Who will take over the functions that were solved by plugins when moving from a PHP site to a Go-based CMS?
After switching from the PHP site to the Go system CMS, who will take over the functions that were originally solved by plugins? The answer is that there are three categories to take over: direct configuration of built-in system capabilities, custom content models to accommodate structural needs, and the remaining few business functions are handled through interface secondary development. The order cannot be reversed - first migrate the content and then add features, as it will be found that the data structure hanging on the plugin has no landing point, and articles can only be stuffed into the main text as text storage.
First, make sure of one thing: Switching to open-source Go programs does not mean that the cost is zero. Taking WordPress as an example, the cost of building a website is clearly written, the open-source software itself is free to use, but the hosting, security, and daily maintenance must be borne by yourself. The monthly cost of DIY websites is estimated to be in the range of a few to several tens of dollars. The savings from switching stacks are the time for plugin subscriptions and compatibility checks, but the investment in hosting and security is still on the books.
List the features before migration
Translate the functions undertaken by each plugin on the current site into one line: name of the function, method of undertaking, whether there is data retention, and whether it is necessary after migration. Four categories should be highlighted: forms and comments (with historical data), SEO (affecting inclusion), payment and order (involving financial processes), and cache and security categories (new stack may already be built-in).
After listing the list, a result usually appears: one-third of the plugins are doing what the system should have built-in, one-third can be replaced by configuration, and the only ones that truly need to be developed specially are the one or two business loops.
The boundary between built-in capabilities and plugin capabilities.
For example, based on the implementation of GoLang, Iris framework and GORM, the following capabilities that were previously solved by plugins in the original stack are now built-in to the system: SEO-side pseudo-static, Sitemap automatic generation, active push to Baidu and Bing, 301 redirect and anchor text management; Security-side JWT authentication, sensitive word filtering, anti-crawling interference code to prevent SQL injection and XSS attacks; Content-side custom fields, recycle bin, batch import and scheduled publishing; Business-side user grouping and permissions, order and distribution, WeChat official account integration.
| The original plugin handles the function | The way of taking over | Points to note during migration |
|---|---|---|
| SEO submission and sitemap | Built-in SEO module configuration | Confirm the new URL structure before starting to push |
| Form and message collection | Built-in message and comment capabilities | Use batch import or API write for historical data |
| Custom fields and product parameters | Custom content model | Build the model first, and then import content, fields correspond one by one |
| Image and attachment processing | Built-in upload and interface calling | Check the thumbnail rule differences |
| Multilingual and multi-site | Built-in multilingual site, multi-site management | Synchronous adjustment of domain name and jump rule |
| Special business process | Interface secondary development | Dependent on document content and import interface capabilities |
Functions that need to be developed a second time
The real needs to be developed are generally three categories: business processes connected with external systems, algorithmic functions implemented privately in original plugins, and approval chains customized according to corporate rules. This level needs to be checked whether the interface is sufficient: document content management, classification and tags, image upload, messages and comments, friend links, and system settings, etc. High-frequency capabilities can be called through interfaces, the calling methods can be found in the public interface documentation, and in batch scenarios, the document content import interface can be directly used to query whether the title already exists, to avoid duplicate writing.
It should be reminded that the scope of secondary development should be controlled within the items marked as 'Must' on the list. Customized functions will be developed during the migration period, and the problem identification will face two possibilities at the same time: 'Data not migrated correctly' and 'New code has defects', resulting in doubled costs.
Function correlation table and migration sequence
The recommended sequence is four steps. The first step is to define the URL structure and pseudo-static rules, using the planned address format to run through rendering; the second step is to build the content model, defining the structured information of product parameters, specifications, and case fields first; the third step is to batch import historical content, with attachments going through ZIP compression packages, and fields going through Excel tables, checking the quantity and field integrity by title after import; the fourth step is to configure 301 redirects and sitemaps, confirm the inclusion and migration before enabling active push.
Estimate the income during runtime by order of magnitude, not by propaganda: memory usage is reduced by about 80% compared to PHP class CMS, which determines how many websites can be placed on the same server; the page loading speed is significantly improved compared to traditional PHP CMS, and it has a positive effect on the friendliness to search and crawling. Both are 'approximately' estimates, and uncertain expressions should be retained when written into the migration plan.
Common questions
Question: Do the form data of the original site have to be migrated?
Answer: Check if the data is still referenced. Only data with historical record value can be exported and retained. It is recommended to use the interface to write into the new system for data still involved in the follow-up process to avoid losing leads after going online.
Question: Can the old address remain completely unchanged?
Answer: If the URL structure of the new stack can be compatible with the old format, remaining unchanged is the cheapest option; when the structure must change, use 301 redirect to establish the corresponding relationship, and retain the ability to parse the old address for a period of time after the switch.
Question: Is it suitable to cut the site with heavy plugin dependencies all at once?
Answer: It is more suitable to divide the columns. First, move the new columns with less content and simple structure for verification process, then move the main columns, and finally deal with the parts with business closed loop, each step can be rolled back.