicWeb

This Full-Stack framework CubicWeb is a free, semantic, open-source, Python-based web framework developed and maintained by Logilab. CubicWeb requires a data model to be defined to develop a functional application.

Unlike other popular Python frameworks that use separate views and models, CubicWeb makes use of the cube. Then, using a database, a web server, and some configuration files, multiple cubes are joined together to form an instance.

3. AIOHTTP

This framework is asynchronous. AIOHTTP is a Python framework that heavily relies on Python 3.5+ features like async and await. The Python framework is asynchronous because it makes use of Python’s asyncio library. AIOHTTP, in addition to being a server web framework, can also be used as a client framework. It includes a request object and a router to allow queries to be routed to functions designed to handle them.

4. Django

This framework is a full-stack framework. Django is a popular web development framework for creating Python applications. It was named one of the top python frameworks to opt for.

Django is a free and open-source full-stack Python framework. It includes a range of built-in features, unlike the frameworks that use separate libraries. Django’s ORM is used to map objects to database tables.

Python Applications

1. Web Application Development

  • Web application development is without a doubt one of the most popular practical uses of Python. In the world of web applications, Python is the language of choice. Python is widely used in the real world for web development. Because of its scalability and ease of use, it makes applications safer and more convenient.
  • Python has numerous frameworks, including Django and Flask. This makes it possible to create apps very quickly. For web applications, Python has become more useful thanks to Django’s dynamic development capabilities. As a result of the framework’s inclusion of standard libraries, development time is reduced and the web application can be launched faster.

2. Internet of Things

  • Python can also be used in the internet of things, which is another real-world application. Using the Raspberry Pi and Python programming language, developers can turn any object into an electronic device.
  • Because Python can be used to create embedded software, it can be applied to smaller objects that can work with the programming language at high-performancelarge-scale levels.
  • With the Raspberry Pi, developers can use Python applications to perform high-level computations. A smart object can be created by embedding a microprocessor within a normal object.
  • Industrial IoT is widely used to track inventory, move machines and track order processing along with shipment status in large scale industries.

3. Enterprise Applications

  • Unlike regular web applications, enterprise apps have a unique set of features. As opposed to individual users, they are designed to meet the needs of an organization.
  • The use of Python in enterprise applications varies from company to company. They use it because of its scalability, readability, and ability to do a lot of different things.
  • Due to the need for a large amount of security and database handling capabilities, enterprise applications can be complex. As a robust language, Python can handle multiple database requests at the same time.

Improve your productivity with a top-notch enterprise Python application. Get a Free Consultation Here.

4. AI and Machine Learning

  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are probably the most interesting practical applications of Python. Developing Machine Learning models requires the use of Python, which is a stable and secure language capable of handling computations.
  • A large number of Machine Learning libraries are available in Python. Included in this are SciPy and Pandas as well as TensorFlow and NumPy.
  • There are a wide variety of ways that businesses can benefit from the use of Python language in AI solutions including advanced computing, data analytics, image recognition, and much more. 

Conclusion

Python can handle almost any type of request, making it extremely useful for all types of development tasks. Python is now used in a wide range of applications, from enterprise apps to gaming.

Python is quickly becoming a popular tool for developing a wide range of applications. At Galaxy, we have an expert team of Python developers who can assist you in developing a Python app. Talk To Us Today.

Useful Resources:

Blogs:

Node.js vs Python | Which Backend Framework to Choose?

Our Backend Development Technology Favorites in 2021

Choosing Django as Your Backend Framework in 2021

Choosing the best Software Architecture for your Enterprise App

Podcasts and videos:

Talk Python To Me Podcast

Python Bites

Test and Code

The Real Python Podcast

About Galaxy Weblinks

We specialize in delivering end-to-end web application design & development services and have hands-on experience with popular back-end languages and frameworks like Node.js, Python, etc. We have expertise in customizing websites for multiple business or web application development requirements, be it IoT, enterprise application, or a customized machine learning platform. Contact us for your project discussion today.

Tools and Best Practices To Speed Up The Vue.js Development Process

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Does your Vue.js application take a long time to load, navigate, submit, or perform any user actions. Your users will not appreciate this delay. According to statistics, 53 percent of users do not want to spend time on applications that take more than three seconds to load.

Building a performance-optimized application will improve the user experience and gradually increase user interactions. Unfortunately, most developers fail to recognize the significance of performance and end up creating a large application with performance issues. It is difficult to create an application, but creating a well-optimized high-speed application is even more difficult.

In this article, we’ll look at best practices to follow, pitfalls to avoid, and a closer look at some useful tools to make writing Vue.js easier. The best practices we are sharing are applicable for both Vue 2 and Vue 3, the power-packed version of Vue2.

#1 Third-Party Libraries And Optimization

We almost always avoid using third-party libraries in our apps. This can, in turn, result in increasing the bundle size and slowing down our application.

We recently used the Vuetify component library in a project and discovered that the overall bundle size after minification was 500kb. This may impact the performance of our application. You can use webpack-bundle-analyzer to determine the size of your app’s bundle. You can install it by running the following command:

npm install –save-dev webpack-bundle-analyzer

and add it in your webpack config file:

const BundleAnalyzerPlugin = require(‘webpack-bundle-analyzer’).BundleAnalyzerPlugin;

module.exports = {
  plugins: [
    new BundleAnalyzerPlugin()
  ]
}

#2 Remove or Reduce Slow Components

When developing new components from scratch, but especially when importing third-party components, you must ensure that they perform well. You can estimate the rendering time of each component you’re using by using the Vue.js dev tools performance tab. When you add a new component, you can see how long it takes to render in comparison to your existing components.

If the new component takes significantly longer than your existing components, you may need to consider it, or remove it, or try to reduce its usage.

#3 Optimize Event Handling

Not all events are created equal, you must ensure that you are properly optimizing for each of them.

The @mouseover and window.scroll events are two excellent examples. Even with normal usage, these two types of events can be triggered numerous times. If your event handlers perform expensive calculations, these calculations will be repeated multiple times per second, causing lag in your application. A debounce function can be used to limit the number of times these events are processed.

Best practices for optimizing your Vue app:

  • Our main bundle should only include dependencies that are essential to our apps, such as vue and vuex. We should avoid including libraries used in specific routes in our app in the main bundle.
  • When using component libraries, you can import individual components rather than the entire library. Vuetify, for example:
<template>
  <v-app>
    <v-navigation-drawer app>
    <!– –>
  </v-navigation-drawer>
  <v-app-bar app>
    <!– –>
  </v-app-bar>
</v-app>
</template>
<script>
import { VApp, VNavigationDrawer, VAppBar } from ‘vuetify/lib’

export default {
  components: {
    VApp,
    VNavigationDrawer,
    VAppBar,
  }
}
</script>

We can reduce the bundle size and redundant code by only using the components we want to use in that specific route.

#4 The right way to use Vuex Modules

As the modules we’ve created become more complex, they also get more difficult to manually import and organize. It is recommended that your modules include an index.js file at the root of the module, bringing all the files together.

Maintainability will be improved if your store follows a consistent naming pattern. You can use camelCase to name the modules, followed by a.store.js extension. CartData.store.js is an example.

modules/
      ├── cart.js
          ├── index.js   -> auto export module      
          ├── userProduct.store.js
          ├── userData.store.js

Because of the blocking behavior of mutations, code related to business logic or async code should not be run within them. Here we recommend using actions. It is recommended that you do not directly access a state object. Instead, use the getter function, which can be mapped into any Vue component using the mapGetters function, which behaves like a computed property, with the getter’s result cached based on its dependencies. Also, ensure that each module is namespaced and that it is not accessed through the global state scope.

#5 Remove Duplicate Rendering

Rendering full lists or heavy elements more than necessary is a sneaky issue, but it’s very simple to implement.

Let’s say that you have a component with an entity property in your data object.

If you followed the previous step, you most likely have a child component that renders each entity.

<entity :entity=”entity” v-for=”entity in entities” :key=”entity.id” />

Read more: Vue vs React: When and How to Make the Right Choice

Tools to Make Vue Work Easier

When working with Vuejs, we may come across some features that we would like to implement but would take a long time to hard code or would be difficult to implement. As professional developers, we add tools and helper libraries to make life easier, and we’ll look at a few of them.

#1 Component Libraries 

A component library is a collection of reusable components that we can use in our application to make UI development faster and more consistent. Vue, like React and Angular, has dedicated component libraries. Among them are the following:

  • Vuetify

This is also a material design component framework with ready-made code scaffolding, a large community, and regular updates.

  • Buefy

Based on the Bulma CSS framework, this is a lightweight component library. If you’re familiar with SASS, you’ll have no trouble using it.

  • Material Kit for Vue

A “Badass” Vue.js UI kit based on the material design language. It is made up of more than 60 handcrafted components.

#2 Testing Libraries 

When developing large-scale applications, testing can be critical. It assists us in avoiding unnecessary bugs during development when working as part of a team. Let’s take a look at the three types of testing we can perform in our Vue application, as well as the frameworks that support them.

  • End-to-End Tests

Nightwatch.js, Cypress.

  • Unit testing

Jest, Mocha.

  • Component Testing

Vue Testing Library, Vue Test Utils.

Conclusion

No matter how large-scale your application is, it must be optimized. You are only one click away from onboarding a VueJS expert to optimize your Vue.js app and satisfy your end-users. Contact us to learn about our one-of-a-kind Vue.js best practices and Vue.js application development services.

About Galaxy Weblinks

We specialize in delivering end-to-end software design & development services. Our UI/UX designers are creative problem-solvers with a decade of experience in all facets of digital and interactive design. We create compelling and human-focused experiences delivered through clean, and minimalist UI. Get in touch with us here.

Top 15 JavaScript Tips and Tricks to Increase your Speed and Efficiency

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Most programming languages are flexible enough to allow programmers to achieve similar results in a variety of ways. JavaScript isn’t any different. JavaScript is without a doubt one of the coolest languages in the world, and it is growing in popularity by the day. With JavaScript, we frequently find multiple ways to achieve the same result, which can be perplexing at times.

Some of the applications are superior to the alternatives. With our profound expertise in JavaScript, we will happily share a few tips and tricks that would help you. Let’s get started.

1. Swap values with Array Destructuring

The destructuring assignment syntax is a JavaScript expression that allows you to extract values from arrays or properties from objects and store them in separate variables. We can also use it to quickly swap values, as shown below:

let a = 1, b = 2
[a, b] = [b, a]
console.log(a) // result -> 2
console.log(b) // result -> 1

2. Remove duplicates from an Array

This is a very simple trick. Assume we created an array with numbers, strings, and booleans, but the values are repeating themselves multiple times and we want to remove the duplicates. So here’s what we can do:

const array = [1, 3, 2, 3, 2, 1, true, false, true, ‘Kio’, 2, 3];
const filteredArray = […new Set(array)];
console.log(filteredArray) // [1, 3, 2, true, false, “Kio”]

3. Shuffle an Array

Making use of the inbuilt Math.random() method.

const list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9];
list.sort(() => {
    return Math.random() – 0.5;
});
// Output
(9) [2, 5, 1, 6, 9, 8, 4, 3, 7]
// Call it again
(9) [4, 1, 7, 5, 3, 8, 2, 9, 6]

4. Nullish Coalescing Operator

The nullish coalescing operator (??) is a logical operator that returns its right-hand side operand when its left-hand side operand is null or undefined and otherwise returns its left-hand side operand.

const foo = null ?? ‘my school’;
// Output: “my school”

const baz = 0 ?? 42;
// Output: 0

5. Functional Inheritance

The process of receiving features by applying an augmenting function to an object instance is known as functional inheritance. The function provides a closure scope that can be used to keep some data private. The augmenting function uses dynamic object extension to add new properties and methods to the object instance.

They look like:

// Base function
function Drinks(data) {
  var that = {}; // Create an empty object
  that.name = data.name; // Add it a “name” property
  return that; // Return the object
};

// Function which inherits from the base function
function Coffee(data) {
  // Create the Drinks object
  var that = Drinks(data);
  // Extend base object
  that.giveName = function() {
    return ‘This is ‘ + that.name;
  };
  return that;
};

// Usage
var firstCoffee = Coffee({ name: ‘Cappuccino’ });
console.log(firstCoffee.giveName());
// Output: “This is Cappuccino”

6. Single-liner Palindrome check

Well, this is not a shorthand trick overall but it will give you a clear idea to play with strings.

function checkPalindrome(str) {
  return str == str.split(”).reverse().join(”);
}
checkPalindrome(‘naman’);
// Output: true

7. Simple Swap 2 values using Destructuring

let a = 5;
let b = 8;
[a,b] = [b,a]

[a,b]
// Output
(2) [8, 5]

8. Convert Decimal to Binary or Hexa

We can use some in-built methods like .toPrecision() or .toFixed() to achieve many functionalities while solving problems.

const num = 10;

num.toString(2);
// Output: “1010”
num.toString(16);
// Output: “a”
num.toString(8);
// Output: “12”

9. Short For Loop

You can write less code for a loop like this:

const names = [“Kio”, “Rio”, “Mac”];

// Long Version
for (let i = 0; i < names.length; i++) {
  const name = names[i];
  console.log(name);
}

// Short Version
for (let name of names) console.log(name);

10. Using length to resize and emptying an array

In javascript, we can override a built-in method called length and set its value to whatever we want.

Consider the following example:

let array_values = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]; 
console.log(array_values.length);
// 8 
array_values.length = 5; 
console.log(array_values.length);
// 5 
console.log(array_values);
// [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

It can also be used in emptying an array, like this:

let array_values = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8];
console.log(array_values.length);
// 8 
array_values.length = 0;  
console.log(array_values.length);
// 0
console.log(array_values);
// []

11. Optional Chaining

The optional chaining ?. stops the evaluation if the value before ?. is undefined or null and returns undefined.

const user = {
  employee: {
    name: “Kapil”
  }
};
user.employee?.name;
// Output: “Kapil”
user.employ?.name;
// Output: undefined
user.employ.name
// Output: VM21616:1 Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read property ‘name’ of undefined

12. Arrow Functions

Although an arrow function expression is a more compact alternative to a traditional function expression, it has limitations and cannot be used in all situations. They refer to the environment in which they are defined because they have lexical scope (parental scope) and do not have their own this and arguments.

const person = {
name: ‘Kapil’,
sayName() {
    return this.name;
    }
}
person.sayName();
// Output
“Kapil”

However, 

const person = {
name: ‘Kapil’,
sayName : () => {
    return this.name;
    }
}
person.sayName();
// Output
“”

13. Rounding numbers

The toFixed() method converts a number rounding to a specified number of decimals.

var pi =3.1415;
pi = pi.toFixed(2);  // pi will be equal to 3.14

Note: toFixed() returns a string and not a number.

14. Quicker for loops compare to legacy onces

  • for and for..in gets you index by default, but you can use arr[index].
  • for..in accepts non numeric as well so avoid it.
  • forEach, for…of gets you an element directly.
  • forEach can get you an index also but for…of can’t.
  • for and for…of considers holes in array but other 2 do not.  

15. Ternary Operator is cool

You can avoid nested conditional if..elseif..elseif with ternary operators.

function Fever(temp) {
    return temp > 97 ? ‘Visit Doctor!’
      : temp < 97 ? ‘Go Out and Play!!’
      : temp === 97 ? ‘Take Some Rest!’;
}

// Output
Fever(97): “Take Some Rest!”
Fever(100): “Visit Doctor!”

Conclusion

In this article, we shared with you the top 15 tips for improving JavaScript performance. If you go ahead and implement all these changes, you will notice a significant improvement in the speed of your JavaScript web development and applications.

It may be difficult to remember all of these tips all at once, especially if you are working under a time constraint. If you require any additional assistance, please contact us. We hope you enjoyed this blog; please return to this space for more insightful content.

About Galaxy Weblinks

We specialize in delivering end-to-end software design & development services and have hands-on experience with popular front-end and back-end languages like JavaScript. Our back-end and front-end engineers also help in improving security, reliability, and features to make sure your business application scales and remain secure.

8 Reasons Why Node.js is the Best Choice to Develop Ecommerce Web Apps

Posted on by galaxy-admin

From a technical standpoint, an Ecommerce platform is a complex system. It needs to be user-friendly and easy-to-navigate at the frontend, and robust yet responsive at the backend. To make all the pieces work together, you’ll need dependable technology to back it up.

The Node.js framework is fast and scalable, but is it a good fit for your platform? Let’s find out.

It is a wise decision to create an Ecommerce app or website. While the store needs to look good and have a great user experience that can lead to more conversions, we also believe that the backend must be robust. Node.js is among our favorites in building Ecommerce websites.

Why do we recommend Node.js to create Ecommerce applications

Node.js is a JavaScript environment that allows you to create high-performance, scalable apps. It’s ideal for real-time collaboration tools, chats, streaming mobile apps, and other applications that require multiple I/O operations. If you want to read more about the technology, here’s a primer to Node.JS. It is essentially a server-side platform built on Google Chrome’s V8 engine. Node.js is well-known for its fast and scalable applications, as well as its extensive library of JavaScript library modules.

One of the most likely reasons Node.js is the best choice for Ecommerce web applications development is that it provides stability and aids in the incorporation of critical features such as a cart, payment gateways, and shopping options.

Furthermore, Node.js provides the benefit of rapid prototyping. You should be aware that top brands such as eBay, Uber, PayPal, LinkedIn, Netflix, Walmart, and the American Space Agency NASA use Node.js to build their primary applications. It could then be your turn to shine brightly among the stars.

Read more: Node.js vs Python | Which Backend Framework to Choose?

Let us look at the main reasons why Node.js is the best choice for developing Ecommerce web apps:

#1 Performance

  • Node.js facilitates multitasking by producing better results at a lower cost. It is much more convenient vis-a-vis other backend options. 
  • The buyer’s journey at an Ecommerce store involves numerous operations. The list includes adding items to the basket, changing product features, selecting payment methods, and so on. It is critical from the standpoint of performance that the technology serves such tasks efficiently. 
  • Node.js is also capable of handling multiple operations at the same time, making it an excellent choice for Ecommerce development.

#2 Scalability

Node.js allows for rapid scalability. Your Ecommerce store can grow significantly in a short period. It is an important consideration when selecting a technology. Node.js includes a mechanism for managing scalability and tailoring it to your specific requirements.

#3 Cross-Platform JavaScript Platform

One of the most significant advantages of Node.js is that it functions as a cross-platform development platform. In most cases, developers must be familiar with at least two programming languages to code, but Node.js is said to be an exception.

It can be implemented appropriately for both client-side and server-side applications. It also allows developers to choose code reusability if there is any modification. Isn’t it clear why Node.js is ruling the world of web applications today?

#4 Many Plugins and Packages in npm

Node.js includes a plethora of packages that can be easily integrated into your mobile or web app. As a result, instead of having to write everything from scratch, developers can rely on dependable open-source solutions. It significantly accelerates the development of Ecommerce. There are also excellent Ecommerce packages available.

#5 Budget-Friendly

Despite working in real-time, the Node.js I/O model is very effective and does not obstruct I/O operations. The website application can be updated more quickly.

It lowers development costs because you don’t need to hire two separate teams for front-end and back-end development. Only experienced Node.js resources will do justice to your project.

#6 One Language on Back-end and Front-end

Node.js is a JavaScript-based development environment, and it is used by many popular front-end frameworks (such as React, Ember, and Angular). As a result, you can create isomorphic applications written in a single language. It simplifies the development process, makes communication between front- and back-end teams much easier, and allows them to better understand both sides of the codebase. You could have a smaller and more efficient team that is easier to manage. Finally, because there is no technological diversity, recruiting new employees in the event of growth will not be a problem.

#7 Big and Active Community

A very active and vibrant community of Node.js developers contributes to Node.js’ continuous improvement. Due to this collaboration, the framework is well documented, and is being continuously supported, which makes the development process much easier and faster for everyone involved! Plugins, modules, plugins, and many other possibilities are available. In addition, if a problem arises, you’re likely to find the solution on StackOverflow.com.

Whereas, open-source JavaScript platforms such as Node.js have the advantage of having access to professional and well-experienced developers who can assist you in code correction and adding more functionality or features to your Ecommerce website.

#8 Uniformity in Data Streaming

Using Node.js, any HTTP request and its corresponding response travel through one data stream. Consequently, the files are much easier to process, which is great for Ecommerce sites that load N items at a time. As a result of the speedy uploading of the videos, customers can make quick purchase decisions.

Final Thoughts

In addition to Node.js, you’ll also need to consider what technologies you’ll be using for building your Ecommerce store. Everything must be consistent, including the frameworks and solutions. To avoid this, it’s best to use one of the Ecommerce platforms mentioned in the previous section. As a result, you’ll be able to avoid a lot of issues that could arise during the development of the app.

Node.js can be faster than other technologies in many cases. For building Ecommerce stores, it has proven to be a stable and fast solution. Software development is made easier and faster with the help of several ready-made frameworks. 

It’s important to note that the selection of a technology stack is based on many factors. Write to us, and we’ll help you make the right decision.

About Galaxy Weblinks

We specialize in delivering end-to-end web application design & development services and have hands-on experience with popular back-end frameworks like Node.js, Python, etc. We have expertise in customizing websites using multiple platforms, be it Shopify, Woocommerce, Magento. Contact us for your Ecommerce project today.

9 Steps to Ensure High Speed of WordPress Website

Posted on by galaxy-admin

WordPress powers more than 40% of the web today. WordPress is powered by thousands of different plugins, themes, and technologies and all of these have to coexist. Things can quickly turn into a nightmare for regular WordPress developers here when the website gives them trouble and they can’t identify the problem area. 

The speed of the website is of the utmost importance and remains a top priority regardless of the nature, size, and function of the website. In every technical audit, an improvement in website speed is given weightage. Poor page loading is a big turn-off for users, as well as a factor that drives them away. 

User experience, content, SEO, mobile-responsiveness, etc are a few of the elements that make a successful website. However, website speed has become more and more important over time. The 4gs and 5gs have made consumers impatient. Even if a website is fractionally slow, they would move on to something else. 

A study from Microsoft Corp. says people are generally losing concentration after eight seconds. It is an effect of an increasingly digitalized lifestyle on the brain.

The fact that visitors are mostly using mobile devices, often having a slower data connection than computers exacerbates the problem further. 

As a result, WordPress website owners are hard-pressed to make their websites fast. But, this demands a lot of technical knowledge.

Here we attempt to guide you in speeding up your website step by step. 

First Up – Backup

The process of speeding up a WordPress website may cause you to lose data and other important components of the website. To that end, always make a backup to restore in case of a mishap. A fresh backup can go back to how things were before. The first step will always be downloading both website files and the database. Do it manually or via a plugin, whatever is convenient to you.

Let’s get to the steps… 

Step One – Damage Assessment 

Post backup, it is time to see how the site’s current performance is in terms of page speed. Then follows the before/after comparison. If you have before/after data, you can draw the comparison and check if your actions made any difference. Some of the commonly used tools are – Pingdom, GTmetrix, Google PageSpeed Insights.

Plugging the URL into these sites to see the site’s performance. These testing tools will provide inputs on how the speed of the page can be improved. The recommendations will look like this:

  • Enable compression
  • Leverage browser caching
  • Reduce HTTP requests
  • Eliminate JavaScript and CSS above the fold
  • Optimize images
  • Minify CSS and JavaScript
  • Reduce server response time

Step Two – Eliminating Unnecessary Plugins and Themes

There are always some plugins on the site that are not useful or have outlived the initial purpose. These plugins put an extra, unnecessary burden on the site, increasing the loading time. HTTP requests can slow a site down, so log in and sort through the plugin list. Disable plugins that are not in use and also stop by the theme menu to see if there is anything that isn’t needed.

Step Three – Run Plugin Performance Profiler

With Performance Profiler, plugin performance can be scanned, pinpointing the ones slowing down the WordPress website.

Step Four – Update!

Upgrading WordPress, themes, and plugins gives you access to the latest features and also lets you take advantage of speed improvements. Proper up-gradation of each element constructing the website is necessary.

Step Five – Optimization of the Database

Data optimization can be done using plugins like WP-Optimize. It helps you remove the data overhead from database tables and unnecessary entries such as old post revisions and more.

Step Six – Image Optimization

Images often make up the bulk of any webpage, especially if they are completely composed of visuals. For that reason, we optimize images as much as possible. 

Step Seven – Enable Compression

Next, zip up the files to make them smaller so that browsers need less time to download and present them on the screen.

Step Eight – Turn on Browser Caching

Enabling browser caching basically means telling the browsers of visitors to store parts of the site on their hard drive for a quick future load. This way, resources that aren’t likely to change, can be reused next time.

Step Nine – Minify and Concatenate

Using plugins like Autoptimize to reduce the number of HTTP requests made by the browser by minifying and concatenating the CSS and JavaScript files.

About Galaxy Weblinks 

Galaxy Weblinks is your one-stop solution for WordPress solutions, We offer a complete range of IT services including WordPress development and WordPress optimization. Contact us now for the complete WordPress solutions.