Xyon
Puts the Fun in Dysfunctional
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Hello again Orbinauts!
I thought now would be a good time to share with you some of the work that's been happening behind the scenes as I prepare to deploy what will ultimately become the replacement for the ageing OrbitHangar Mods site.
Firstly, this hasn't been an entirely solo affair, notable contributions from IronRain and tl8 have also driven the projects to their current state, so I'd like to extend them my gratitude too. This has been a pet project of mine for some while now, and I'm really grateful for the assistance in getting things over the line.
What?
The Orbit Hangar Mods site will be replaced, in stages, beginning with phase 1 this Friday (as per the notice). The site will shift from being a monolithic direct-access frontend to a loosely coupled frontend backed by a REST API, which will allow for easier integration with other systems and services, centred around the upcoming work to also bring Orbiter Forum up to date.
Stage 1 will link several elements of the existing frontend, bridged by modern components and logic, to the new backend. Stage 2 will involve an entire interface overhaul on the frontend, which will contain several visual and layout changes.
Why?
First, OHM is currently badly broken, most notably when you try to submit a new addon. Some of the reasons for why this is I have already been through, but the short version is, the site needed some intensive work and effort to bring it back to a point where it could function on the current technology platform (with noted security fixes), and then to improve some long-standing issues that have often been significantly limiting for end-users. The new site utilises Digital Ocean's geo-CDN caching for addon assets, meaning wherever you are in the world, the asset should be somewhere vaguely near to you - definitely closer to users in APAC than they have been up until this point.
The REST API is the central technology, and I've been writing it on and off in Rust for the best part of three years, if my git commit history is to be believed. It's an ongoing labour of love, but crucially is also licensed under the GNU GPL v3 license, and the source code is open to those who wish to view it. It's my hope this will encourage contribution, and perhaps in time to transform the project from a personal endeavour into a community project - to avoid the code languishing in the future, as the old site did.
You guys all deserve a decent addon repository site, and it's been a lot of fun (and some frustration) to make it. You can get a feel for how the site will work after Friday's work by viewing the staging site, at https://preflight.orbithangar.com.
When?
Phase 1 I have scheduled in for 2020-01-31 at 20:00 UTC. I'll have to make the old OHM unavailable for a short while so I can migrate the data in the existing database into the new format required for the API and core libraries. It shouldn't take too long, but to be on the safe side I've estimated the window will be 2 hours wide.
As for Phase 2, things aren't quite as ready to go on the frontend side just yet, but restoring site functions via Phase 1 gives us more time to make sure the frontend replacement is fully ready before we ship it out.
What else?
It's important to note that the Phase 1 is a temporary bridge, and it's not a perfect replacement - there are still some rough edges, but the core functions of the site work as expected, and I'm keen to get them back up so the site can be used properly again. I will continue to address issues in the Phase 1 site while working alongside the other developers on Phase 2, and hopefully we'll have something exciting to deliver very soon!
As always, thanks for your continued support. Once Phase 1 is deployed, my focus will shift short-term towards the Xenforo migration for the main board, which we can then develop against for the OHM API and the new frontend.
Thanks for reading, and happy orbiting!
I thought now would be a good time to share with you some of the work that's been happening behind the scenes as I prepare to deploy what will ultimately become the replacement for the ageing OrbitHangar Mods site.
Firstly, this hasn't been an entirely solo affair, notable contributions from IronRain and tl8 have also driven the projects to their current state, so I'd like to extend them my gratitude too. This has been a pet project of mine for some while now, and I'm really grateful for the assistance in getting things over the line.
What?
The Orbit Hangar Mods site will be replaced, in stages, beginning with phase 1 this Friday (as per the notice). The site will shift from being a monolithic direct-access frontend to a loosely coupled frontend backed by a REST API, which will allow for easier integration with other systems and services, centred around the upcoming work to also bring Orbiter Forum up to date.
Stage 1 will link several elements of the existing frontend, bridged by modern components and logic, to the new backend. Stage 2 will involve an entire interface overhaul on the frontend, which will contain several visual and layout changes.
Why?
First, OHM is currently badly broken, most notably when you try to submit a new addon. Some of the reasons for why this is I have already been through, but the short version is, the site needed some intensive work and effort to bring it back to a point where it could function on the current technology platform (with noted security fixes), and then to improve some long-standing issues that have often been significantly limiting for end-users. The new site utilises Digital Ocean's geo-CDN caching for addon assets, meaning wherever you are in the world, the asset should be somewhere vaguely near to you - definitely closer to users in APAC than they have been up until this point.
The REST API is the central technology, and I've been writing it on and off in Rust for the best part of three years, if my git commit history is to be believed. It's an ongoing labour of love, but crucially is also licensed under the GNU GPL v3 license, and the source code is open to those who wish to view it. It's my hope this will encourage contribution, and perhaps in time to transform the project from a personal endeavour into a community project - to avoid the code languishing in the future, as the old site did.
You guys all deserve a decent addon repository site, and it's been a lot of fun (and some frustration) to make it. You can get a feel for how the site will work after Friday's work by viewing the staging site, at https://preflight.orbithangar.com.
When?
Phase 1 I have scheduled in for 2020-01-31 at 20:00 UTC. I'll have to make the old OHM unavailable for a short while so I can migrate the data in the existing database into the new format required for the API and core libraries. It shouldn't take too long, but to be on the safe side I've estimated the window will be 2 hours wide.
As for Phase 2, things aren't quite as ready to go on the frontend side just yet, but restoring site functions via Phase 1 gives us more time to make sure the frontend replacement is fully ready before we ship it out.
What else?
It's important to note that the Phase 1 is a temporary bridge, and it's not a perfect replacement - there are still some rough edges, but the core functions of the site work as expected, and I'm keen to get them back up so the site can be used properly again. I will continue to address issues in the Phase 1 site while working alongside the other developers on Phase 2, and hopefully we'll have something exciting to deliver very soon!
As always, thanks for your continued support. Once Phase 1 is deployed, my focus will shift short-term towards the Xenforo migration for the main board, which we can then develop against for the OHM API and the new frontend.
Thanks for reading, and happy orbiting!