A few Python frameworks can be used to create APIs, two of which are Flask and Django. Frameworks comes with functionality that makes it easy for developers to implement the features that users need to interact with their applications. The complexity of a web application could be a deciding factor when you’re choosing which framework to work with. Django Django is a robust framework that has a predefined structure with built-in functionality.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/api-flask-google-cloudsql-app-engine/

In this final article of the “Inspired Design Decisions” series, Andy explains how studying the work of Bradbury Thompson can teach you a number of things to help you create stunning designs for the web.

https://smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/inspired-design-decisions-bradbury-thompson/

Props and PropTypes are an important mechanism for passing information between React components, and in this article, we’re going to look into them in great detail.

https://smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/mastering-props-proptypes-react/

Do props and PropTypes confuse you? You’re not alone. I’m going to guide you through everything about props and PropTypes. They can make your life significantly easier when developing React apps. This tutorial will introduce you to the details about props, passing and accessing props, and passing information to any component using props. Building React applications involves breaking down the UI into several components, which implies that we will need to pass data from one component to another.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/mastering-props-proptypes-react/

With so much going on, we’ve made it our mission to help you stay on top of things. Of course, you can follow us on social media and subscribe to our [RSS feed](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/feed/), but it’s nice to have an overview of the most important things in one place.

https://smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/monthly-roundup-08-2020/

Improvement is a matter of steady, ongoing iteration. If you’ve been around for a good while, you’ll know that Smashing has been through a good number of changes in the past: a new design, a new layout, a new technical stack, and so much more. Still, it was always done with quality content in mind. For example, we recently rearranged the navigation bar at the top of the page — have you noticed?

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/monthly-roundup-08-2020/

SEO is an ever-changing world. Blink and you’ll miss the latest best practices, thought leaders, and tools. Feeling out of touch is natural. This guide is your way back into the groove, baby.

https://smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/smashing-guide-search-engine-optimization/

Search engine optimization is essential to most websites. The industry is worth more than $70 billion a year, and it’s only going to grow. It has specialists, sub-specialists, thought leaders, dedicated publications, fantastically complex tools, and constant uncertainty at its heart. As Bob Dylan says, it’s just a shadow we’re all chasing. All the more reason to stay sharp, no? Every tweak to major search engine algorithms sends shockwaves throughout the web.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/smashing-guide-search-engine-optimization/

This article will demonstrate some useful features in DevTools which can help you improve the accessibility of your website.

https://smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/accessibility-chrome-devtools/

I spend a lot of time in DevTools, and in doing so, I’ve come to learn about some of the more ‘hidden’ features in DevTools and would love to share some of them with you in this article — specifically around accessibility. This article uses Google Chrome since it’s a browser I use and feel comfortable with. That being said, Firefox, Safari, and Edge have all made great strides in their developer tools, and they definitely have some great accessibility-related features of their own.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/accessibility-chrome-devtools/

Google knows exactly what consumers want and it has designed simple, intuitive, and useful solutions for them. This article explains why it’s a company whose product features you should be mirroring.

https://smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/lessons-web-app-designers-learn-google/

Whenever I’m curious about what more we could be doing to improve our users’ experiences, the first place I look to is Google. More specifically, I go to the Google Developers site or Think with Google to pull the latest consumer data. But I was thinking today, “Why don’t we just copy what Google does?” After all, Google has to walk the walk. If not, how would it ever convince anyone to adhere to its SEO and UX recommendations and guidelines?

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/lessons-web-app-designers-learn-google/

In this article, Artur Basak introduces a modern approach on how to set up CSS Custom Properties that respond to the application colors. The idea of dividing colors into three levels can be quite useful: a palette (or scheme), functional colors (or theme), and component colors (local scope).

https://smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/application-color-schemes-css-custom-properties/

Variables are a basic tool that help organize colors on a project. For a long time, front-end engineers used preprocessor variables to configure colors on a project. But now, many developers prefer the modern native mechanism for organizing color variables: CSS Custom Properties. Their most important advantage over preprocessor variables is that they work in realtime, not at the compilation stage of the project, and have support for the cascade model which allows you to use inheritance and redefinition of values on the fly.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/application-color-schemes-css-custom-properties/

We’re talking about Serverless architectures. What does that mean, and how does it differ from how we might build sites currently? Drew McLellan talks to Chris Coyier to find out.

https://smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/smashing-podcast-episode-22/

Today, we’re talking about Serverless architectures. What does that mean, and how does it differ from how we might build sites currently? I spoke to Chris Coyier to find out. Show Notes Chris’ microsite The Power of Serverless for Front-end Developers Chris on Twitter ShopTalk Show podcast Weekly Update “Setting Up Redux For Use In A Real-World Application,” by Jerry Navi “Can You Design A Website For The Five Senses?

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/smashing-podcast-episode-22/

Error handling is one of those parts of software development that don’t quite get the amount of attention it really deserves. However, building robust applications requires dealing with errors properly. You can get by in NodeJS without properly handling errors but due to the asynchronous nature of NodeJS, improper handling or errors can cause you pain soon enough — especially when debugging applications. Before we proceed, I would like to point out the type of errors we’ll be discussing how to utilize error classes.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/error-handling-nodejs-error-classes/

We continue our tutorial with the wheels of our Porsche 911 car, but before we proceed with the next steps, I’d like to shine the spotlight on the famous Fuchs wheels that were designed in the shape of a cloverleaf (or a wing). First, a bit of history: “The Fuchs wheel is a specialty wheel made for the first Porsche 911/911S model in the early 1960's. Designed in conjunction with Otto Fuchs KG, Porsche modeler Heinrich Klie, and Ferdinand Porsche Jr.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/porsche-911-sketch-tutorial-part-3/

As stated on Appcues: “Product tours — sometimes called product walkthroughs — introduce users to a new product and help them find their bearings.” Usually, when it needs to showcase a new feature or complex UI functionality in a web app, the customer-success team would send a campaign email to all of its users. While this is a great way to create such awareness, some users might not have the opportunity to see the added feature; hence, the purpose of the email would be defeated.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/guide-product-tours-react-apps/

In this tutorial, we will build a statically generated minimal blog with Sapper, a Svelte-based progressive JavaScript framework, for our front end, and then use Strapi, an open-source headless content management system (CMS), for the back end of our application. This tutorial is aimed at intermediate front-end developers, specifically those who want the versatility of a headless CMS, like Strapi, as well as the minimal structure of a JavaScript framework, like Sapper.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/08/static-blog-sapper-strapi/