The Event Blueprint

8:30 AM

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Registration and Coffee

Doors open so get in, grab a cup of coffee to energize your day, meet attendees, and network a bit!

9:00 AM

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Keynote: Conference Kick Off and Morning Keynote

Getting everyone pumped up and excited about the conference on day 1!

10:00 AM

10:00 AM - 10:25 AM

Build the Next Generation of Web Apps Today

Web development is on the cusp of a revolution and you need to be a part of it. Users are starting to expect applications to do things that previously required massive engineering efforts. You get to harness the power of modern engineering techniques AND AI features to build applications that interact with your users in new ways. Tired of web applications that feel static? In this action-packed session, Mark will show you how to use new features to transform your applications and reimagine the way you interact with users. Prepare to be inspired and empowered to reimagine the possibilities of your apps.

10:00 AM

10:00 AM - 10:25 AM

Understanding Inversion of Control and Dependency Injection

In this session, we will explore the concept of Inversion of Control (IoC) in greater depth than it is typically understood. Beyond the basic definition, we'll discuss the why behind IoC, why it's used, and how it provides value in both development and testing. We will explore its role in achieving loose coupling, modularity, and testability in Java applications. Through a hands-on coding demo, we'll implement a basic, custom solution for both IoC and Dependency Injection (DI) in Java. By the end of the session, you'll walk away with a clear, practical understanding of how IoC and DI work in real-world applications and how to build your own simple DI framework to use in your projects.

10:00 AM

10:00 AM - 10:25 AM

My $8,000 Serverless Mistake!

In the right circumstances, serverless technology can be a fantastic tool in your developer toolbox. There was a time when I went deep down the serverless rabbit hole with Azure Functions. It solved many problems, and I still cannot recommend it enough. However, on my journey, I've also hit the limits of what it can do as a solution. This talk discusses the timeline of migrating multiple services to Azure Functions and loving their flexibility. There were so many wins from making the move! But we'll also cover what went wrong, like an accidental $8,000 Azure bill because I loved them too much.

10:30 AM

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

Building Your Own AI Assistant with JavaScript, LLMs, and RAG: A Web Developer's Guide

This session offers a practical introduction to building your personal AI assistant using Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques, specifically tailored for web developers. We'll demystify the core concepts of LLMs, models, and RAG, providing a solid foundation for beginners. Through hands-on examples using JavaScript and popular libraries, you'll learn how to integrate these powerful technologies into your projects.

10:30 AM

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

Come and Talk to Me: The RnB Guide to Java Web Apps

Ever feel like you're spending more time wiring up your frontend and backend than actually building features? If you're a Java developer, Vaadin might be the solution you're looking for. In this session, we'll take clues from popular RnB songs as a guide to streamlining full-stack development by abstracting away the complexities of client-server communication.

10:30 AM

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

12 Principles for Coding with AI (Beyond Flappy Bird)

This talk presents 12 often overlooked principles for effective coding with AI, moving beyond introductory projects like "Hello World" and Flappy Bird. The talk covers key concepts such as managing context, minimizing context length, navigating large codebases, and conducting research for projects in unfamiliar domains. The goal is to empower attendees to become 10-20% more efficient, and potentially up to 30-40% more efficient in best cases.

11:00 AM

11:00 AM

Open Networking

11:30 AM

11:30 AM - 11:55 AM

Mastering Observability for DevOps Success

When it comes to cloud-native development and microservices, observability is crucial for maintaining reliable and performant systems. However, achieving effective observability goes beyond simply collecting logs, metrics, and traces, it's about gaining deep insights into behavior and quickly identifying the root cause of issues. Attendees will gain practical knowledge on how to architect observability into their systems, leveraging open-source tools like Prometheus and Grafana.

11:30 AM

11:30 AM - 11:55 AM

Unlocking the Full Potential of VS Code for Java Development

In this session I will show you how Visual Studio Code, enhanced with powerful extensions, can match the capabilities of industry-leading IDE, IntelliJ IDEA. With its core features and impressive flexibility, VS Code is quickly becoming a strong contender for enterprise-level Java development.

11:30 AM

11:30 AM - 11:55 AM

Putting Yourself Out There and Changing Your Life Through Publishing Your Work

12:00 PM

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Lunch

1:00 PM

1:00 PM - 1:25 PM

Migrating a Monolith to Cloud-Native and the Stumbling Blocks That You Don't Know About

So your company has finally decided to move to the cloud native ecosystem. You've landed on containerization as your first step. You heard that all you needed to do was containerize your first app and then push it to Kubernetes/OpenShift/Nomad, and the cost savings just come. You've done this, and well, things have gone not as planned. In this talk, I'll explain a few gotchas that a "few" enterprises, in the guise of AsgharLabs, hit moving towards the cloud native world, and hopefully, you'll learn from their mistakes.

1:00 PM

1:00 PM - 1:25 PM

Cloud-Enabled Biometric Data Collection: A New Normal?

As cloud development evolves, biometric data, like facial recognition, fingerprints, and voice patterns, is more commonly stored and processed on our favorite cloud platforms. We'll explore techniques for mitigating risks like data breaches, unauthorized access, and surveillance misuse, with a dive into privacy-by-design principles and compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA.

1:00 PM

1:00 PM - 1:25 PM

The New Way of Building Full Stack Apps with Hilla

Building full-stack applications often requires marrying the front-end and back-end - a time-consuming process that involves managing multiple codebases, creating REST/GraphQL endpoints, and ensuring both layers remain aligned to avoid breaking changes. Hilla can help with that. It's a framework designed to combine the power and flexibility of both Spring Boot and React, while taking care of keeping the two layers in sync.

1:30 PM

1:30 PM - 1:55 PM

What's New in Tailwind CSS v4?

Tailwind CSS v4 Beta, released two weeks ago, introduces numerous enhancements and improvements to the developer experience. In this session, we'll delve into the most significant changes and new features, equipping you with the necessary knowledge to prepare for the official release of v4.

1:30 PM

1:30 PM - 1:55 PM

Optimize Your Terminal to Make You a More Effective Developer

Window magic, command line wizardry - how to optimize your computer and terminal to make you a more effective developer

1:30 PM

1:30 PM - 1:55 PM

Deploying Stateful Realtime Services to the Edge

Modern serverless development has unlocked a new level of developer velocity and made it easier for teams of any size to ship software at any scale. However, there is an entire class of multiplayer and realtime applications that cannot be served by stateless architectures. This talk will explore how we can build stateful services without giving up the ease and speed of serverless technology, and deploy them closest to the users using a Cloudflare technology called Durable Objects.

2:00 PM

2:00 PM - 2:25 PM

Leadership Panel with Local Leaders!

Join Paul McCollum, Senior Vice President at JP Morgan Chase, Christian Waller, CEO at Tinstar Software and Rob Ocel, Vice President of Innovation at This Dot Labs, as they give insight into the local market as well as what companies are currently looking for.

2:00 PM

2:00 PM - 2:25 PM

Cloud Adoption at Scale: Effective Migration, Balancing Cost, and Performance

Session includes strategic migration planning, cost benefit analysis, performance optimization, ongoing cost management, governance and compliance and maximizing cloud ROI. I have completed about 4 extremely large programs on cloud adoptions in AWS, Databricks, TDV, Azure and currently working on another large migration to GCP.

2:30 PM

2:30 PM - 4:25 PM

TypeScript Workshop

This is a workshop on TypeScript that will be hands on and extremely valuable for the time you are spending in it!

2:30 PM

2:30 PM - 4:25 PM

How to Not Suck at Your Next Job Search

I've helped over 1,000+ engineers land jobs throughout my career and probably have spoken to over 15,000+ engineers when it comes to their job search. This session should give you the tools to tackle your next job search with confidence.

2:30 PM

2:30 PM - 2:55 PM

Let's Build a Realtime Chat App with AWS AppSync Events

I would explain what AWS AppSync Events is and how it provides managed websocket connections that scale automatically. This would be followed by a tutorial where I would build a chat app in React that utilizes websocket endpoints provided by AppSync Events for realtime connectivity.

3:00 PM

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

Crawl. Walk. Run. My Journey on Google Cloud

An exciting journey from 0 to fully certified on Google Cloud. It is a story of inspiration, entertainment, and struggle. You don't want to miss it. Yujun holds all 11 Google Cloud certifications and all 14 AWS certifications, and is a Google Cloud Champion Innovator with a specialization in security and networking.

3:30 PM

3:30 PM - 3:55 PM

Taking Your http://localhost:3000 to Production in the Cloud

Networks are the foundation of distributed applications, especially in cloud-native ecosystems. As many apps are built and deployed onto container systems like Kubernetes or directly onto cloud/PaaS, it's key to understand where traffic goes, how to communicate with your applications, and how to decipher network protocols and transactions. This session prepares developers to navigate networks and develop expertise in networking technologies.

4:00 PM

4:00 PM - 4:25 PM

The Future of People

As we continue to embrace artificial intelligence, we will see a new future for how people live their lives. We will take a quick look at how AI can impact humanity for the better, and some of the advancements we can look forward to.

4:30 PM

4:30 PM - 4:55 PM

3 Devs Talking

Quincy Larson, Leon Noel, and Danny Thompson will be having a talk on stage, this one is NOT the conversation that you want to miss!

8:30 AM

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Registration and Coffee

Doors open so get in, grab a cup of coffee to energize your day, meet attendees, and network a bit!

9:00 AM

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Keynote: Context Is Key: The Value of Knowing Why

In this session, I will talk of the importance of knowing more than just the code, but the context of the code. Our development as technologists and members of a community require us to know what our contributions mean to the business, the community, and maybe even the world. I will relate it to stories of my own failure-informed successes and how to gather and maintain context as you iterate.

10:00 AM

10:00 AM - 10:25 AM

The Cloud Is Someone Else's Network: Debugging the Invisible

Modern cloud infrastructure can feel like an unsolvable mystery. Intermittent errors, vanishing requests, and vague user reports leave engineers grappling with invisible issues hidden in the depths of the network. In this talk, we'll don our detective hats and learn essential techniques for debugging distributed systems. You'll discover how to map request flows, assemble a cloud detective's toolkit, and profile the "usual suspects" in any cloud environment.

10:00 AM

10:00 AM - 10:25 AM

Securing Modern Web Architectures: How to Protect Java Microservices and React.js Microfrontends

In today's fast-evolving landscape of distributed systems and modular web architectures, security is more critical than ever. This session dives into the security challenges and solutions for building secure Java microservices and React.js microfrontends.

10:00 AM

10:00 AM - 10:25 AM

Harness the Power of Durable, Event-Driven Workflows

Orchestrating complex workflows and background jobs can be a nightmare, but it doesn't have to be. We will look at how to level up your React apps regardless of framework with portable efficient durable event-driven workflows and background jobs.

10:30 AM

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

Unlocking the Power of API Management for Developers

In this session we will explore the benefits of API gateways and management tools for developers. We will be covering features that can help you build secure APIs with the ability to update your code without affecting current client applications. We will also discover how you can monetize your APIs and provide them to other developers as products.

10:30 AM

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

From Zero to Hero: DynamoDB Essentials and Integration for Java Developers

In this session, we'll guide Java developers through the essentials of Amazon DynamoDB, from foundational concepts to real-world integration. We'll explore data modeling strategies, CRUD operations using the AWS SDK, and advanced features like indexing, transactions, and DynamoDB Streams.

10:30 AM

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

JavaScript-Powered AI: Crafting Intelligent Systems with LLMs and Vector Databases

Ready to combine your JavaScript skills with the world of cutting-edge AI? In this session, we'll show you how to build a JavaScript-powered Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solution by combining the best of Large Language Models (LLMs) and vector databases. Using OpenAI APIs and Langchain, you'll see firsthand how to supercharge search and retrieval with AI smarts.

11:00 AM

11:00 AM

Open Networking

11:30 AM

11:30 AM - 11:55 AM

AI-Powered Cloud Architecture Design - From Monologue to Dialogue (The Rubber Duck Talks Back!)

Have you ever heard the classic developer trick of explaining your code to a rubber duck on your desk until you suddenly figure out the solution? Now imagine if that rubber duck could talk back, challenge your assumptions, clarify areas you have questions about, and help you iterate on your ideas. This session explores how Large Language Models transform cloud architecture design from a solitary journey into an instant, always-on interactive dialogue.

11:30 AM

11:30 AM - 11:55 AM

The Java Features You're Missing Out On

Java has been around almost 30 years and has continued to release new versions with features that its community has been asking for! I will provide some practical examples of features Java has released in its recent bundles, from simple improvements to our beloved Collections and Stream API to more hearty features like Record and Sealed classes. By the end of this session, developers and leaders will have comfortability leveraging newer Java features.

11:30 AM

11:30 AM - 11:55 AM

Styled and SASSy: Choosing the Right React Styling Solution

Are you overwhelmed by the endless options for styling your React components? Should you stick with the tried-and-true Sass, embrace the utility-first libraries, or dive into the dynamic flexibility of styled-components? We'll demystify the most popular styling approaches in React, breaking down their strengths and weaknesses so you can confidently choose the best fit for your next project.

12:00 PM

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Lunch

1:00 PM

1:00 PM - 1:25 PM

Optimizing AI: From RAG to Riches!

We are seeing a record amount of GenAI applications in production. This talk provides you with the mindset and tools to get ahead of the curve and begin implementing RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) system optimization and performance improvement components in your application today! Key topics include practical chunking strategies, context enrichment for accuracy, prompt compression for query optimization, vector quantization, and efficient document retrieval methods.

1:00 PM

1:00 PM - 1:25 PM

AI-Driven Cloud Observability: Reduce Toil and Amplify Time to Resolution

Modern cloud environments demand observability solutions that go beyond traditional methods. This session introduces AI-driven observability as the next step forward, empowering teams to reduce toil, streamline root cause analysis, and resolve issues faster than ever before. By leveraging tools like Grafana Cloud Asserts and incorporating continuous profiling, organizations can automate anomaly detection and correlate data across layers.

1:00 PM

1:00 PM - 1:25 PM

Benefits of Joining the Mob

How do you gain experience as a SWE? The typical PR feedback loop is too long, requires too much introspection and self-reflection, and doesn't help people learn effectively. What if you could accelerate your professional XP gain? What if you could align to your team within weeks of joining a new project rather than months? There is a better way of gaining experience, leveling up, and integrating.

1:30 PM

1:30 PM - 1:55 PM

The Impact of Testing on a DevOps Pipeline

CI/CD pipelines are an integral part of almost any organization today. "It works on my machine," is only valid in a few scenarios. Our code needs to get to other environments: Dev, QA, UAT, and Production. Testing is a recommended part of the pipeline process. What is the impact of NOT having active testing in your pipeline processes?

1:30 PM

1:30 PM - 1:55 PM

Future Trends in Cloud Computing

Explore the future of cloud computing in this insightful presentation, where we'll delve into emerging trends and technologies poised to transform the industry, including the integration of AI and ML, edge computing, quantum computing, serverless architecture, containerization technologies like Kubernetes, Zero Trust security models, cost optimization strategies, and sustainability efforts.

1:30 PM

1:30 PM - 1:55 PM

Reimagining Dynamic Web Apps with HTMX

HTMX is changing the way we think about building dynamic web apps, here's what you can do with it.

2:00 PM

2:00 PM - 2:25 PM

Securing PHI in the Cloud: Best Practices in AWS Environments

As organizations increasingly migrate healthcare data to the cloud, securing Protected Health Information (PHI) becomes paramount to ensure regulatory compliance and safeguard sensitive information. This talk will provide a comprehensive approach to securing PHI within AWS environments, specifically focusing on storage and access methods across S3, RDS, EKS, Athena, and AWS Workspaces.

2:00 PM

2:00 PM - 2:25 PM

The Who, What, and Why of Data Lake Table Formats

A comprehensive exploration of the intricacies of data lake table formats and their impact on business analytics. We will discuss the different data lake table formats, such as Apache Iceberg, Apache Hudi, and Delta Lake, and the benefits of using them for business analytics, including scalability, performance, durability, and auditability.

2:00 PM

2:00 PM - 2:25 PM

Building What Developers Actually Want: Lessons Learned

A practical look at creating tools developers will actually use, with real examples and concrete steps for validating ideas and building things that solve genuine problems.

2:30 PM

2:30 PM - 2:55 PM

Seamless Enterprise Integration in the Cloud: The Ballerina Way

As businesses continue to embrace cloud-native architectures, the need for efficient and agile integration solutions has never been more critical. This session delves into the world of cloud-based enterprise integration, showcasing how Ballerina, a powerful programming language designed specifically for integration, addresses these emerging challenges.

2:30 PM

2:30 PM - 2:55 PM

Infrastructure as Code: A Must Know Skill for Today's Developers

As cloud adoption continues to grow, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is becoming a skill that extends far beyond DevOps. This talk will explore why IaC is now essential for developers across roles and how it bridges the gap between coding and infrastructure management. We'll compare two popular IaC tools, Terraform and AWS CloudFormation, to help you understand their unique approaches.

2:30 PM

2:30 PM - 2:55 PM

Why Migrate from REST to GraphQL?

Are you ready to supercharge your API game? Join me for a hands-on dive into REST vs. GraphQL, where we'll unravel the strengths, trade-offs, and real-world use cases of each technology. You'll walk away with an understanding of REST limitations and how GraphQL liberates your API workflows, insight into performance optimizations, and a live demo!

3:00 PM

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

Building Smarter Cloud Support Systems with AWS Lex

This talk will explore how AWS Lex is transforming cloud service management, improving customer support through intelligent chatbots and automation. I'll dive into real-world use cases and live demo.

3:00 PM

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

Securing Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Environments

Security is a critical challenge in cloud and hybrid environments. This session will explore the best practices for securing multi-cloud and hybrid environments, covering the challenges of multi-cloud security, best practices for hybrid cloud security, and case studies of multi-cloud security implementations.

3:00 PM

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

Being a Good AI Coach

With the advancement in generative AI and large language models, there's a fundamental shift on how we develop applications. Software engineers are not just building blueprints and code instructions, they are being called to be good AI coaches. Attend this presentation and learn practical strategies to effectively coach AI systems.

3:30 PM

3:30 PM - 3:55 PM

The 7 Free Azure Services to Grow Your Career

I helped a SaaS company cut their hosting budget in half while improving their uptime, adding failover replication, and increasing site performance. Knowing how Azure works can be a huge boost to your career. In this session, we will cover 7 key Azure services to learn, each with a free tier for training, plus how to protect you and your business from unexpected cost overruns.

3:30 PM

3:30 PM - 3:55 PM

Micro Frontends Made Easy with Module Federation

In this talk, we will explore the transformative impact of Module Federation on micro frontend applications. By decoupling the frontend into smaller, more manageable pieces, teams can develop, test, and deploy independently. We'll delve into how Module Federation enables micro frontends to consume components from other applications at runtime, and look at how Microsoft leverages it to improve the developer experience.

3:30 PM

3:30 PM - 3:55 PM

Close Encounters of the Data Kind: Exploring UFO Sightings with MongoDB and NextJS

Have you ever rewatched a shaky video over and over trying to tell if something was a UFO? Me too, but what if I told you there's a data driven way to get to the bottom of it all? In this session we will cover the process of storing UFO sightings in MongoDB, building a sleek and interactive user interface with NextJS, and deploying the app to the cloud.

4:00 PM

4:00 PM - 4:25 PM

JavaScript Live: AWS Labs

What happens when you combine the most popular coding language with the most popular cloud platform? It's incredibly easy to get a JavaScript app running on AWS, which this lab will demonstrate. We will create our own Lambda apps, access resources via a local app, and even deploy a React app on EC2.

4:00 PM

4:00 PM - 4:25 PM

Give Every User Their Own Database!

In this talk we will explore how massive multi-tenancy with SQLite can be used to deliver fast and reliable databases on a per tenant basis for use with per-user discreet, local first, ephemeral and agentic memory use cases.