Last Tuesday, November 17, Magento 2.0 was released. Magento 2.0 is an update to the world's most popular e-commerce CMS system. This update brings major changes with it. Changes that affect, among other things, your user experience and the security of your webshop. We have made a selection of 5 developments within Magento 2.0 that we believe will mean a lot to you as an e-commerce entrepreneur. In addition, our tech team has added many screenshots so that you can already get an idea of the look and feel of Magento 2.0.
1. Improved Speed
Magento is a heavy system and can be slow without the proper server configurations. Speed gains in software are therefore particularly welcome. In its beta version (software not yet stable enough to be deployed to production), Magento 2.0 was already 25% faster at loading web pages compared to current 1.x versions. Additionally, the times associated with saving data in the backend have improved drastically. You can find some other performance improvements in the screenshot below.
2. Safer
Security is our top priority. Magento has developed in this area, which we consider an important point within this update. Because the file structure has been adjusted, Magento 2.0 is significantly more secure. The root (where the base is located) is accessible in only one way. This makes it easier for developers to protect the code against various security vulnerabilities.
3. Updated Interface
The Magento backend is now more user-friendly. In the screenshots below, you can see that users can view statistics per webshop. The menu is divided into two sections: E-commerce and System. All menus related to managing your webshop, such as Products, Marketing, Content, Reporting, etc., are displayed in a flat design (a minimalist design without 3D effects such as shadows) and are organized more logically and user-friendly.
4. Product Manager
It is now possible to define your own column structure in product management and CMS page management. Previously, this was only possible by writing this functionality yourself or by installing an additional module. Furthermore, creating or editing products in the product manager has become much clearer. Overall, this makes working with Magento significantly more user-friendly.
When adding or editing products, you can now use the Visual Design Editor (VDE) functionality. This means you can easily drag and drop images to the backend, instead of uploading them via a folder structure.
5. Upgrading from Magento 2.0
It has become much easier for developers to upgrade from Magento 2.0. Previously, this was a time-consuming task requiring consideration of many aspects. As a result, the costs associated with upgrading will be much lower. This is a welcome benefit for every e-commerce entrepreneur!
Who is the Magento 2.0 update accessible to?
Magento released the update on Tuesday, November 17, 2015. This means you can now update to Magento 2.0. Magento 2.0 brings many benefits. However, you must be certain that all your current modules within your webshop are compatible with Magento 2.0 to avoid problems later. If you would like to know if you can upgrade, please contact us.
Overall, we are very pleased with Magento 2.0. We particularly appreciate the developments regarding security. What do you consider the best development? Let us know!