Evolving Architecture of Web Apps
OpenFin Webinar, 2020-06-03

Who is this jerk?
Laurie Voss
Senior Data Analyst, Netlify
@seldo

Before we begin
The world is on fire
The Evolving architecture of web apps
What are we talking about?
"Static" sites, aka the Jamstack
What is the Jamstack?
"An architecture in which a web app consists primarily of pre-rendered, static HTML that relies on client-side APIs and JavaScript to provide interactive elements"
The Jamstack Community Survey 2020
Jamstack developers are experienced

Jamstack developers are in every industry

Jamstack developers build every kind of app

Jamstack developers build at scale

Jamstack developers are arriving en masse

The Jamstack is a big deal




But what is the Jamstack?
A new request pattern
What is the Jamstack? #1

Optimize performance with a build step

Why is this good?
- Faster
- Safer
A new architecture
What is the Jamstack? #2

Jamstack abstracts away the application server

Application logic becomes cloud functions

Why is this good?
- Decoupling
- Efficiency
A new workflow
What is the Jamstack? #3

A single seamless build chain

Why is this good?
- Doing less work is less work
- It's also cheaper
What's different about Jamstack?
A sharper line between front and back end
Jamstack trade-offs: #1
Pros and cons of front-end / back-end split
Portability between web and mobile
Sacrificing build time for run time efficiency
Jamstack trade-offs: #2
Drivers behind the Jamstack
Increased consumer expectations
Drivers behind the Jamstack: #1

Recruitment constraints
Drivers behind the Jamstack: #2
Performance, uptime and security
Drivers behind the Jamstack: #3
Mobile-first development
Drivers behind the Jamstack: #4
Serverless
Drivers behind the Jamstack: #5
The economic argument for VMs

VMs revolutionized web apps

Serverless functions do this again

Jamstack is
a new security model
Drivers behind the Jamstack: #6
Developer satisfaction
Drivers behind the Jamstack: #7

Recap!
1. The Jamstack is
a big deal
2. What is the Jamstack?
- A request pattern
- An architecture
- A workflow
3. There are trade-offs
- A stronger split between front and back end
- Less work at runtime means more work at build time
4. Jamstack is driven by broader trends
- Consumer sophistication
- Uptime and performance demands
- Fixed team sizes
- Mobile-first development
- Serverless revolution
- Stronger security needs
- Developer satisfaction
Where next?
Thanks!

You can get these slides here:
@seldo

You can reach me on Twitter:
The Evolving Architecture of Web Apps
By Laurie Voss
The Evolving Architecture of Web Apps
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