Npm Netlify Libraries

When Are Netlify Libraries Useful?

Netlify libraries are particularly useful in scenarios where developers need to simplify the workflow for building, deploying, and managing modern web projects. They tie together the diverse actions required to translate source code into a running website.

They're also beneficial when integrating a continuous delivery setup, automating the build and deploy process whenever you push to your Git repository. Netlify libraries further facilitate the provision of serverless backend services from within your JavaScript application, without the need for a dedicated backend.

Moreover, they are useful for developers modulating their web apps using npm, since these libraries often provide npm packages that can be easily integrated into a JavaScript project.

What Functionalities Do Netlify Libraries Usually Have?

Netlify libraries typically offer a wide range of functionalities with a focus on enhancing website deployment and management. Some of the common functionalities include:

• Continuous Deployment: They link directly with your Git repository to automatically deploy the latest changes to your web project. They support npm-based build processes.

• Instant Rollbacks: Netlify libraries offer the ability to quickly rollback to a previous version of your website if needed.

• Serverless Functions: This allows you to write and deploy serverless Lambda functions without an AWS account, and enables you to run server-side code alongside your frontend, all directly from your repository.

• Identity and Access Management: Netlify libraries often include user authentication and permissions handling. This functionality assists you in handling user signups, logins, and roles.

• Form Handling: They usually provide built-in form handling which interfaces via HTML forms or JavaScript.

• Prerendering: Netlify libraries can prerender pages to enhance SEO and speed up page load times.

Gotchas/Pitfalls To Look Out For

While Netlify libraries provide a powerful and convenient set of functionalities, there can still be some pitfalls to be cautious of:

• Serverless Function Limitation: Be aware of the cold start of serverless functions, ensuring functions are adequately warmed up for optimal performance. Limitations are also present in the amount of processing time and memory usage allowed per function.

• Dependency and Build Errors: Being npm-focused, these libraries may encounter package dependencies errors. Ensuring your package.json file is properly maintained can help reduce these types of issues.

• Form Handling Limitations: Netlify’s form handling, whilst convenient, has some limitations in terms of the amount of data that can be processed, and the level of customization that is provided out of the box.

• Lack of Control Over Infrastructure: While Netlify provides a fully-managed platform, it can lead to situations where you may have less control over your infrastructure. You may also have to consider the possible downtime of the Netlify platform itself.

• Routing Limitations: Netlify has its own routing rules and it doesn't support every feature that a more dedicated web server would, so complex routing needs might be a problem.