Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

894: Open Source Matters w/ Chad Whitacre

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Chad Whitacre, the newest member of the Syntax team, about all things open source—licenses, controversies, economics, and et...

893: Everyone Is Talking About MCP

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes break down the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a new open standard that gives AI agents secure, tool-like access to your dev environment. ...

892: The History of Syntax

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk about the origins of Syntax, sharing how a friendly course name conflict led to a mastermind group, then a podcast, and eventually ...

891: Light and Dark Mode

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Light mode? Dark mode? Scott and Wes break down the best ways to implement theme switching in CSS, from prefers-color-scheme to manual overrides. Plus...

890: Accepting Money on the Internet in 2025

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk about the ins and outs of accepting payments online—from choosing processors like Stripe and PayPal to handling fraud, taxes, cus...

889: Planning A Build

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk about the planning process for a major redesign of the Syntax.fm website. They share their thoughts on organizing tasks, choosing t...

888: You Need a Monorepo × Client Only React × TanStack + More

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

887: Vibe Coding Is a Problem

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is Vibe Coding the future of software development or just a fun way to experiment? Scott and Wes talk about coding with AI, the risks of ignoring the ...

886: AWS and IAC for Dummies with SST

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk about Infrastructure as Code and how SST makes deploying to AWS easier than ever. They dive into SST’s features, developer experi...

885: CSS Fonts Fallbacks, Variable and Trimming

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes dig into the wild world of CSS fonts—covering fallbacks, variable fonts, and new tricks like text-box-trim. They also break down font-...

884: Typescript Just Got 10x Faster

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Anders Hejlsberg and Daniel Rosenwasser about TypeScript’s leap to native code. They discuss the challenges, trade-offs, and...

883: Web Vitals Explained

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What are Web Vitals, and why should you care? Scott and Wes break down metrics like LCP, FCP, CLS, and INP, explaining what they measure, how they imp...

882: Aaron Francis is putting PHP in Your JS Files

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Aaron Francis about Fusion for Laravel, a new way to seamlessly integrate PHP into JavaScript. They discuss how Fusion expands...

881: What Happened to Remix. Worth Using Axios? Client Only Next.js?

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes answer your listener questions! They debate Axios vs. Fetch, discuss whether Next.js is overkill without a backend, talk htmx and Alpine...

880: Creator of Home Assistant: Web Components, Self Hosting and Home Hacking

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and CJ talk with Paulus Schoutsen, creator of Home Assistant, about the future of smart homes, AI-powered automation, and open-source innovation. ...

879: Fullstack Cloudflare

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and CJ break down everything Cloudflare—from Workers and R2 Storage to Hyperdrive and AI Gateway. Get the scoop on what makes Cloudflare tick, t...

878: You Are Sleeping On Nuxt, Nitro and Vue w/ Daniel Roe

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Daniel Roe about Nuxt and Nitro, demystifying the UnJS ecosystem, serverless deployments, open-source sustainability, and the ...

877: Tailwind 4

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tailwind 4.0 is here, and Scott and Wes break down all the spicy new features, from CSS-powered configs to first-class container queries. Plus, they d...

876: MIDI & Music in the Browser

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk about the Web Audio and Web MIDI APIs, diving into how they enable powerful music and sound manipulation in the browser. They explo...

875: JavaScript Signals Explained

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

JavaScript is missing a built-in way to make variables reactive—but Signals might change that. Scott and Wes break down what Signals are, how they c...

874: Fast Apps - Easy Perf Wins

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is your app feeling sluggish? Scott and Wes break down the biggest performance bottlenecks—like bloated assets, slow databases, and waterfall reques...

873: Standard Schema: The Universal JavaScript Data Interface

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk about the standard schema for data validation, a collective effort by various library authors to create a unified interface. They d...

872: Too much AI × Disappointed in Firefox × Planning New Projects × Hard Truths

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott answer questions about HTML semantics, TypeScript, adapting to AI’s impact on web development, and the best and worst browsers for dev...

871: Coding Agents Cursor + Windsurf Tips

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes explore the world of coding agents, diving into tools like Cursor and Windsurf that promise to change how we write and manage code. They...

870: Windsurf forked VS Code to compete with Cursor. Talking the future of AI + Coding

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Kevin Hou and Varun Mohan from Windsurf about the evolving landscape of AI in coding, and the future of software development. ...

869: Node + TypeScript in 2025

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes explore the experimental world of running TypeScript in Node, breaking down the differences between type stripping and compiling. They c...

868: The State of JavaScript

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk about the State of JavaScript survey, tends, popular features, and the evolving landscape of tools and frameworks. Show Notes 00...

867: Zero Sync is the Future of Data Loading

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the deal with Zero Sync? Scott and Wes dive into this cutting-edge database tech, exploring its real-time interactivity, blazing-fast perform...

866: 2025 Web Development Predictions

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes look into their crystal ball to predict what’s coming in web development next year. From the rise of on-device AI to the vanilla CSS c...

865: CSS Performance × Rate Limiting × Array Sort Behavior - STUMP'd

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes challenge each other’s knowledge on everything from array sorting quirks to browser isolation types in a rapid-fire trivia format. The...

864: Durable Objects × Tab State Hacks × Headless CMS Choices + More

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes ring in the new year, answering listener questions on the rise of durable objects, handling tricky tab state in e-commerce apps, and the...

863: 2024: A Year in Review

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes look back at 2024 and share highlights from a big year for Syntax and the web dev world. They review their 2024 predictions to see what ...

862: Svelte 5 Is Here!

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is Svelte becoming React? Scott and Wes explore the exciting updates in Svelte 5, including Runes, Snippets, odd font choices, and performance benchma...

861: Local Data: Sqlite, LocalStorage, Session, Cookies and IndexDB

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes dive into the world of local data storage, breaking down the pros and cons of Sqlite, LocalStorage, SessionStorage, Cookies, and Indexed...

860: Module Federation Microfrontends with ByteDance’s Zack Jackson

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Zack Jackson about Module Federation, and the innovative ways it streamlines collaboration across large teams and complex appl...

859: Streaming Video in 2025

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes break down the tech behind video streaming for the web, from transcoding and variants to CDN and access control. They also share insight...

858: How to Go Deeper With Your Learning

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Want to level up your web dev game? Scott and Wes share their top tips for going deeper with your learning—covering everything from reading the docs...

857: How to Look and Sound Good at $10, $100 and $1000 With Producer Randy

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Syntax Producer Randy Rektor. From mastering mic technique to lighting hacks and choosing the right camera, they discuss the b...

856: Loading UIs, Rust Webpack, New Cookie Types, Conference Talks + More

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes dive into your questions on Hono and SvelteKit, partitioned cookies, redirect codes, and using Rspack instead of Vite. Plus, they share ...

855: Fast Websites: The New Speculation Rules API

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes dive into the Speculation Rules API and why it’s a game-changer for building blazing-fast websites. They break down how pre-loading, p...

854: Animating the Web With Matt Perry: Exploring motion.dev

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Matt Perry, the creator of Motion (formerly Framer Motion). Matt discusses building intuitive tools, transitioning Motion to o...

853: The State of Frontend

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes dive into the State of Frontend 2024 Survey, breaking down the latest trends, tools, and frameworks shaping the developer ecosystem. Tun...

852: Cloudflare Tunnels

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Explore the power of Cloudflare Tunnels with Scott and Wes as they break down this essential tool for secure remote server access. Learn how to establ...

851: The Future of VS Code and Copilot

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes and Scott talk with Cassidy Williams and Harald Kirschner about exciting new features in VS Code and GitHub Copilot, including custom instructions...

850: Manage State in JavaScript Like a Pro!

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up state management in JavaScript, breaking down key concepts like reactive state, state updaters, and global vs local state. They...

849: How to Pick a JS Package

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve got a project, and you need the right tool—but how do you know if that JavaScript package is the one? Scott and Wes guide you through findi...

848: Web Components Can’t Save Us with Scott Jehl

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk with Scott Jehl about the benefits, challenges, and use cases of web components, particularly in design systems and performance. S...

847: Syntax Holiday Gift Guide

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes are back with their annual Syntax Holiday Gift Guide! They’ve curated the best gadgets, tools, games, and even kitchen essentials for ...

846: Talking EVs: Range Anxiety, Charging, and Tech

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes unpack their experiences as electric car owners, sharing the highs and lows of making the switch. From range anxiety to charging infrast...

845: Are companies hiring? State of the dev job market with Taylor Desseyn

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk with Taylor Desseyn about the shifting developer job market. Taylor shares practical tips for standing out, building genuine connec...

844: TypeScript, Branded Types, Streaming vs Polling + More

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up listener questions on everything from SvelteKit’s limits and the quirks of branded types in TypeScript to handling email queu...

843: Copilot Kills Cursor? Reacting to Github Universe Keynote

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes react to the big GitHub Universe announcements, recorded live at GitHub Universe. They dive into Copilot’s new features, exploring how...

842: There's Python in my JavaScript! with Andrea Giammarchi

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk with Andrea Giammarchi (aka WebReflection) about his projects, including LinkDOM and PyScript, and the exciting future of running P...

841: Spooky Web Dev Horror Stories - PART 2

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes continue to share hair-raising developer horror stories submitted by listeners. From accidentally severing access to crucial databases t...

840: Spooky Web Dev Horror Stories - PART 1

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes unpack the spookiest web dev stories submitted by listeners in this episode. From forgotten MX records to infinite loops, these real-lif...

839: Prisma ORM: Local First, Typed SQL Queries and Serverless with Søren Bramer Schmidt

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk with Søren Bramer Schmidt, Founder and CEO of Prisma, about database best practices, including the latest developments in serverle...

838: Productivity Tools for Web Developers

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Get your productivity game on point! Scott and Wes serve up the best tools for web developers, covering everything from password managers and to-do ap...

837: You Should Drop Express and Try Hono

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CJ joins Scott and Wes to dive into why he’s all-in on Hono, a fast and lightweight web framework for every JavaScript runtime. From familiar route ...

836: Real Talk on Web Accessibility with Marcy Sutton Todd

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

835: How to Pick a JavaScript Framework

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you really need a framework? Scott and Wes bring on CJ to break down when frameworks like Vue, Svelte, and Astro are worth it—and when they might...

834: AI Will Improve Your Web Development Workflow

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up ways developers can use AI tools like Claude, GitHub Copilot, and more to boost productivity. From error tracing to refactoring...

833: Next Gen Fullstack React with TanStack

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk with Tanner Linsley, creator of TanStack, about the React ecosystem, and the evolution and futue of TanStack’s suite of tools, in...

832: Potluck: When to Use a Framework × Goodbye Webpack × Custom Events in React + More!

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes answer your burning questions! They cover everything from moving off create-react-app and the benefits of Next.js, to transitioning from...

831: Preventing Spam and Fraud

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From CAPTCHAs to shadow banning, Scott and Wes break down the best strategies for keeping your app safe from spam and fraud. They cover tools like ema...

830: GitHub and Code Reviews with Sarah Vessels

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk with GitHub’s Sarah Vessels about the ins and outs of code reviews, their critical role in collaborative development, and tips fo...

829: 14 Web Development Tips I Wish I Knew Sooner

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes share 14 game-changing tips they wish they’d known earlier in their web dev careers. From embracing tools to learning by doing, these ...

828: Logging in Verification: Magic Links, 2FA, SMS Codes

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up the pros and cons of modern authentication methods like magic links, 2FA, and SMS codes. Learn how each technique works, the se...

827: Career Development with Topher Martini

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk with Topher Martini, a former Engineering Program Manager at Apple, about his extensive experience over two decades in the tech ind...

826: You Need These 30 Apps - PART 2

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In part 2 of covering the best apps for web developers, Scott and Wes dive into must-have tools that will level up your workflow. From screenshot util...

825: Syntax Assistant Desktop App

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott walks Wes through the new Syntax Production Assistant Desktop App, designed to streamline and automate their complex publishing process. From te...

824: Taylor Otwell's opinions on PHP, React, Laravel and Lamborghini Memes

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with Taylor Otwell, the creator of Laravel. Taylor shares insights on his journey from creating Laravel ...

823: Is Cursor AI the VS Code Killer?

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up a discussion on AI coding assistants with a deep look at Cursor AI, exploring its unique features like multi-line auto-complete...

822: Receipt Printer with JavaScript

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes unveils his Hack-Week project —a thermal printer controlled by JavaScript that prints out Sentry.io errors in real-time. Scott and Wes dive into...

821: Is Tauri the Electron Killer?

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with Daniel Thompson-Yvetot about Tauri. They dive into what Tauri is, the motivations behind its develo...

820: Potluck: 8000 ESLint Errors × HTML Time Tag × 7 Meg React Bundle × CSS Modules

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this Potluck episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes answer your questions, from weighing the trade-offs between numerous small npm packages and a few lar...

819: Fun & Profitable Side Projects for Developers

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up a hasty discussion on side projects, sharing their latest Hack Week experiments and tips on how to turn fun ideas into profitab...

818: CJ × Hosting Meetups - Lunch and Learn

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with CJ Reynolds about the resurgence of meetups in a post-COVID world. They discuss the benefits of att...

817: You Need These 30 Apps - PART 1

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes kick off part 1 of a 2-part series, breaking down 30 must-have apps for web developers and productivity enthusiasts. From file managemen...

816: Why Your CSS Sucks

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes break down why your CSS might suck—from misusing specificity to not leveraging CSS variables. Tune in as they dive into common pitfall...

815: Deno 2 with Ryan Dahl

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with Ryan Dahl about Deno 2.0, its new features and use of web standards, and how it seamlessly integrat...

814: Fundamentals: HTML

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about HTML fundamentals — from basic structure and semantics to practical tips for better accessibilit...

813: CSS: Scroll Driven Animations

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about CSS’ new scroll-driven animations, its implementation, uses, and potential pitfalls. They also d...

812: CSS 4, 5, and 6! With Google’s Una and Adam

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with Una Kravetz and Adam Argyle from Google Chrome about the evolution of CSS, new features, and the pu...

811: NodeJS Evolves

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about the latest features in Node.js, including native support for TypeScript, .env parsing, a built-in ...

810: Effortless Light and Dark Mode × Theme Styling

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about the latest CSS theming properties and techniques for better controlling light and dark modes, as w...

809: How To Stay Up To Date with Daily.dev’s Francesco Ciulla

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes talk with Daily.dev’s Francesco Ciulla about the platform's history, community features, and significant gr...

808: The Future of JavaScript Frameworks × Building Auth × DB Design Tips, and more!

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about the future of JavaScript frameworks, building custom authentication syste...

807: CSS Components: Tailwind, Panda, Scoped, Modules, Classes, Variables, CSS-in-JS and Sprinkles!

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about CSS components, including class-based components, CSS modules, scoped CSS, utility CSS, and CSS-in...

806: The King of Drag and Drop: Alex Reardon

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes talk with Alex Reardon from Atlassian about developing drag-and-drop libraries, specifically the challenges with creating efficient and ...

805: We React to State of React Survey

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up their reaction to the “State of React 2023” survey results, discussing the main API pain points like forwardRef and memo. T...

804: Should Your Website Work Without JavaScript?

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes debate whether your website really needs JavaScript to function. They explore the principles of web standards, progressive enhancement, ...

803: The SQLite Takeover with Turso’s Glauber Costa

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes chat with Glauber Costa from Turso about the evolution of databases and the fascinating technology behind Turso. They dive into topics l...

802: Tree Shaking × useMemo vs useCallback × JavaScript Event Loop - STUMP'd

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up a gameshow-style quiz with STUMP’d, challenging each other on web development trivia. From the differences between useMemo an...

801: 6 New JavaScript Proposals

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up six exciting new JavaScript proposals, including Promise.try and Math.sumPrecise. They break down what each proposal means for ...

800: Why the jQuery Creator Uses React and Typescript - John Resig

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 800 of Syntax, Scott and Wes sit down with John Resig, the creator of jQuery, to discuss the current state of React and TypeScript. They di...

799: Hot New and Under-Utilized Browser APIs

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up the latest and most under-utilized browser APIs that are changing the game for web development. From the @starting-style CSS AP...

798: Self Hosting: Reverse Proxy Servers

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes serve up an episode on reverse proxy servers. They discuss popular options like CF Tunnels, Caddy, Nginx, Apache, and more, explaining w...

797: Drizzle: The TypeScript SQL ORM

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes chat with Alex Blokh and Andrew Sherman, the co-founders of Drizzle ORM, about building a modern ORM from the ground up. They dive into ...

796: Do We Need JS Frameworks × Are You Over-Engineering? × Webview vs Native

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes tackle a variety of audience questions, from the nuances of over-engineering to the energy consumption of AI LLMs. They also discuss the...

795: Hosting Private Fonts on the Edge With Cloudflare

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott and Wes dish out the intricacies of hosting private fonts using Cloudflare Pages. They explore the challenges of font security, the benefits of ...