Best Practices for Customizing Open edX for a Small Learning Platform

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Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on setting up an Open edX instance for a small-scale learning platform. Our goal is to create a user-friendly and engaging experience for a limited number of students (around 500-1000 users). While we have a basic installation running, I’d like to customize the platform to better fit our needs.

Some of the areas I’m particularly interested in:

  1. UI/UX Customization:
  • What are the best ways to modify the Open edX theme? I’ve looked into Tutor and its plugins, but I’m unsure of the best approach for making UI changes.
  • Are there any lightweight front-end modifications that don’t require a full rework?
  1. Performance Optimization:
  • Given our user base, what are the key server configurations to ensure smooth performance?
  • Are there any common bottlenecks we should look out for?
  1. Plugin & Feature Development:
  • What’s the recommended way to develop and integrate new features (such as gamification elements or additional progress tracking tools)?
  • Any must-have plugins that have worked well for others?
  1. Maintaining and Upgrading Open edX:
  • How challenging is it to keep an Open edX instance up to date while maintaining customizations?
  • Any best practices for making updates smoother?

I’d love to hear from others who have customized Open edX for similar-sized projects. Any insights, resources, or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

I also checked this: https://discuss.openedx.org/t/how-to-create-blended-learning-in-your-open-edx-e-learning-instance/power-apps

Thanks in advance!