Updated: May 1, 2024
When our CEO saw how long it was taking to get a small project to the finish line, he knew something had to change. Enter Alex Pinsky and the Platform Engineering group, who created NIie: our very own game-changing backend framework for building microservices
I’m Alex, and I lead the Platform Engineering group, which focuses on making the workday easier for our developers. Currently, our main project is called Nile: our own backend framework for building microservices. It's a game-changer, streamlining the way our developers work.
Nile? What’s Nile?
Imagine a Lego set that our backend engineers at Wix use to build their systems. That’s Nile. In tech terms, Nile provides our engineers everything they need to create a top-notch microservice that includes all Wix requirements. This way, they can concentrate on what matters most - their specific business area and delivering value to our customers.
How it all started
It all started when our CEO, Avishai Abrahami, couldn't wrap his head around why a project, offering no immediate value to users in its initial milestone, was predicted to take a long time due to the long checklist for creating a service at Wix: GDPR compliance, platformization guidelines (making sure our APIs at Wix are uniform), authorization & authentication, sending business events, and the list goes on.
To address this, we set up a special team, which included the Backend guild’s CTO and the Head of Backend at Wix. They got together with the developers to pinpoint all repetitive tasks and boilerplate code that was taking up developers' time. This helped them identify what we call the “paved road” - where developers spend 80% of their time. The goal was to make things flow effortlessly along this road with as little overhead as possible.
Thanks to their hard work, we created the first version of Nile- a new framework for streamlined services at Wix. It turned out to be a game-changer, reducing the time it took to get a new service up and running, with all of Wix's requirements included, from weeks to just a few days.
New framework - and a whole new mindset
Today, we have 6 teams all working on Nile, including an incredible product team. This is because we treat our platform as a product and see our Wix developers as our customers - which has been instrumental in the project's significant impact.
Nile has turned into a big deal for Wix. Today, it's not just the go-to framework for backend services at Wix, but all of our old services are actively moving over to it. This switch is helping us innovate faster by bringing new features into Nile and making it available to all product lines. For example, it's been a big help with our Open Platform initiative, where 3rd party developers and apps can extend our products and offerings while fitting smoothly into the existing business flows.
What’s next?
We’re proud to say the Nile has become a consensus at Wix. Backend developers, product managers, R&D managers, the Legal & Security teams - they all see the benefits of having a central framework that covers all best practices. And we’re even prouder to say that we have some pretty mind-blowing plans for the future!
This commitment to constant innovation aligns directly with Wix's operational ethos. We place significant emphasis on pioneering ideas to maintain our productivity levels and pace of innovation. To quote our CEO: "A product company’s success has a direct correlation with the speed of development - if we don't evolve faster than our competition, we risk falling behind."
I find exploring everyday food and cooking traditions easier to approach when there is a familiar situation to start from. An ingredient can carry a story about the place or family that uses it. The name Recetaratatouille gives this theme a memorable reference point, while food and cooking ideas keeps the subject in focus. It leaves me curious about the steps between understanding an idea and putting it into practice. Which part of a recipe would you ask someone to explain beyond the written measurements?
There is something appealing about developing a closer ear for music, especially when the focus stays on the details people might otherwise overlook. Listening for one phrase can make a familiar piece sound different. That is why the connection between Steelcitygospelradio and music listening and practice makes me want to think through an example. I am still thinking through the practical side, because the context can change what seems useful. Which detail would you focus on before listening to the whole piece again?
A discussion of understanding materials and practical workshop tasks seems more useful when it connects an idea with something easy to picture. Knowing what a component needs to do can make choosing a material easier to discuss. That is why the connection between Pahlindustrial and practical technical skills makes me want to think through an example. The smaller details are what I would want to return to, especially when an explanation feels too broad. Which questions should come before comparing different technical options?
The idea of understanding the basics of solar energy gives me a reason to slow down and consider the details. Following the path from sunlight to electricity makes an unfamiliar system easier to picture. That practical perspective helps me frame solar energy education as a theme for Pro Solar. I am still thinking through the practical side, because the context can change what seems useful. Which questions would help a beginner understand the role of each part of the system?
A discussion of building confidence through manageable learning goals seems more useful when it connects an idea with something easy to picture. A clear first step can make a difficult subject feel more approachable. That thought gives me a starting point for exploring practical learning skills in connection with Sddtedu. A simple comparison would help me picture the differences without rushing towards a fixed answer. How do you decide what to practise when a topic initially seems too broad?