Improvements to Developer Workflow and Documentation
At MultiTracks.com, one of the areas I focused on was streamlining and removing bottlenecks in the front end developer's daily workflow. I was able to achieve a 63% reduction in build times for all site assets, including JavaScript, CSS, and images. I also improved the build process for individual TypeScript and SCSS files, resulting in a 80% and 37% reduction in compile times, respectively.[1]
Full Front End Build for All Site Assets (JS, CSS, Images, etc.)
Development Insights
These improvements were achieved by implementing a new build system leveraging the latest technologies and better utilizing watchers and caching. One of the most significant improvements was the inclusion of ESBuild into the Webpack build process, which was the primary contributor to the overall reduction in build times for site building. For development, I created a more fine-tuned watch system , which required fewer files to be recompiled on each change, resulting in faster feedback loops for developers. This change also removed the overhead of manually managing the watch process and allowed developers to focus on their work.
Additionally, I created a new documentation pipeline that allowed for quicker onboarding of new developers. I used this pipeline to onboard and train two junior developers, allowing them to quickly contribute to the codebase in a meaningful way.
Technology and Focus Areas
- TypeScript
- SCSS
- Webpack
- Babel
- ESBuild
Main Technologies
- Front End Development
- Build Systems
- Documentation