Adobe Edge Delivery Services is redefining the content creation process and helping businesses stay ahead in the digital age - Syncpoint is ready to migrate you to EDS.
In the fast-paced world of web development, achieving the right balance between ease of content creation and the robustness of the site is a constant challenge. Enter Adobe Edge Delivery Services, formerly known as Helix—an innovative content authoring platform that simplifies the authoring experience for casual users while providing advanced tools for seasoned content creators. With its support for content creation using tools like Google Drive and Microsoft SharePoint, Edge Delivery Services introduces a transformative approach to content authoring that enhances both productivity and performance.
At the heart of Edge Delivery Services is an intuitive authoring experience designed for both beginner and advanced users. Currently integrated with Google Drive and Microsoft SharePoint, this solution allows content to be authored directly within these familiar platforms. Future updates may extend support to other systems, including Adobe Experience Manager (AEM).
Content is created as documents, with more intricate data entered via spreadsheets, making it highly adaptable for various types of content. Within this system, what would traditionally be called “components” in a content management system (CMS) are referred to as “blocks.” Examples of blocks include a "hero" block or a "columns" block, which are added simply by creating a table within the document and labeling the block type in the first row. This approach ensures a seamless and simplified writing process, making it perfect for content-heavy pages like blogs and articles.
While nesting blocks within one another is not yet supported—a feature that could complicate the authoring experience—this straightforward approach allows content creators to focus on writing without getting bogged down by complex layouts. In the case of more dynamic content like a Hero block, Edge Delivery Services uses an “auto-blocking” feature that automatically combines related elements like an image and title into a cohesive block, streamlining the authoring workflow.
Additionally, using tools like SharePoint and Google Drive offers the added advantage of document-level sharing. Authors can be given access to specific documents without needing full site permissions, ensuring a more secure and manageable content creation process.
One of the standout features of Adobe Edge Delivery Services is its impressive performance, as evidenced by excellent Lighthouse PageSpeed scores. This high performance is achieved through optimization techniques that prioritize loading speed and efficiency. By utilizing vanilla JavaScript and loading scripts only when necessary, Edge Delivery Services ensures that page load times are minimal.
For content-heavy websites, image optimization is another major advantage. Authors can upload large images during the creation process, which are then pre-processed and served in the exact size needed for the user’s viewport. This ensures that performance remains top-notch, even with large assets.
Edge Delivery Services also focuses on optimizing the user experience by prioritizing visible content for immediate display. Shared elements like headers, footers, and side navigations are cached to allow for faster loading and smoother navigation. To ensure performance is maintained, automated PageSpeed tests are triggered with every update, notifying developers if scores drop below the expected range.
Edge Delivery Services can complement other CMS platforms by supporting fast, efficient authoring for content-heavy pages while other systems handle more complex functionalities, such as intricate layouts and business logic. By routing between different CMS solutions using page path rules, Edge Delivery Services ensures smooth integration, giving teams the flexibility to choose the right tool for each task.
Think of Edge Delivery Services as a high-performance sports car, designed to deliver content with unmatched speed. Other CMS platforms, while slower, are more versatile and equipped for handling the complex demands of intricate site features. Leveraging the strengths of both approaches allows businesses to build websites that are both fast and feature-rich.
Edge Delivery Services operates within a serverless paradigm. While this does not mean there are no servers involved, it does imply that developers have limited control over the server’s behavior. This requires a shift in how developers approach web architecture, as Edge Delivery Services focuses solely on delivering the authored content and associated styling (CSS) and behavior (JavaScript). For scenarios requiring server-side logic or integrations, additional solutions like Adobe Commerce or AEM Sites may be necessary to handle backend functions.
In addition to content authoring, Edge Delivery Services allows for seamless integration with tools like Excel and Google Sheets. By utilizing API requests to retrieve data in JSON format, content creators can easily incorporate numeric and tabular data into their pages. This integration empowers users to continue working with the familiar tools they already use, simplifying the process of managing and presenting structured data.
As the digital landscape evolves, Adobe Edge Delivery Services is setting the stage for a new era of fast, content-rich websites with minimal authoring training. Its ability to deliver high-performance pages with a streamlined content creation process makes it a compelling choice for businesses looking to optimize their websites without compromising on speed or complexity.
Edge Delivery Services offers a content creation experience that empowers authors to work efficiently with the tools they know and love, all while ensuring exceptional page performance. As it continues to evolve, its integration with additional APIs and data sources will only increase its appeal, making it a cornerstone for businesses aiming to provide a smooth, powerful web experience for their users.
By combining ease of use with high performance, Adobe Edge Delivery Services is redefining the content creation process and helping businesses stay ahead in the digital age.
