This year, I had the chance to attend our Code Camp in Engelberg for the first time. I got the opportunity to bring our new developer website to life. With a mockup as a starting point, I could focus on implementing the design and building the technical foundation behind it.
As part of the project, I rewrote our existing PHP backend and turned it into a REST API with dedicated endpoints for the content needed by the website. This gives the frontend a clean and well defined way to access the data while keeping the backend and frontend nicely separated.
For the frontend, I chose Astro. Its approach was a great fit for a content-focused website. Pages are rendered with minimal JavaScript by default, while JavaScript can be added selectively wherever interactive functionality actually requires it. This allows us to focus on our content while keeping the frontend lightweight and avoiding unnecessary JavaScript.
Working with Astro also meant getting to know a new technology and a different approach to frontend development. It was a great opportunity to try something new and see how it works in practice while building a real project.
It was a really enjoyable experience, especially as this was my first time attending the Code Camp. I learned a lot! Not only about coding and new technologies, but also about my colleagues.
The new developers website is almost ready and will be launching soon. Until then, here's a small sneak peek of what's coming:
