So you want a modern frontend for your Python web app?
Modern web development has been in stuck in a complexity death-spiral for some time. It’s not good for individual devs or the ecosystem as a whole.
But now we have HTMX and AlpineJS.
In this talk I’ll share a bit about how these tools helped me, and the waves they are likely to make.
Once upon a time, if you wanted to have a highly interactive and responsive web application, Django just would not cut it. A common pattern was (and still is) to build a Python backend application to serve some APIs and then build a separate frontend application using some kind of heavy frontend library or framework such as React, Vue, or Svelte.
But now we have HTMX and AlpineJS. And it’s just wonderful.
In this talk, I’ll share my experience of rewriting a React app in HTMX and Alpine. I’ll then talk about why I think adopting tools like these makes a lot of sense for teams, organisations and the community as a whole.
Sheena
My early career saw me working as a software engineer and technical leader across multiple startups. But it was my passion for education that led me to devote the last 5+ years to reimagining how we teach people to code professionally.
Over the last half decade I have had the opportunity to work in the NGO space and build alternative education systems from the ground up. Along the way I have learned a lot about how to teach well, how to build systems that teach well, and how traditional education systems fall short.
I lead the Guild of Educators, a community I founded to empower tech educators through shared resources, support, and evidence-based teaching practices. Additionally, I run Prelude, where I provide rigorous technical training, as well as consultation, and coaching for technical educators, and organisations with education functions (for example grad programs and similar).