Developing
In early 2016, TSN, together with the then contractor, relaunched the website with a new modern design. In addition to the redesign, part of the site code was refactored with additional features included. Already at the beginning, slow work, instability, inability to withstand the load was observed. The new site had problems of the work of an adaptive version on mobile devices, 1+1 Internet asked for help to Ideil.
Ideil started work on conducting a technical audit. The results were disappointing. The quality of the code did not conform to any canons and practices. Spaghetti code is the main audit verdict. XSS-vulnerabilities, Blind SQL-injections, full of slow and complicated mysql slow log queries, slow file cache, problems with saving and processing videos and photos.
February 17, 2016, marks the start of work stabilizing the website, fixing critical bugs and vulnerabilities. By dividing the monolithic architecture into microservices Ideil separated independent parts from the core, which served most media projects. Ideil have integrated Sentry for tracking all events and errors on the site.
In May 2016, it was decided to abandon the old engine, as its development and maintenance were complex and expensive. Website development and the creation of new services turned into a struggle with the existing architecture and structure. Simultaneously supporting TSN, Ideil started working on a new website version using Laravel and vue.js, which was still ß at the time.
Team consisting of 6 developers worked on the project during the first 3 months, spending about 400 hours monthly. They completely changed the database structure, the work process with stats and decided to keep the design, but change only layouts and the front-end. TSN editorial staff used CMS, which worked with an old, slow, and divided into several parts database. After designing a new database structure for the new site we had to additionally develop special software that would constantly synchronize data between two databases (old and new). It had to function this way until a new CMS was developed.
While working on the website it wasn't planned to change the CMS, which operated through the old database structure, methods, and approaches to working with content. Migrator is a microservice responsible for transforming publications from the old format to the new one. It worked almost on the fly, tracking the new publications, the content change in existing ones, and posting this content in a new structure. During the testing phase, when the editors worked with the old admin panel, the content appeared both on the old and the new site, which was still under development at the time. Migrator worked in this mode for 8 months.
January 1, 2017 at 2:00 a.m. the old website was disconnected and replaced by a new one, developed using Laravel and vue.js. Work on a new CMS began after the release. This system was implemented alongside the old one so the editors could work in both at the same time. Migrator has been configured for two-way content synchronization between the old and new CMS. It provided an easy transit to the new interface for editors and a gradual withdrawal of the old functionality.
In autumn 2017 we relinquished the old code, disabled the migrator and the old CMS. The TSN website shared the news on mobile applications and Smart TV via API. The old API caused slow app operation, so Ideil refactored it completely: changed approaches and interactions. The old API was left for old applications and services legacy-support. Ideil have also updated applications for Android and Apple's tvOS, iOS and iPadOS platforms.
In the summer of 2020, 1+1 Media updated the design of the TV news service. By the end of August, we needed to "tune in" the existing website version in accordance with the updated TV program style in order to prepare readers for a full-scale redesign. Ideil team redesigned everything according to the new guide, repblished the homepage: rearranged the grid and put the image form factors into an adequate shape, added more air, left the dark integrators behind and fixed the typography. They began working on the homepage layout and designing a new TSN website simultaneously.
Ideil performed a complete site redesign and code refactoring. TSN received new formats, new content delivery, and a completely new codebase. Moreover, the programming language interpreter and frameworks, including vue.js and Laravel have been updated to the latest versions. During refactoring, Ideil aimed to reduce the loading speed of TSN pages from 2 seconds to several milliseconds. The editorial board planned to gain a foothold in the top rankings of Ukrainian online media. The next stage consisted of layout and frontend, one of the longest processes in the development of TSN. As a result, we got a whole new front. Nothing left from the previous version. And finally, programming. From the beginning of January 2021 until May of the same year, more than 500 committees were carried out. Refactoring involved at least 400 files with program code. All code is written in compliance with the PSR-12 standard. [8]
