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Natural England - Government Publications Platform

A public-facing publications catalogue and content management system for a UK government agency, enabling staff to manage and publish environmental research, reports, and evidence-based documentation.

Backend Developer May 2023 - August 2023
276
Commits
+13,238 lines
Impact

Key Highlights

  • Led Python 2.7 to Python 3.11 migration across 221 files while maintaining production stability
  • Designed comprehensive RBAC system with 8 permission types and decorator-based endpoint protection
  • Migrated frontend build system from LESS to SCSS, replaced Bower with npm
  • Established GitHub Actions workflows for automated deployment and Cypress E2E testing
  • Implemented DOI URL support, bibliography citations, and thumbnail management

Tech Stack

Python webapp2 Google App Engine Cloud Datastore SCSS jQuery GitHub Actions Cypress

Overview

Natural England is a public-facing publications catalogue and content management system for a UK government agency. The platform enables staff to manage and publish environmental research, reports, and evidence-based documentation.

Technical Highlights

Python 2 to Python 3 Migration

Led migration of legacy Python 2.7 application to Python 3.11 runtime, updating 221 Python files while maintaining production stability.

Role-Based Access Control

Designed and implemented comprehensive RBAC system with 8 permission types and decorator-based endpoint protection.

Frontend Modernization

Migrated build system from LESS to SCSS, removed deprecated Bower dependency in favor of npm, improving maintainability.

CI/CD Implementation

Established GitHub Actions workflows for automated deployment, linting, and Cypress end-to-end testing.

Feature Development

Implemented DOI URL support, bibliography citations, thumbnail management, and user role administration.