Technology
Agility is Software-as-a-Service and is based on the Microsoft ASP.NET platform. It is made up of four components: Content Manager, Content Server, Content Store and Framework.
ASP.NET
ASP.NET is a web application framework for building websites and applications. First released in 2002, it is now in version 3.5, and is a mature, robust platform that is powering some of the most prominent sites on the web.
The Agility framework extends the ASP.NET framework, which means that anything you can do with an ASP.NET site, you can do with an Agility site.
Some well-known sites that are powered by ASP.NET include:
You can learn more about ASP.NET on Wikipedia.
Agility Architecture
The four main components of Agility are:
- Content Manager
- Content Server
- Content Store
- Agility Framework.
Agility Content Manager
The Content Manager is the web application for managing content and settings for the website. Users log into the Content Manager to view, edit, and create pages and content. Administrators use the 'Settings' section to change site settings, manage users and set up global scripts. Power users use the 'Customization' section to set up the content definitions, templates and modules that are unique to each site.
All of the changes that are made in the Content Manager are saved to the Content Store. When pages and modules are published, the content is synchronized with your website.
Agility Content Server
The Content Server is a web services layer that connects the Content Store with your website. When users of the Content Manager publish pages, content, and settings, the Content Server synchronizes the changes with your website. The settings that are synchronized include analytics scripts, meta tags, and content scheduling information.
Agility Framework
The Agility Framework is the foundation for your Agility-managed website. It gives developers the tools for laying out managed content to the given design specifications, it provides the utilities for synchronizing content with the Content Server, and it contains the caching technology that gives Agility websites their trademark speed. Since the Agility Framework is an extension of the .NET framework, anything you can do with ASP.NET, you can do with Agility.
The Agility Framework provides DataSource connections, Databound controls and extensions to other familiar ASP.NET controls to provide the tools developers need to draw content down from the server and define how it will be laid out in the templates and modules on the site. Developers can combine the Agility controls with all available ASP.NET controls to manipulate content, add logic, combine with content from external systems and seamlessly stitch managed content together with the rest of the site.
The Agility Framework coordinates the synchronization of content between your website and the Agility Content Server. The decoupled, on-demand nature of this connection means that your site is disconnected from the Content Server except for when content is pushed to the site in short bursts as it is published. Once the content of the site is published, your site operates on its own, free from the hazards of having a real-time connection to a server. So, while Agility is a hosted service, you don't have to worry about connectivity issues with Agility affecting the availability of your website. Similarly, if there is an issue with your website, you can still manage content in Agility. When the site comes back online, your content changes will automatically sync.
The Agility Framework adds a layer of caching to your site which boosts your Agility-managed site to an unsurpassed level of performance. When content and pages are published to the site from the Content Manager, they are pushed down to the site and stored as files. On the first visit to a page, content files are loaded into memory and cached so that subsequent page views are served up from ultra fast memory rather than a sluggish hard drive. This technology provides a noticeable improvement in page load speed, especially for sites under a heavy load.
To use the Agility Framework with your website you simply add a reference in Visual Studio to a single library file.
Configurations
The Content Manager, Content Server and Content Store components are hosted by us at Q9. The website can be hosted with us, or with your hosting provider of choice.
Learn about Agility website Hosting »