Aggro

Aggro is the codebase that powers BMXfeed, a BMX news aggregator and video discovery platform. Running continuously since 2006, BMXfeed collects and curates BMX-related content from across the web.

Features

• News Aggregation: Automatically collects and displays BMX news from various sources
• Video Integration: Aggregates BMX videos from YouTube and Vimeo
• RSS Feed Directory: Maintains a curated directory of BMX-related RSS feeds
• Content Curation: Automatically archives old content and manages content quality
• API Support: Integrates with YouTube and Vimeo APIs for video metadata
• Feed Generation: Provides RSS/OPML feeds of aggregated content
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first, responsive web interface

Tech Stack

• Backend: PHP 8.2+ with CodeIgniter 4 framework
• Frontend: Vanilla CSS with PostCSS processing and no JavaScript!
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB
• Dependencies:
  • SimplePie for feed parsing
  • Composer for PHP package management
  • npm for frontend build tooling

Local Development Setup

Aggro uses Docksal for local development. This ensures a consistent development environment across machines.

Prerequisites

1. Install Docksal
2. Docker compatible host system

Installation

1. Clone the repository and enter directory:

   git clone https://github.com/jsnmrs/aggro.git
   cd aggro

2. Initialize the project:

   fin init

3. View the site:

   • Open http://aggro.docksal.site in your browser
   • The init process creates a local database from aggro-db.sql

Development Commands

Aggro includes several custom Docksal commands to help with development:

• fin admin - Run application maintenance tasks
• fin deploy [env] - Deploy to specified environment
• fin frontend - Run frontend build process
• fin maintain - Run upgrades and tests
• fin test - Run test suite
• fin upgrade - Update Composer packages

Configuration

Environment Variables

Copy .env-sample to .env for your local environment. Key configurations:

• CI_ENVIRONMENT - Set to 'development' for local work
• app.baseURL - Your local URL (default: http://aggro.docksal.site)
• Database credentials (configured through Docksal)
• API keys for video services

Cron Jobs

The .crontab file defines scheduled tasks for:

• News feed updates (every 6 minutes)
• YouTube video checks (every 5 minutes)
• Vimeo video checks (every 7 minutes)
• Archive management (daily)
• Feed cache clearing (monthly)

Testing

The project includes several types of tests:

# Run all tests
fin test

# Run specific checks
fin sniff      # PHP CodeSniffer
fin shellcheck # Shell script linting

Deployment

Deployment is handled through GitHub Actions and Deployer:

1. Automated deployment on merge to main branch
2. Frontend assets are built and included in deployment
3. Environment files are securely transferred
4. Crontab is updated on deployment

Manual Deployment

# Deploy to development
fin deploy dev

# Deploy to production
fin deploy prod

License

Aggro is open-source software licensed under the MIT license. See the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests (fin test)
5. Submit a pull request

Credits

• Developed and maintained by Jason Morris
• Built with CodeIgniter 4
• Uses SimplePie for feed parsing
• Docksal for development environment

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Email: jason@bmxfeed.com