TechPrufer
Get started
Shopify
Shopify logoShopify · Feature trail

Media Management System

1 post · Jul 2020

What this trail covers

Shopify has evolved its media management system to support videos and 3D models alongside existing images. This involved a critical architectural decision between using Rails callbacks and a pipeline approach for handling complex data operations and ensuring transactional integrity. The pipeline approach was adopted to improve control over code, enhance maintainability, and achieve a clear separation of concerns, allowing for more robust and scalable media handling.

All Shopify trails
  1. Media at Scale: Callbacks vs pipelines - ShopifyThis post details the architectural decision-making process for integrating new media types (videos, 3D models) into Shopify's product media system. It contrasts the use of Rails Active Record callbacks with a pipeline approach. The pipeline approach, involving separate classes for specific operations (before_transaction, during_transaction, after_transaction) and a cascading handler structure, was chosen over callbacks due to better control, maintainability, debugging, and separation of concerns in a complex, evolving system. The pipeline provides a single entry point, hides implementation details, and ensures transactional integrity for media creation.