How to Deploy to Different Environments on Core dna [video]
This video provides a 7-minute overview on deploying to different environments on Core dna, including integration with Git and a simple SFTP setup for developers.
A 7-minute overview on deploying to different environments on Core dna.
Schedule a one-to-one consultation with your product specialist
Here’s what you can expect:
- Walkthrough: An introduction of the Core dna platform
- Analysis: Personalized recommendations based on your business needs.
- Case studies: How other businesses have used Core dna to scale more efficiently
Video transcription: How to Deploy to Different Environments on Core dna
So in this video we're going to see how development is done on coordinate by front end teams. The coordinate platform is completely decoupled from the UX. So front end development teams can actually build complex front end users lined interactions for customers while being able to use standardized language to talk to Core dna.
I've just logged into an IDE, just a normal IDE. And what you'll notice about this on the left hand side is a structure of how this particular site, this demonstration site that we're working from, is structured.
You'll see that it has assets that are there. It'll have the modules which are the Core dna applications that are being used. It will have a templates directory where we have the base templates. It'll have a template directory which is where the compile templates go.
It may have a web images directory. You'll see the node modules has been installed as we'll be using Gulp in this particular project to build out our JavaScript and we'll have our source JavaScript and then finally we'll have a distribution JavaScript.
So as a developer you can establish your own environment the way you'd like to work on it. And as long as you stay within the standards of the modules directory, the web images and the template directory, then your site should function normally.
In addition, what you'll also notice down the righthand side here is that this site is connected to the Git repo. And it's a very straightforward approach to once you have either use ours or use your own repo, you're able to look at all the remote branches, all the different branches that have been developed for this website, and you're able to create new branches and check out branches.
So Core dna has complete integration into Git and offers you the ability to push your changes to a QA environment for testing and then to merge those changes into production. But before you kind of get into the QA environments and pushing to the repos and all that, most developers just want to be able to quickly develop.
And what Core dna has is a SFTP environment development environment that we've established. And it's very simple to configure. You go down to deployment, you can go down to configure and you can establish your connection to the host.
You can set up your mappings for how you want the site to map, and you can then establish it as a connection. So really, to deploy to those environments is very simple. You make a change to a site. So I'm going to go into a site here, and I'm going to update this tag here to say Sam was here, and all we do is save.
And you'll notice that the changes are sent instantaneously to our dev server. And when we look at the environment, we can see here that if we press refresh on the dev environment, all of a sudden now Sam was here on the dev environment, and if we want to remove it, it's a simple case of just removing the content.
And it will automatically transfer and then just press refresh and the change will be gone. So in this way, developers can quickly create UX's and themes and solutions for their customers in a very localized approach.
And then when they're ready, they can then push those changes into production. And so we have here the production version of the Media Center and you'll notice that it has a number of similar directories.
You'll see here is the source files we can return and then we have the all JS files. We then have the modules that are being used and they generally mimic the modules that are here. Now, once a developer is ready to push their changes into testing, they're able to then come to their IDE and do a commit and a push.
And what happens then is through the use of webhooks, Core dna is able to then apply those changes to the production environment. If we take a longer look at the repo itself, we're able to see that this keeps all the commits that you do.
And so this hasn't been updated in a number of months, but we can actually go into those commits and have a look at what were the changes, what exactly changed, and if we want to, we can actually back those changes out.
In addition, we can see all the branches that are currently available and at what progress these branches are in terms of the master branch. So we can actually switch between them. We can also see the pull request that have occurred and so on.
So all the sites that you work on actually can be found here and you're able to navigate between them. You could do a you can go into a site, clone the site, pull it down, it then becomes available in your IDE, and you can begin work either by doing a deploy to your deploy environment or by doing a commit and push for small changes straight through to your Bitbucket account. The IDE itself supports the inclusion of Git. It's very simple to set up and also includes the ability to deploy. So as long as your server or your ID can support it, you can then use Core dna to develop out of the box.
Related Questions
Core dna is built as a multi-tenant platform. All users of Core dna login from a single login screen.
A multi-tenant architecture such as Core dna means that all users and applications share a single, common infrastructure and code base that is centrally maintained.
Because Core dna clients are all on the same infrastructure and code base, Core dna can innovate more quickly and save the valuable development time previously spent on maintaining numerous versions of outdated code.
SaaS application such as Core dna provide access to data from any networked device while making it easier to manage privileges, monitor data use and ensure everyone sees the same information at the same time. You can work with a team in real time with out conflicts.
With the SaaS model, you can customize with point-and-click ease, making the weeks or months it takes to update traditional business software seem hopelessly old-fashioned.
Different from the traditional model, Core dna is a fully managed solution, meaning the application comes fully ready to use and a new website can be up in minutes. This reduces the time spent in installation and configuration and can reduce the issues that can get in the way of the software deployment.
Core dna is a hosted platform, a true multi-tenant, single instance SaaS solution.
Our engine supports a number of search tools, including customizable Elasticsearch (for facets, site search). If you have a specific engine in mind, we can also evaluate integrating it.
A 17-minute overview of the Core Content and Core Marketing. Learn about Pages, Blogs, News, FAQs and more!
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A 10-minute overview about Pages app on Core dna. Learn about configuration, permissions, setup, and many more via the Core dna DXP admin.
Video transcription
Welcome to the Coordinate Pages application.
Through this video, we will explore how the Pages application can be used to create content for your website. We'll then look at the Admin interface to see how Pages actually works. And then we'll deep dive from a technical standpoint to see how the Pages application can be built.
So the Pages application is one of the most commonly used applications within Core dna.
When you scroll down a page, most likely the Pages application is being used to render the content, whether it be Video content, image Content or different types of components within the site.
The Page's content also has the ability for us to create what we call Style Guides, which are the various components that we create for our website user to use. In this case here we can see the variety of components that have been constructed for that particular site.
The Pages component also can have content that comes in from other parts of the website. So as we scroll down the bottom here, we can see two blogs that have been posted inside the Style Guide. And when you click on them, it takes you into the Blog Posts area.
So how does the Pages module work? Well, let's log into Core dna.
The Pages application sits within the Content family over on the right. So when we kick off the Pages application, it serves two major functions. The first one, it provides the various navigations for the different parts of the system. And secondly, it provides the content. So when we look to the left, we can see here the main navigation pane which highlights Insights, Editors, Reader Group, Resources and Sample Page.
If we go back to our website, we'll notice media room, insights, resources and sample page. There are a number of menu options missing. The reason for this is one of the first features of the Page's module is its ability to segment content. So if we click on the Editors page, we can go across the top and see the Authority tab. The Authority tab is what allows us to segment content.
When we look down the Authority tab, we can see the major components. Firstly, we have what we call Inherited Access. Inherit Access tells the system to go to the parent and look for the access control at the parent. In this case, we've unclick the Inherit Access and by default, if we don't know who you are, you won't see the page. So, because we don't know who's logged in, the system will not show this particular page.
If, however, you're part of the Editor Group, you will have all access to this page. So let's see this. In practice, we go over to the login, we log in as Editor and now we'll find the Editors page.
When we log out of the system, the system will say no editors Page. This is a really cool feature that can actually allow you to create multiple segments and you can see here, we've used it for the reader group, and within the reader group, we've broken it down into internal readers, external readers and common content.
One of the other features of the Pages application is its ability to create multiple menus. And so here when we look down the main navigation bar, we can also see the footer navigation, which corresponds to the bottom of the page, and the info navigation, which is used somewhere within the system to provide linkages.
We can also create what we call landing pages. Landing pages are the ones that we define, that customers are sent to and may not see a menu or may want to have specific content that's part of a promotion or a campaign that we may be running. So let's go back to the home page.
Now, the Page's application allows you to put content in many as forms. In the details page. You can see here that we can create content. We have publishing settings. We also have some custom fields that we've created to provide us some tagging.
In addition, we have the SEO button across the top. This allows us to create focused keywords, the metadata and meta description, and also the social media overrides that we may want to put in place for when people copy the page.
We've spoken about the Authority module. We then also have what we call Linked Content. Linked Content provide us the ability to create components that are linked to other parts of the system.
I won't go into too much detail into this application. It's part of the application as I'll cover some other areas in terms of attachments. So attachments in this particular implementation of Pages is the way that the site is created. And what we can see here is all the different components that have been created for the page to render.
So as we go through, we'll see we have the top image, which is a hero full.
We have tapped content. Further down, we have posts by tags from the blogs. And if we go back to the home page of the site, we'll notice that there's the Hero, there's your Tabbed Content. And then these are the posts from your blog posts. And we can continue to build these pages for as far as we like.
Editing these pages very easy. Just press the edit button. You asked for the title, you asked for a category. And we'll talk a little bit more about how we construct these categories. And these represent all the components.
We then have a link heading, and within here we can also have custom property. So here we've created some custom data, we've created some background colors, we've created some button colors and various other aspects that we want to run for the component.
Pages also has the ability for you to allocate layouts. So layouts are the different page layouts that you may want to construct. In this case, we have five different layouts, content layout, a features layout, default layout site, an XML layout and a pricing layout. And we can also see here we have the ID of the page and a Gui ID that can be used to transfer the page across sites from a share perspective, we also have the ability to share the page using social media as long as we configure the social elements that we need.
Finally, the config area of the site allows us to configure the various aspects of managing the page's application.
So the first part is our Blueprints. Our blueprints are the descriptors for the different types of layouts that we have and also and are used within the layouts area. We also have the categories. So we saw these categories earlier. These are the definitions for the components that we create in the page and where they're actually used.
So here we can see the two column, three row blue is used in three pages or four pages and we can go and modify those pages. When we get into the technical aspect of Pages, we'll discover how the ID here is used within the coordinate system to connect the component to the actual descriptor.
Here we can also manage properties and these are generally the custom fields for the pages. And here you can see the various dropdown types of properties that we've created for us to use within the categories. And we also have the layouts.
And the layouts allow us to connect the layout file and give it a description so we can use it within the system. Finally, we have the manage configuration.
So manage configuration throughout the system is where we can extend the platform or provide features to the platform that customers have asked for in the past that allow us to set the application up in a way that makes sense for our use. And you can see here that we have various elements. For example, takeover pages.
We may have an upgrade that we've done, we may have metadata that we want to apply and also some SEO bits. That's the first part of our discussion on the Pages application.
Core dna is a unified digital platform that combines content management, ecommerce, integrations, and workflow orchestration in one system. Instead of stitching together separate CMS tools, commerce engines, and middleware, Core dna brings those capabilities into a single platform that teams can manage and extend from one place.
In practical terms, that means businesses can run their website, online store, member portal, learning platform, or multi-site ecosystem without maintaining multiple vendors or complex integrations. Content, products, users, and workflows all live in the same environment.
The goal is simple: reduce operational complexity while giving teams the flexibility to build custom digital experiences without assembling a large stack of third-party tools.
If you want a quick visual walkthrough of how the platform works, you can watch the overview here:
Yes!
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications such as Core dna provide access to data from any networked device while making it easier to manage privileges, monitor data use and ensure everyone sees the same information at the same time. You can work with a team in real time without conflicts.
With the SaaS model, you can customize with point-and-click ease, making the weeks or months it takes to update traditional business software seem hopelessly old-fashioned.
Different from the traditional model, Core dna is a fully managed solution, meaning the application comes fully ready to use and a new website can be up in minutes. This reduces the time spent in installation and configuration and can reduce the issues that can get in the way of the software deployment.
Although SaaS applications such as Core dna DXP are ‘multi-tenanted’, users can easily customize applications to fit their business processes without affecting the common infrastructure.
Because there is a separation between that front-end experience layer and the Core dna DXP platform, clients can create their own interconnections using APIs and plugin to third-party systems.
Additionally, because of the way SaaS is architected, these customizations are unique to each company or user and are always preserved through upgrades. That means SaaS providers can make upgrades more often, with less customer risk and much lower adoption cost.
Software as a Service provides companies numerous benefits. At a high level, SaaS provides companies:
- Pre-built web applications that are completely managed; from the software, hardware, and support.
- Infrastructure that is enterprise, high availability and with support around the clock.
- Continuous updates & innovation so you never have to re-platform again.
- Delivered for a fixed fee per month.
In SaaS, the user does not pay for the software itself. Instead, it works like a rental. They have the authorization to use it for a period of time and pay for the software that they are using.
A great way to think about SaaS is like going to a public park. You go to the park to enjoy a picnic, play with your dog, have a pickup Frisbee game, etc. You have friends that also use the park. You might use it at the same time, or different times. You get to enjoy the park when you want to and as often as you would like, without having to mow the lawn, water the flowers and maintain the jungle gym. Instead, you pay a fixed amount of taxes per month and for that, the park is available to you anytime. The maintenance is taken care of for you, and local police patrol the area, keeping you and your family safe.
A “park” meets the key characteristics of the SaaS model.
Core dna is a fully managed SaaS platform, meaning that the network, platform, security, hosting and software are all taken care of, lowering the burden on your IT team and reducing your IT costs.
Reduce your labor costs with pre-built applications and removing backend development, saving you money when you build your site, and in ongoing maintenance.
SaaS platforms are delivered for a fixed monthly subscription cost which allows you to pay for what you need and use. Move to a consumption based model, like Core dna, and away from large capital expenditures.
The "platform of tools" refers to the different product applications available within Core dna. The Core dna platform includes a range of applications that act as "tools" to make your website work for you and your business.
Yes, we do. Our ability to support multiple brands and site instances (by geography, market, etc.) on one platform and access all data in a unified dashboard is one of the features that makes us attractive to multi-brand manufacturers and retailers. For more information about our multi-site feature, click here.
Yes, Core dna is can be used as headless or as a decoupled platform and by essence is fully responsive.
A responsive platform like Core dna is a great tool for developers who want to create responsive websites. It is easy to use and provides a wide range of options for how your website can respond to different screen sizes.
You can also customize the look and feel of your site with this platform, making it truly your own. If you're looking for a responsive platform that will make your life easier, this is the one you need.
For more information, a decoupled platform is a web application platform that uses a decoupled architecture to provide a responsive user interface. A decoupled architecture separates the presentation layer from the business logic and data access layers, allowing each layer to be developed independently. This separation of concerns makes it possible to develop the presentation layer using a variety of technologies including responsive web design.
The advantage of using a decoupled responsive platform is that it allows for a more agile development process. The presentation layer can be developed and deployed independently of the business logic and data access layers, meaning that changes to the user interface can be made without affecting the rest of the application. This can be particularly useful when developing applications that need to be compatible with a variety of devices and screen sizes.
When it comes to the headless platform, it allows businesses to manage their e-commerce site without the need for a traditional web design interface. This type of platform uses an API to connect the back-end e-commerce system to the front-end content management system, making it possible to manage e-commerce site content from a single interface.
It gives you the flexibility over the front-end as well as the ability to integrate with all devices, support emerging trends like voice search, and more.
Do you want to learn more about Headless Commerce? 👉 Download our Headless Commerce Guide
Schedule a one-to-one consultation with your product specialist
Here’s what you can expect:
- Walkthrough: An introduction of the Core dna platform
- Analysis: Personalized recommendations based on your business needs.
- Case studies: How other businesses have used Core dna to scale more efficiently
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This excludes calls to static assets that are normally served by the CDN (Content Delivery Network), such as images, fonts, JS files, CSS files, etc.
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Video chapters
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- 2. Core dna dashboard overview (0:47)
- 3. Managing websites (2:23)
- 4. CoreContent overview (4:32)
- 5. CoreCommunity overview (6:22)
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- 7. CoreCommerce overview (9:06)
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