Jovo Framework

Jovo

The framework for voice app development. Build one single JavaScript application and it builds out both Google action and an Amazon Alexa skill. Where else can you go to build voice apps on BOTH major platforms with one single code base?

I first discovered Jovo when I was scrolling through YouTube to figure out how to solve a specific problem for Amazon Alexa. The video I watched had a screencaster who was using the Jovo framework to build out not only the Alexa Skill that I was concerned with but he was also building in Action on Google Assistant. And then went to research by going to jovo.tech and found the platform that I would have been truly fall in love with.

Landing on the jovo website you see in big bold letters the framework for voice app development with two buttons open source and getting started. If you click the open-source button it takes you to get Hub repository for the jovo framework. If you click the getting started but it’s Scrolls you down the website to the five steps needed to start getting building with the jovo framework.
The essential steps to building with jovo are to:

1. install the framework using node package manager or npn. Once you’ve installed node and you set up the jovo package using npm you can then
2. create a new jovo project by running the command jovo new {name of your project}
3. After you’ve created the new jovo project you need to build out the platforms by running jovo init alexaSkill and jovo init googleAction that’ll build both Alexa and Google Assistant
4. then when you run jovo build it builds both platforms: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Once you have your jovo app setup you can start changing around your code zip up your application and store it in the cloud on AWS Lambda. Using AWS Lambda you can take the Lambda ARN to have the backend code for your AWS Alexa skill. Using AWS API Gateway you can take the existing AWS Lambda function and create an endpoint that you can insert into dialogflow for your Google action. Now not only do you have one single code base , but you also only need to change one repository by updating AWS Lambda to have both your Alexa skill in Google action update.
With the Jovo framework you also get special objects such as a SpeechBuilder to make it easier to add text add pauses at MP3 files in other strings to Alexa and Google responses. You also get the VisualBuilder which helps with voice first screen displays such as the Echo Show in the Google home hub so you can use for Alexa there Alexa Presentation Library otherwise known as APL or for Google to be able to design with their cards and other visual interfaces all within one single app.

Jovo includes unit testing, a benefit neither the platforms have been able to get right. Jovo leverages mocha and chai for unit testing using JavaScript. That way as your building out your voice apps you can always run your unit test to make sure that your app is scaling with the new features you bring on period at Voice First, we use test-driven development to start by writing our test cases and then to only right enough code to get those test cases to pass. The philosophy of do the simplest thing that could possibly work is implemented in every aspect of our voice development process thanks to Jovo.
Jovo saves our developers time, which saves our company money by allowing us to build more voice apps faster. We spend more time creating and less time figuring out the technical details. Jovo allows us to focus more on creating custom, unique and valuable experiences for our customers and less time in the weeds designing and building voice apps. Thank you Jovo for helping us to continue to create a voice - first world.