Delivering on The Guardian’s Digital-First Vision with Scala and Play Framework
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- Europe
Country
- United Kingdom
Product
- Scala
- Play Framework
- Akka
- ScalaTest
Tech Stack
- Java
- Spring
- Hibernate
- Oracle Database
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Digital Expertise
Technology Category
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
The Guardian is a renowned news organization known for its independent journalism and open approach to publishing. With a history spanning over 192 years, it has evolved from a regional newspaper in Manchester to a major national and international news outlet. The Guardian's digital-first strategy aims to reach a global audience through various platforms, emphasizing serious, trusted journalism without interference from shareholders or political parties. The organization is committed to innovation and adapting to the digital age, making it a leader in the media industry.
The Challenge
The Guardian faced the challenge of transitioning from a print-based organization to a digital-first entity. This required modernizing their existing web infrastructure, which was based on a heavily customized Content Management System (CMS) that was difficult to maintain and extend. The existing platform, although functional, was a monolithic application that slowed down the process of adding new features. The Guardian needed a more agile and scalable solution to support their digital-first strategy and to keep up with the fast-paced demands of modern web development.
The Solution
The Guardian's team, led by Graham Tackley, explored various tools and languages to achieve their digital-first goals. They decided to use Scala, a functional programming language, to build their new Content API. Scala's compatibility with Java allowed them to gradually transition from their existing Java codebase, enhancing productivity and focusing on solving business problems. For the web framework, they chose Play 2.0, which offered a lightweight, stateless architecture suitable for scalable applications. Play's templating and Akka Foundation features provided the necessary tools for building highly concurrent, distributed applications. The Guardian's mobile site, built with responsive design, was launched successfully, demonstrating the effectiveness of their chosen technologies.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
Case Study missing?
Start adding your own!
Register with your work email and create a new case study profile for your business.
