Episode notes
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, host Danny Thompson sits down with Ben Peeri, Lead Solutions Architect and Entrepreneur, for a candid and energetic conversation on how AI tools are reshaping the way developers build software. They explore the strengths and tradeoffs of platforms like v0, Bolt, and Replit, diving into how these tools fit into modern dev workflows—from quick POCs to potential production use.Ben shares his unique approach to local LLMs, including how he uses them for pen testing and simulating malicious actors to harden apps before release. The conversation also…
Podcast
Modern Web
Modern Web · Tech & Science · English
The modern web is changing fast. Front-end frameworks evolve quickly, standards are emerging and old ones are fading out of favor. There are a lot of things to learn, but knowing the right thing is more critical than learning them all. Modern Web Podcast is an interview-style show where we learn…
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21 May 2025 · 39 min
What’s New About Heroku in 2025? AI Platform as a Service + What are MCPs?
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson sit down with Julián Duque, Principal Developer Advocate at Heroku, to talk about Heroku’s evolution into an AI Platform-as-a-Service. Julián breaks down Heroku’s new Managed Inference and Agents (MIA) platform, how they’re supporting Claude, Cohere, and Stable Diffusion, and what makes their developer experience stand out. They also get into Model Context Protocols (MCPs)—what they are, why they matter, and how they’re quickly becoming the USB-C for AI. From internal tooling to agentic infrastructure and secure AI…
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14 May 2025 · 44 min
Building Roo Code: Agentic Coding, Boomerang Tasks, and Community
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson talk with Hannes Rudolph, Community Manager at RooCode, to explore how this fast-moving, community-driven code editor is rethinking what AI-assisted development looks like. Hannes breaks down Roo’s agentic coding model, explains how their “boomerang tasks” tackle LLM context limits, and shares lessons from working with contributors across experience levels. Keypoints from this episode: - RooCode's "boomerang" architecture breaks complex coding tasks into structured, recursive subtasks, helping AI agents stay focused while…
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30 Apr 2025 · 38 min
Battle of The AI Agents: RooCode, Claude, & Cursor
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel is joined by Danny Thompson, Adam Rackis, and special guest Coston Perkins for a lively discussion on the evolving role of AI in software development. The group swaps thoughts on everything from the rise of AI agents like RooCode and Claude, to what makes tools like Vercel’s v0 surprisingly powerful for frontend work. They debate Tailwind’s dominance as the styling output of choice for AI tools, unpack the implications of Shopify’s AI-mandate memo, and tackle the big question: will AI reshape team structures or just amplify developer…
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24 Apr 2025 · 37 min
Why Unkey Ditched TypeScript and Serverless for GO!
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, host Danny Thompson and co-host Adam Rackis chat with James Perkins, CEO of Unkey, an open-source API management platform built for scale, security, and developer simplicity. James shares the challenges of building globally distributed infrastructure, and why his team ditched serverless and TypeScript in favor of Go and servers. They talk candidly about the realities of API management at scale, how Unkey balances open source transparency with enterprise-grade performance, and what it takes to build developer trust—both as a brand and as a product.…
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16 Apr 2025 · 43 min
What Makes TanStack Form Different from Other Form State Managers?
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson talk with Corbin Crutchley — founder of Playful Programming, Microsoft MVP, GitHub Star, and maintainer of multiple TanStack libraries including TanStack Form, Store, and Config.They dive into Corbin’s work maintaining open source at scale, what makes TanStack Form different (and a bit esoteric), and why the design decisions behind it matter, especially for enterprise teams. They also unpack the tradeoffs of abstraction, type safety in large-scale apps, and best practices for migrating form logic.Later in the episode, the…
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3 Apr 2025 · 34 min
Junior Devs Shouldn’t Use AI + Is the AI Discussion Repetitive?
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson get real about the current state of AI in software development. They talk about what’s working, what’s frustrating, and why so much of the conversation around AI feels repetitive or disconnected from reality. They explore how AI is actually being used day to day—and where it still falls short. They also discuss the risks of relying too heavily on AI, especially for junior devs, and why understanding fundamentals still matters. Keypoints from this episode: - AI fatigue is setting in among developers, with many eager to…
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26 Mar 2025 · 40 min
Why React Remix is Great for Server Side Engineering
Join hosts Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson for another episode of the Modern Web Podcast, where they sit down with Brad Garropy, senior front-end engineer at Stripe, YouTuber, and all-around tech enthusiast. Brad shares insights from his journey through big tech—from Dell to Adobe, Atlassian, and now Stripe—while discussing the challenges of scaling front-end engineering across different companies. The conversation covers TypeScript’s major performance boost, the Go vs. Rust debate, and how engineering teams are evolving their tooling for speed and efficiency. They also explore Remix, why Brad…
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19 Mar 2025 · 39 min
Why Choose Appwrite Over Firebase or Supabase?
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, hosts Rob Ocel, Adam Rackis, and Danny Thompson, examine the technical side of modern web development with guest Dennis Ivy, a developer advocate at Appwrite. The discussion explores HTMX, its approach to extending HTML for dynamic UIs, and how it challenges the dominance of JavaScript-heavy SPAs. They examine where HTMX fits in the web ecosystem, its strengths and limitations, and its potential for enterprise applications. The conversation then shifts to backend-as-a-service platforms, with Dennis breaking down how Appwrite provides authentication,…
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12 Mar 2025 · 47 min
The Evolution of Prisma in 2025 with Søren Bramer Schmidt, CEO and Founder of Prisma
In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, hosts Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson chat with Søren Bramer Schmidt, CEO and Founder of Prisma, about the evolution of Prisma to a widely adopted ORM used by 50% of Fortune 2000 companies. Søren shares insights on balancing open-source growth with enterprise adoption, optimizing ORM performance, and addressing concerns like N+1 queries and vendor lock-in.The discussion also covers the launch of Prisma Postgres, a managed database designed to make provisioning as easy as creating a Notion page, and the shift from Rust to TypeScript for better…
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5 Mar 2025 · 41 min
How Code Reviews Shape Strong Engineering Leaders: Pairing vs. Mobbing
On this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel and Adam Rackis talk with Noah Harris, Senior Engineering Manager at Launch, to discuss the impact of mob programming and how it can transform engineering teams. Noah shares how pairing and mobbing helped him rapidly level up in his early career, how it fosters stronger communication, and why it’s particularly valuable for remote teams. The conversation also explores engineering leadership, breaking past career plateaus, and the importance of soft skills in advancing your career. Noah shares insights on servant leadership, how engineers can…
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