Implications Of WordPress Joining The Block Protocol — Smashing Magazine
▻https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2022/02/implications-wordpress-joining-block-protocol
When working with JavaScript-based libraries, such as React or Vue, we work with “components” which are pieces of code (usually composed of HTML, CSS styles, and JavaScript) grouped together. A component renders a defined layout or produces a specific functionality, such as an image carousel, an event calendar, or a simple header. To render content, the component may fetch data from the server via an API call, or have the data provided via props by some ancestor component that wraps it. By having its data injected, the component becomes reusable, able to produce different outcomes for different contexts or applications.
A “block” is also a component, but it is high-level, asserting a definitive purpose, and defining the requirements to produce the desired layout or functionality. It is the outermost component from the hierarchy of components wrapping each other, so it has a bird eye’s view of them.
A block is a concept, not a technology. It can be implemented on any language: not only JavaScript to power clients, but also a server-side language to render a layout. Blocks must not be confused with web components, which is a collection of technologies to produce components. They are not mutually exclusive either — we can use web components to create a block.
Components are fairly reusable. For instance, searching for “react component” on npm will produce plenty of libraries offering components that we can immediately import into our React applications.
Blocks, however, are a different story, because they are mostly designed for some specific application. While the block must provide the means to interact with it (such as offering an API to initialize it and render it, or exposing a JSON schema describing what data it needs as input), these means are usually dependent on the application where the block lives, so we can’t reuse a block across applications.
That’s where the Block Protocol comes in. It provides a specification for blocks and applications to satisfy, aiming to allow blocks to be embedded within any application, not only the one they were designed for. Same as with components, blocks could then become reusable across applications.
Embed any block anywhere on the web, using data from any source
Easily move data between applications without wrestling with APIs and custom integrations. View it any way you like in interactive blocks.
