Breaking Free from Legacy CMS: Our React Migration Story

Luiz Cavalieri -

Hey there! I recently led a project that many of you might relate to - breaking free from a PHP-based CMS and moving to a modern React architecture. Let me share our journey, the challenges we faced, and what we learned along the way.

Why We Took the Leap

Like many media organizations, we had a stable but limiting CMS built on WordPress's PHP backend. It worked, but as our needs evolved, we kept hitting walls - especially around customizing editorial workflows and scaling our content operations.

After plenty of late-night discussions and architecture planning sessions, we decided to bite the bullet and build something new. Our goal? Create a publishing platform that could grow with us, without forcing our newsrooms to completely change how they work.

The Technical Meat of It

Here's where it gets interesting. We decided to take the Gutenberg Block Editor's React frontend and pair it with our own backend APIs. Sounds straightforward, right? Well, here's what kept us up at night:

  • How do we handle data flow between React components and our backend without introducing performance bottlenecks?
  • Could we maintain data consistency while supporting multiple newsroom environments?
  • What's the best way to handle large articles with tons of embedded media?

Our Approach: Two-Phase POC

Phase 1: Getting the Foundation Right

We started by building a standalone React app using Webpack, SWC, and TypeScript. The key was maintaining editor components in their own package and implementing styled-components with theming support. This gave us the flexibility to create distinct experiences for different content types without rebuilding the wheel each time.

Phase 2: Making It Production-Ready

This is where things got real. We focused on:

  • Building out CRUD operations that could handle our content volume
  • Implementing a robust autosave system to ensure content safety during the editing process
  • Creating flexible workflows for different content states

The Cool Technical Bits

Some of the more interesting technical solutions we implemented:

  1. Component Architecture
    • Maintained isolated editor packages
    • Built a theming system that could handle different content types without performance hits
    • Created a clean separation between core editor functionality and custom features
  2. Performance Wins
    • Optimized server-side rendering for faster load times
    • Implemented efficient data serialization
    • Built a smart caching layer for media handling

Where We Are Now

We're in the final stretches of this exciting transformation, and the early results are promising. The core editing experience is nearly complete, with:

  • Significantly improved load times in our test environment
  • More predictable and debuggable data flow
  • A streamlined content creation workflow

But we're not stopping there. We're currently working on crucial features to achieve full feature parity with our existing system:

  • Article locking system to prevent conflicting edits
  • Read-only mode implementation
  • A completely redesigned revision system

What's Coming Next

Our roadmap is packed with exciting features that will take the platform to the next level:

  • Concurrent editing capabilities for same-article collaboration
  • In-line notes and commenting system
  • Enhanced revision comparison tools

Real Talk: Lessons Learned

  1. Early Prototyping Pays Off: Our two-phase POC approach saved us from several potential architectural dead ends.
  2. Keep the Familiar Parts: We kept enough of the old editing patterns to make the transition smooth while introducing new capabilities gradually.
  3. Scale Doesn't Just Happen: We had to think about scale from day one, especially in how we structured our data flow and caching strategies.

What's Next

The best part about this new foundation is how much easier it makes future improvements. We can now:

  • Ship new features faster
  • Scale more efficiently
  • Adapt to new content types without massive rewrites
  • Take advantage of the latest React ecosystem developments

Wrapping Up

Moving away from a legacy CMS is a journey, and we're still on ours. While we're excited about the core editor functionality we've built, we know there's still work ahead to achieve full feature parity and implement our planned enhancements. The principles we've followed - careful planning, focused POCs, and constant testing - have proven invaluable in managing this complex transformation.

One thing I've learned leading this project is that when modernizing critical systems, it's crucial to balance innovation with stability. We're not just replacing old technology with new; we're building a foundation for future capabilities while ensuring we maintain the robust features our users rely on.

I'd love to hear about your experiences with similar modernization projects. Are you in the midst of a legacy system transformation? What challenges are you facing? How are you balancing maintaining existing functionality with introducing new features? Let's continue the conversation in the comments below.