Docs/release 1.2.0 (#218)

docs: release 1.2.0 blog post

Author: marcinkrasowski

apps/docs/blog/releases/1.2.0.md

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+---
+slug: open-self-service-release-1.2.0
+title: Release 1.2.0
+date: 2025-09-02T12:00
+tags: [releases]
+authors: [marcin.krasowski]
+toc_max_heading_level: 2
+image: /img/o2s-1.2.0-header.png
+---
+
+![o2s-1.2.0-header.png](/img/blog/o2s-1.2.0-header.png)
+
+We're excited to announce Release 1.2.0 of Open Self Service, featuring a major architectural improvement in how we handle blocks. This release focuses on making the platform more modular, maintainable, and developer-friendly. Let's explore what's new!
+
+<!--truncate-->
+
+## New features
+
+### Modular approach to blocks
+
+We've completely reworked our approach to blocks by separating all block-related code from the `api-harmonization` and `frontend` apps into independent packages. This architectural change brings several significant benefits:
+
+- **Independent versioning**: Each block can now be versioned separately, allowing for more granular updates
+- **Simplified maintenance**: Blocks can be developed, tested, and deployed independently
+- **Easier integration**: Adding blocks to your projects is now as simple as installing an NPM package
+- **Better developer experience**: Clear separation of concerns makes the codebase more maintainable
+
+Each block is now a standalone NPM package with three main components:
+
+1. **API Harmonization Module**: Handles data aggregation and normalization
+2. **Frontend Components**: React-based implementations for UI rendering
+3. **SDK Methods**: Simplified access to the block's API
+
+With our new approach to blocks, integrating blocks into your application is more straightforward than ever:
+
+```shell
+npm install @o2s/blocks.block-name --workspace=@o2s/api-harmonization --workspace=@o2s/frontend
+```
+
+Once installed, blocks can be easily imported and used in both the API Harmonization server and Frontend app with minimal configuration.
+
+Need to customize a block beyond its basic configuration? Our new architecture makes it easy to "eject" a block and take full ownership of its source code:
+
+```shell
+npm run eject-block
+```
+
+This gives you complete control over the block's implementation while still maintaining compatibility with the rest of your application.
+
+:::tip
+For more information and guides, see [the Blocks chapter](../../docs/main-components/blocks) in our documentation.
+:::
+
+## Other changes
+
+### Storybook integration
+
+We've added Storybook to Open Self Service, providing a powerful development environment for UI components. Storybook is now available:
+
+- **Locally**: Run `npm run storybook` in your project to launch it
+- **Publicly**: Access our always-up-to-date version at [https://storybook-o2s.openselfservice.com/](https://storybook-o2s.openselfservice.com/)
+
+Storybook serves as both a development tool and living documentation, making it easier for teams to collaborate on UI components and maintain design consistency throughout the application.
+
+:::info
+At the moment our Storybook includes only blocks - stay tuned for upcoming updated, where we will also include the components from our UI Library.
+:::
+
+### Updated documentation
+
+We've made significant improvements to our documentation that should improve its readability and make it easier to find what you need:
+
+#### New Customization chapter
+
+We've added a dedicated [Customization chapter](../../docs/guides/customization) that provides quick links to important sections for extending both starters and the framework itself. This centralized resource makes it easier to find guides for:
+
+- Using generators for blocks and UI
+- Adding and customizing existing blocks
+- UI theme customization
+- Extending integrations
+
+#### App Starters documentation
+
+We've added new pages for app starters in our documentation, providing information about different starter templates to help you bootstrap your frontend applications:
+
+- **O2S Customer Portal starter**: Our default starter for customer self-service portals
+- **DXP Frontend Starter**: A new starter for knowledge and marketing portals evolving to Digital Experience Platforms (DXP)
+
+:::info
+Stay tuned for more updates on the DXP starter as we continue to enhance its capabilities and documentation!
+:::
+
+### Bugfixing and security updates
+
+As always, we're committed to maintaining a stable and secure platform. This release includes various bug fixes and security updates to ensure your Open Self Service implementation remains reliable and up-to-date.