My Journey Through Front-End Learning: Insights from Medium Stats
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Chapter 1: Updates on Medium Stats Insights
Recently, there have been enhancements to the Medium Stats Insights tool.
Among the notable improvements:
- The process for fetching all articles has been streamlined, significantly reducing page load times from minutes to just seconds.
- A new feature has been added that analyzes the top 10 stories in the dashboard. Currently, the article data reflects only five sources, so please reach out if you notice any gaps in this data.
The video titled "Frontend Learning Path in 2021" provides valuable context on navigating the learning curve in web development.
Section 1.1: Purpose of the Plugin
I am eager to release this extension soon! The motivation behind maintaining and optimizing this plugin is twofold:
- To gain foundational knowledge in front-end development and work towards becoming a full-stack engineer.
- To gather and analyze data that aids in understanding the performance of my articles on Medium.
As highlighted in the article, "How to get your stats on Medium: try Medium Stats Insights extension" by Wesley Wei, I am committed to developing this plugin for educational purposes. Although similar tools already exist, I was inspired to create this one based on the now-defunct GitHub project HcwXd/better-medium-stats. My version aims to fulfill my own needs while facilitating my learning journey.
Subsection 1.1.1: Collaboration and Development
I have been in touch with the original plugin's author since the initial version retains many similarities to their work. Moving forward, I plan to implement new front-end technologies that will distinguish this project as unique and open-source.
Section 1.2: Important Reminders
A few points to keep in mind:
- The code repository for this plugin can be found on GitHub at tfrain/medium-stats-insights. It does not collect any user data and is intended solely for educational use.
- Data is primarily sourced from two methods: an unofficial JSON data API and a straightforward GraphQL data API that users can access.
It is crucial to note that these data retrieval methods could be restricted by Medium at any time, similar to the recent changes affecting view data access. The current environment lacks the developer-friendly infrastructure seen in platforms like Facebook and Twitter, forcing developers like myself to find ways around these limitations.
Chapter 2: Future Directions
As previously mentioned, my next steps involve a transition to a new technology stack, including the adoption of TypeScript. Throughout this rebuilding phase, I welcome any feedback or suggestions you may have. This article serves not only as a changelog but also as a reflection of my learning experience, which is of utmost importance.
I extend my gratitude to huizhou92 for their valuable suggestions and review of this extension on the Chrome Store. I encourage everyone to try out this plugin as well!
Author: Wesley Wei — Twitter: Wesley Wei — Medium
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