Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

Wes Bos & Scott Tolinski - Full Stack JavaScript Web Developers

Full Stack Developers Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski dive deep into web development topics, explaining how they work and talking about their own experiences. They cover from JavaScript frameworks like React, to the latest advancements in CSS to simplifying web tooling. read less
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Episodes

761: Cloudflare Analytics Engine, Workers + more with Ben Vinegar
Yesterday
761: Cloudflare Analytics Engine, Workers + more with Ben Vinegar
Scott and Wes dive into Cloudflare’s Analytics Engine and Workers with special guest Ben Vinegar, Syntax’s General Manager. Tune in as they explore Clickhouse, data tracking, infrastructure costs, and transitioning from software products to managing a podcast. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:17 Who is Ben Vinegar? Episode 434 with Ben. 02:21 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 04:00 Cloudflare analytics engine. Counterscale.dev. Episode 634 with Armin. 09:08 What is clickhouse? 11:01 Can Clickhouse be used for things outside of analytics tracking? 13:46 What kind of events are you able to track? 15:00 How do you assign values to track? Counterscale Schema. 18:40 Data type limitations. 19:55 The troubles with sampling data. 23:57 Sample intervals. 24:24 Pricing for these services. 25:34 How it actually runs. 27:31 Infrastructure costs and pricing models. 30:19 Running production apps in Cloudflare. 31:49 Cloudflare and HonoJS. 32:47 One year with Sentry and Ben’s role with Syntax. Episode 600 with David. 39:33 How does it feel going from a software project to a media project? Syntax Team. 43:00 How do you sell Syntax to Sentry? 48:37 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Ben: Randy’s YouTube, Boom. Shameless Plugs Ben: Counterscale.dev Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
758: Web Awesome with Konnor Rogers + Cory LaViska
Apr 19 2024
758: Web Awesome with Konnor Rogers + Cory LaViska
Font Awesome is back with Web Awesome, an open source library of web components that will work with any framework because it’s based on standards. Today on Syntax we have Konnor Rogers and Cory LaViska here to talk all things Web Awesome. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:47 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:49 What is Shoelace? 07:21 What is Font Awesome? 08:07 Font Awesome is getting into Web Components? 11:35 What is Shoelace’s relationship with Web Awesome? 13:33 Is the idea to make it quick to get up and running? 15:46 What is the autoloader? 16:29 Where does Web Awesome fit in the ecosystem? 18:13 What does the styling game look like? 20:33 What is Part in CSS? CSS Part mdn web docs 22:06 The reason we’re so stoked with Web Components. 23:32 Custom elements are a natural progression. 24:51 What are your thoughts on Open UI initiatives? Floating UI Close Watcher Can I Use 27:40 Wes’ escape key conundrum. 30:21 A bug on the Syntax site. 31:19 Let’s talk about Kickstarter. 35:24 Do you know what premium inputs will be available in Web Awesome? 36:12 Rich text editor. 40:18 Setting goals. 41:48 Kickstarter giveaways. 42:47 Have you tried drag and drop? Pragmatic Drag and Drop 44:57 The layout component. 48:50 What are your favorite components? 50:29 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Konnor: Enhance.dev, Extism.org Cory: Lit.dev Shameless Plugs Cory: Kickstarter Konnor: Everyone involved in open UI Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
757: Potluck: Is Gatsby Dead? Shadow Dom, AI Summaries, Self Hosting + More
Apr 17 2024
757: Potluck: Is Gatsby Dead? Shadow Dom, AI Summaries, Self Hosting + More
Scott and Wes serve up answers to community questions, from navigating Light DOM vs. Shadow DOM to diving into tools for data extraction. Plus, they dish out insights on Gatsby in 2024, utilizing JavaScript ‘wheel events’, and explore the possibilities of hosting a website at home. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:51 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:17 When should I use Light DOM or Shadow DOM? 03:43 Do you know of any good tools for extracting data/content from Markup/HTML? LinkeDOM on GitHub 08:29 Wanted to ask you guys your opinion on the state of Gatsby in 2024. LocalFirst.fm MeteorJS UI Updates 15:05 Please get the Goodhertz creator on the pod! Would be a great show. Goodhertz Audio Software 16:34 Effects that involve the JavaScript ‘wheel’ event. Runway.com GSAP Animate Anything CSS Scroll-Driven Animations 23:15 Best tool for rapidly creating UI from the ground up. Episode 751 Thinkmill.com 27:44 Wes, what’s with your frame rate? Frame Rate Testing Results on X 32:31 Is there any way to host a whole website setting on my PC at home? CJ and Self-Host 101 Hetzner.com Cloudflare Docs Create a Tunnel 36:52 Offline functionality like saving data and syncing data to database? Episode 739 Local-First Web Development Syntax Side Dish Explainer Playlist 39:41 Creating a GPT-like tool that can listen to long audio files. OpenAI Speech to Text Insanely Fast Whisper Deepgram 43:51 Sick Picks. Sick Picks Scott: Hair Powder Wes: Mini Grease Gun Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
755: Chrome Extensions and Ad Blockers VS Google with Oliver Dunk
Apr 12 2024
755: Chrome Extensions and Ad Blockers VS Google with Oliver Dunk
We were wrong, Manifest V3 is a big deal. Scott and Wes sit down with Oliver Dunk from Google to dive into the intricate world of Chrome Extensions development. From dissecting Manifest V3 to exploring the evolving landscape of browser security and extension reviews, this conversation covers the present and future of browser customization. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:32 Who is Oliver Dunk? 02:00 Brought to you by Sentry. 03:17 Manifest V3. 08:59 How many rules can you add? 09:56 What even is a rule? 10:52 Is Google trying to kill ad blockers? 13:56 What are the bad guys doing with Chrome extensions? 15:17 Can a browser extension access HTTP-only cookies? 16:06 Is Chrome reviewing all of these extensions? 19:06 Is there a way to side-step Google’s review process? Reddit Thread, The real threat of Manifest V3 20:32 Do you see the negative chatter? 21:18 Service workers - how do do you access the DOM? 23:32 Do you think we’ll see more DOM APIs in service workers? 25:58 Do you have a favorite Chrome extension? 28:33 Has Google ever explored something comparable to Boost? SidePanel 33:09 Let’s talk about the development stack. 35:54 1Password and Chrome. 38:39 What is the best way to debug an extension? YouTube Chrome for Developers 40:33 Manifest V3 and the web request blocking API. 41:57 Known tracking payloads. 44:04 Do you think there is a path forward that makes ad-block developers happy? 44:45 Do you run an ad blocker? 45:20 Whitelisting and opt-ins. 46:38 What’s your tech setup? 47:18 What do you do to stay up to date? 47:51 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. 51:47 Wait, is Safari adopting V3 as well? Sick Picks Oliver: Defunctland YouTube, LEMMiNO YouTube Shameless Plugs Oliver: Chrome Extensions Getting Started, WebExtension Playground Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
754: How to Level Up Your Web Development Career
Apr 10 2024
754: How to Level Up Your Web Development Career
Ready to level up your career in web development? Join Wes and Scott as they discuss techniques and best practices for advancing in the field. From mastering technical skills to navigating workplace dynamics, this episode offers actionable advice to help you thrive in your career. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:17 How can a front-end developer advance in their career? 01:10 Brought to you by Sentry. 01:30 Syntax newsletter. Snack Pack 02:02 How do you get better at being a developer? 02:22 Asking questions. 08:09 Get your hands dirty. Hot Tips, Cool Treats 14:07 Share what you know. 17:35 Target your skills for what is needed. Ryan Carniato Tweet Episode 577 Justin Fagnani Tweet Episode 595 21:12 Get out of your comfort zone. 26:55 Getting a better job. 27:27 Understand the stakeholders. 29:18 Find the metric the business cares about and do that. 30:01 Make an impression as being the person that gets things done fast and reliably. 31:47 Improve communications. 35:04 Be the person they want to have in meetings. 37:44 Use systems and tools to help your deficiencies. 39:01 Dress to impress. 39:32 Care. 39:40 Cut the cynicism. Energy Vampire 42:16 Don’t put bad stuff out into the world publicly. 44:29 Get your camera + mic dialed in. 46:23 Leveling up at life. 46:32 Take care of your shit. 47:40 Exercise. Episode 748 47:57 Eat well. 48:22 Sleep as much as you can. 48:26 Clean your workspace. 49:17 Learn new skills. 49:31 Take care of yourself. Habit Path 54:09 Sick Picks. Sick Picks Scott: Zeiss Lens Care Pack Wes: Woosh Screen Cleaner Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
752: React vs Vue vs Angular with Corbin Crutchley
Apr 5 2024
752: React vs Vue vs Angular with Corbin Crutchley
Which framework is best? Join Scott and Wes as they chat with Corbin Crutchley, author of the “Framework Field Guide”, diving into the world of frameworks, metaframeworks, and tips to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in web development. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:48 Who is Corbin Crutchley? 02:08 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:32 Hilton, like the hotel? 05:57 What is the best framework? 07:23 How do you compare these frameworks? 10:00 Do you feel like the metaframeworks are comparable? 11:02 Exciting announcements from ng-conf? 11:42 Are Wiz and Angular merging? 14:17 Angular signals and Vue comparison. PreactJS Signals 17:53 Adding signals to vanilla JavaScript and browsers. 21:02 What is derived state? 23:11 How can we store state within these different frameworks? 24:37 Passing children. 26:40 Which has the best implementation for passing children? 28:52 What’s the approach for building framework agnostic components? TanStack Store 30:31 How much of it is framework specific? 31:35 Headless or DOM-based? 32:48 What are the best practices for writing this? 35:28 What’s the biggest framework pain point? 36:21 Is there a language that requires significantly more code? 38:52 What about Web Components? 39:58 Your book is free? Framework Field Guide Shout-out Eduardo Pratti and Kevin Aguilar. 42:42 What’s the process of writing a book like this? 45:44 Not a physical book? 46:17 Walk us through the tech stack. 48:27 Supper Club Questions. 48:33 What text editor, theme and font do you use? 49:53 What terminal and shell do you use? 50:19 How do you stay up to date? 53:39 Do you have advice for beginners? 55:26 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Corbin: Shiki Syntax Highlighter Shameless Plugs Corbin: Framework Field Guide Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
751: UI Components: ShadCN, Tailwind UI, Headless, React Aria, Radix UI
Apr 3 2024
751: UI Components: ShadCN, Tailwind UI, Headless, React Aria, Radix UI
Scott and Wes explore UI Components, discussing functionality, styling, accessibility, and theming. From headless components to styled starters, they share valuable insights to elevate your UI game. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:39 We’re on YouTube. 03:14 The four categories of UI libraries or frameworks. 03:46 What does a UI component need to do? 04:14 Must be functional. 06:20 They must fit styling. 06:33 They must be accessible. 08:09 “Internationalizationable.” 09:29 They must handle theming and variants. 10:05 A few common UI components. 10:14 Date Pickers. 12:10 Dropdowns. 13:21 Toast message. Svelte French Toast 15:11 Some honorable mentions. 16:10 Headless components. 18:54 React Aria. Behavior, Accessibility, Internationalization 19:34 Radix UI Primitives. 20:16 Downshift JS. 21:29 Tanstack Table and Forms. 26:00 Unstyled components. 28:04 Shoelace. 32:47 React Aria Components. 33:00 Headless UI. 33:04 Radix UI. 37:12 Base UI. 38:23 What’s up with Google’s design? 40:22 Styled Starters. React Aria Components Starter ShadCN Tailwind Catalyst MeltUI 47:50 What is the process for overriding with custom elements. 51:10 UI Kits and Design Systems. 53:06 Some things to consider. JS Nation 55:41 A few more options to consider. Pigment CSS Base UI Shoelace BaseLayer JollyUI DraftUI Radix UI PenguinUI Tailwind CSS TailwindUI VerveUI DaisyUI ChakraUI Flowbite FloatingUI Downshift JS Mantine 59:02 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Wes: Battery Daddy Scott: Lazy Susan, Rechargeable Batteries, Charger Shameless Plugs Scott: Syntax on YouTube Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
749: Coding Shopify with Anne and Trudy of Design Packs
Mar 29 2024
749: Coding Shopify with Anne and Trudy of Design Packs
Scott and Wes are joined by special guests Trudy MacNabb and Anne Thomas from Design Packs, diving into the nitty-gritty of Shopify design. Tune in as they dissect the pros and cons, challenges, and unveil their daily toolkit for crafting stunning Shopify websites. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:59 Who is Anne Thomas? 02:30 Who is Trudy MacNabb? 04:06 Shopify themes, how does one build a theme? 05:34 Do you have enough control with LiquidJS? 07:52 Changing components of a liquid template. 08:58 LiquidJS improving their dev tools. 09:29 LiquidJS email marketing. 10:32 Can you make your own LiquidJS methods? Too Many Tabs 11:34 How would you create a theme from scratch using modern tools? 13:30 What about local dev and live reload? Shopify Tools CLI 15:17 Is Shopify improving? 17:13 What do you hate about Shopify themes? Shopify Tools Theme Kit 18:59 Have you used Hydrogen? Shopify Hydrogen 20:09 Headless has sacrifices. 22:02 Are people building full websites in Shopify? 23:56 Apps and integrations. 25:56 Are people creating businesses around these integrations? 29:16 What are design packs? 31:26 Do you run your own servers? 31:57 How does billing work with clients? 33:18 Apps being ‘Sherlocked’. ‘Sherlocking’ Explained 35:21 Where is the data stored? 36:35 Can you make a custom UI? 38:40 What are the downsides of building apps on Shopify? 39:17 Are you expected to maintain versions? 40:46 Do you manage all the support independently? 42:01 How do you match with their existing themes? 43:54 What are the most popular blocks? 45:17 Does Shopify provide bundlers or compilers? 46:47 Shopify moving to blocks. 47:38 Living as a digital nomad. Syntax Episode 586 on Nomad Developing 49:48 A new app Anne and Trudy launched. 51:35 Limited by block size. 54:08 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Trudy: Bar of Shampoo Anne: Alie Ward Ologies Podcast Shameless Plugs Trudy: 25% off using SYNTAX25 at Design Packs Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
746: Infrastructure for TS Devs: Kubernetes, WASM and Containers with David Flanagan
Mar 22 2024
746: Infrastructure for TS Devs: Kubernetes, WASM and Containers with David Flanagan
Deploy your own tech stack: Wes and Scott are joined by Kubernetes expert David Flanagan to be schooled on how Kubernetes, Docker and even WASM containers work. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:55 Should developers know how to run their own servers? 04:57 What is “bare metal”? 11:49 What the hell is Kubernetes? 12:25 Why would somebody need Kubernetes? 15:37 Using Kubernetes to spin up different instances on cloud providers. etcd 16:43 Kubernetes managing traffic spikes. 18:46 How much downtime can you handle? 22:11 What exactly is a container? 24:06 What containers do you prefer? Docker Containerd 25:28 Some additional terminology. OCI Open Container Initiative 26:43 What about WASM? WASM WebAssembly 29:31 Building a Docker container. 31:11 Why would someone want to use a WebAssembly container? 32:12 Are people shipping this technology? 33:36 What functions would you put in WASM? 36:57 How does someone make a WASM image? 39:22 A little more about Spin. Fermyon Spin 39:56 What type of processors are used in these servers? 42:27 What are home servers running on? Turing Pi 2 Daniel Mangum Universal Blue 46:40 How should someone get started with Kubernetes? Kubernetes.io Rawkode YouTube Kubesimplify Learnk8s 48:51 Infrastructure as code. CDK for Terraform GraalVM 55:19 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks David: Golem.cloud Restate.dev Shameless Plugs David: Rawkode YouTube Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
745: Modern JS Toolchains (Biome, Oxc + More)
Mar 20 2024
745: Modern JS Toolchains (Biome, Oxc + More)
Wes and Scott dive deep into the world of JavaScript toolchains, exploring everything from linters and compilers to transpilers and formatters. Tune in as they shed light on cutting-edge technologies like Biome, UnJS, and Ezno that are shaping the future for developers. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:37 Syntax is on YouTube. 02:09 Do we really need tooling? 04:02 Popular tools are predominantly plug and play. 06:15 What can tooling do for us? 07:16 The tools in today’s workflow. 07:21 Linters. 11:29 Compilers and transpilers. 13:30 Formatters. 16:18 Tokenizers and Parsers. 16:46 Bundlers. 17:59 Macros. 20:26 The new tools in the space. 20:47 Biome, one toolchain for your web project. 28:27 Oxc, the JavaScript oxidation compiler. 33:01 Deno, code formatting. 34:13 ESBuild, an extremely fast bundler for the web. 34:37 Rolldown, fast Rust-based bundler for JavaScript. 38:34 Ezno, TypeScript type checker. 40:24 UnJS, Unleash JavaScript’s Potential. 41:45 Lightning CSS, CSS parser, transformer, bundler, and minifier. 42:31 Is JavaScript good enough to handle these tools? 43:26 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: Shinobi-Geddon: The 1980s Ninja Craze Wes: Bachans Japanese Barbecue Sauce Shameless Plugs Scott: Syntax on YouTube Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
743: JavaScript Figma Plugins & Working at GitHub With Cameron McEfee
Mar 15 2024
743: JavaScript Figma Plugins & Working at GitHub With Cameron McEfee
Wes and Scott welcome Cameron McEfee, a seasoned creative director whose journey spans GitHub, Sentry.io, and the innovative realm of JavaScript plugins with his creation, GuideGuide. Cameron explores plugin building, iterating on the iconic Octocat for GitHub, and shedding light on the multifaceted roles of a creative director. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:06 Who is Cameron McEfee? 03:00 What does a Creative Director do? 09:47 In a creative and collaborative field, how do you deal with hurt feelings? 12:32 Experiences at GitHub (404/500 pages). 15:35 Who is responsible for all the Octocat variations? GitHub Octodex 17:18 Did you ever get in trouble for using famous IP? 21:07 Working at Sentry.io. 25:08 What is your illustration process? 27:04 What is GuideGuide? GuideGuide Moo Tokenizer/Lexer 33:13 Grid Notation. 36:10 Can ‘good colors’ be calculated, can good design be math’d? 40:46 What was the process of building your own plugin? 43:37 Adding guides with JavaScript APIs. 44:44 Recreating application UIs within plugins. GoodHertz 50:22 How are you architecting these plugins? 52:44 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Cameron: Ember Mug Waterparks Spotify Execute Program Shameless Plugs Cameron: GuideGuide 50% off Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
742: Potluck: Migrating to Typescript, Semver Explained, Accurate Timers and Countdowns
Mar 13 2024
742: Potluck: Migrating to Typescript, Semver Explained, Accurate Timers and Countdowns
Scott and CJ dive into a potluck of developer queries, from their favorite tech reads to essential web dev fundamentals. Tune in as they dish out expert advice on migrating React projects to TypeScript, crafting precise timers for countdown apps, and navigating the world of free-tier plans. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:20 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:16 What book changed your life? Whatever you think, think the opposite It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be Crucial Conversations thanks @benvinegar 04:58 What are the web development fundamentals for beginners? Command Line Power User 08:39 What are your thoughts on Chris Coyer’s post on his sale of CSS-Tricks? Chris Coyer’s Post 11:51 Advice for migrating an existing React project to TypeScript. 20:38 Countdown apps, performance vs accuracy. 25:19 Are you listening to podcasts? Which ones? 31:46 With AI on the rise, will free-tier plans become a thing of the past? Coolify Syntax 730: Own Your Own Paas 35:59 What is SemVer anyway? semver.org npmjs TypeScript on Semantic Versioning 40:14 A question on ergonomics, home office aesthetics and productivity. 47:59 Do you ever stop to consider VueJS in 2024? Why or why not? unjs.io 52:12 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: Ellenos Yogurt CJ: Flat Iron Pepper Shameless Plugs Syntax.fm YouTube Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott:X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads