Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Agent Experience: https://agentexperience.ax

- Arrazo: https://spec.openapis.org/arazzo/latest.html

- Netlify: https://netlify.com

- Sean on X: https://x.com/JavaSquip

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

This episode dives deep into the emerging field of Agent Experience (AX), exploring how software agents, including LLMs, will interact with the web and online services. The conversation highlights the distinction between the "human web" and the "agent web," emphasizing the need for new approaches to ensure agents can effectively understand context and execute tasks.

Key topics include contextual alignment protocols like MCP (Machine Context Protocol), and standards such as `llms.txt` and `agents.json`, alongside efforts like Arrazo, which aim to provide structured information and enable complex workflows for agents. A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the challenges of authentication for agents, moving beyond human-in-the-loop processes and complex systems like OAuth2 towards more agent-friendly, secure, and auditable solutions, possibly involving dedicated agent user identities.

The dialogue also covers practical considerations like providing data to LLMs efficiently, the importance of API accessibility for agents, and the need for businesses to adapt to this new paradigm of interaction. Finally, the conversation underscores that AX is a rapidly evolving area, transitioning from theoretical concepts to practical applications, with a strong call for community collaboration to develop best practices and robust solutions for the future of agent-driven web interactions.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:35 Exploring Agent Experience (AX) and Its Importance

06:23 Understanding the Role of Model Context Protocol (MCP)

09:22 The Principles of Great Agent Experience

12:24 Agent Accessibility and Its Challenges

15:34 Contextual Alignment: Enhancing Agent Interaction

18:31 Human-Centric Design in Agent Experience

21:23 The Future of AI and Agent Experiences

24:25 Improving Human Accessibility Through Agentic Experiences

27:29 Primitives of Agent Accessibility

30:22 Avoiding Human in the Loop Patterns

33:19 Authentication in an Agentic World

38:34 Navigating API Token Strategies

43:30 Contextual Alignment: The Next Frontier

55:50 Understanding Agents vs. Bots

01:00:19 Optimizing Contextual Alignment for Agents

01:14:11 Understanding Website Infrastructure and Cost Implications

01:14:37 The Role of LLMs in Web Navigation

01:17:54 Quantifying ROI in Web Technologies

01:19:43 Introduction to Arazo and Workflow Management

01:24:26 Measuring Human vs. Agent Interaction

01:30:28 The Emergence of Agent Experience (AX)

01:38:09 Five Principles of Agent Experience (AX)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Links

- CodeCrafters (partner): https://codecrafters.io/

- Santosh's website: https://santoshyadav.dev/

- Santosh on X: https://x.com/santoshyadavdev

- "My Journey to Staff Engineer" by Santosh: https://www.santoshyadav.dev/blog/2025-03-29-my-journey-to-staff-engineer/

- The Staff Engineer's Path: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/the-staff-engineers/9781098118723/

Previous episode with Santosh

- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/santosh-yadav-how-open-source-changes-lives-angular/id1731855333?i=1000664702562&l=pt-BR

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1qjaz4PCxEMwUKP2IyBSBv?si=d338dd633c764939

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqlBFtg8EtU

Summary

Santhosh Yadav discusses his promotion to Staff Engineer at Celonis, contrasting it with his previous experiences of leaving jobs rather than being promoted. He emphasizes that management is a "side step" not a "step up" from an Individual Contributor (IC) role.

The conversation moves into why engineers often leave jobs after two years, the importance of finding fulfilling work, and how a colleague's comment ("planted the seed") and the book "Staff Engineer's Path" helped him pursue the promotion.

A significant portion covers Santhosh's personal health journey after a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, which led him to prioritize health, drop conference speaking, and take up running. He shares his progress from struggling with 3km to completing a half marathon, emphasizing listening to his body, proper gear, rest, and not comparing himself to others. This inspired him to launch devswhorun.dev to motivate other developers.

Other topics include:

- The value of validation and good managers.

- Dealing with toxic work environments (advice: leave).

- Productivity while working from home.

- His podcast "This is Tech Talks" and interest in home automation.

The core message: cherish what you have and the importance of health for sustainable impact.

Chapters

00:00:00 Santosh Yadav

00:04:31 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:05:31 Career Progression and Promotion Journey

00:11:36 The Importance of Staying in One Place

00:15:21 Understanding Solonis and Its Impact

00:19:29 The Role of a Staff Engineer

00:24:29 The Value of Validation in Career Growth

00:31:31 Balancing Health and Career

00:39:44 Conclusion and Future Aspirations

00:40:39 Fitness Journey and Personal Records

00:41:31 The Impact of Niceness on Management

00:45:25 Transforming Toxicity into Calmness

00:50:25 Building Connections Beyond Work

00:52:55 The Importance of Compassion in the Workplace

00:54:39 Work from Home vs. Office Productivity

00:57:59 Exploring AI and Home Automation

01:07:37 The Evolution of Angular and Personal Health Journey

01:10:11 Health Transformation and Running a Half Marathon

01:16:38 The Journey of Personal Growth Through Running

01:20:23 Understanding the Importance of Recovery and Rest

01:22:32 Choosing the Right Gear for Running

01:25:12 Leveraging Technology for Training and Recovery

01:33:36 Community Building Through Shared Experiences

01:36:16 Transforming Personal Challenges into Community Impact

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Links

- Codecrafters (partner): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- State of Devs survey: https://stateofdevs.com/en-US

- Sacha's post on Dev.to: https://dev.to/sachagreif/how-the-devographics-surveys-are-run-2023-edition-1p6a\

- Episode with Ujjwal Sharma (TC39 Chair): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tejasq_contejas-code-ujjwal-sharma-how-javascript-activity-7185637709128884225-joHP

- Sacha on X: https://x.com/SachaGreif

- Sacha's website: https://sachagreif.com/

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this discussion, we talk deeply with Sacha Greif, the founder of the popular State of JS, State of CSS, State of WebDev AI, and State of Devs surveys. We understand:

1. What it takes to create a great survey

2. How to process and visualize the data

3. Interesting insights and trends from the latest surveys

Finally, we explore the biggest lessons Sacha learned from running the surveys for the past 7 years.

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:06:30 Goals & Scope of the Surveys

00:09:15 Why the Surveys Resonat

00:18:11 Survey Design

00:23:20 Crafting Effective Survey Questions

00:26:19 The Open Source Stack

00:30:34 Monetization Strategy

00:34:25 Potential Future Surveys

00:36:04 Subjective Opinion vs. Objective Truth in Data

00:37:42 Handling Bias, Demographics, and Language Barriers

00:41:50 Optional Questions, Data Privacy, and Transparency

00:48:33 Addressing Criticism: Representation and Influencer Lists

00:57:20 Post-Survey: Data Analysis and Visualization

01:04:19 The Technical Infrastructure Behind the Surveys

01:08:13 Simplicity vs. Complexity in Development

01:09:20 Biggest Traffic Drivers & YouTuber Influence

01:11:08 Communicating Context and Avoiding Misinterpretation

01:13:10 Key Finding 1: Things Change Slower Than Perceived

01:15:13 Why the Disconnect Between Perception and Reality?

01:19:26 Key Finding 2: State of Web Dev AI & "Vibe Coding" Reality

01:27:48 Key Finding 3: The "Boomerang Effect"/Hype Cycle of Tools

01:35:13 How Tools Supersede Each Other (Webpack/Vite, Node/Bun)

01:42:12 How Established Tools Compete & Adapt

01:44:17 Most Important Lessons Learned Running the Surveys

01:49:46 Hope for the Surveys' Future Impact

01:52:45 Call to Action: Take the State of Devs Survey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as

- Alex: https://www.lichter.io/

- Alex on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAlexLichter

- Alex on X: https://x.com/TheAlexLichter

- VoidZero: https://voidzero.dev/

- Vite Plus: https://i.redd.it/l0d9yemja1pe1.jpeg

- Talk including VitePlus: https://youtube.com/watch?v=5mn3EpWCcJs&t=16353s

- Rolldown Vite: https://vite.dev/rolldown

- Oxc Custom Lint Plugins discussion: https://github.com/oxc-project/oxc/discussions/10342#discussioncomment-12828320

Previous Episode

- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alexander-lichter-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-vue-js-and-nuxt/id1731855333?i=1000678873395

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5NdqcW2GnQ57IetEKD1dua

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y32Ko_CkbAI

Summary

In this conversation, Alexander Lichter and I discuss the evolution of JavaScript tooling, focusing on the significance of VoidZero and Vite. We explore the need for a unified JavaScript toolchain, the challenges faced by existing tools like Webpack, and the importance of user experience in development tools. We also touch on the lessons learned from the Rome project and the future of VoidZero, including its funding and vision for open-source development.

Chapters

00:00:00 Alex Lichter

00:06:33 The Evolution of JavaScript Tooling

00:09:34 Understanding VoidZero and Its Purpose

00:12:15 The Need for a Unified JavaScript Toolchain

00:15:16 Vite: The Cornerstone of Modern Development

00:18:21 Comparing Vite and Webpack

00:21:17 User Experience in Development Tools

00:24:34 Lessons from Rome and Biome

00:27:14 Funding and Future of VoidZero

00:35:03 Introduction to Rolldown and Its Origins

00:36:00 Understanding Rolldown's Purpose and Features

00:39:34 The Transition from Rollup to Rolldown

00:42:46 The Need for Speed in Development

00:46:31 The Role of Plugins in Rolldown

00:49:53 OxLint: A Game Changer for Linting

00:57:33 Exploring the OxC Toolkit

00:59:48 Clarifying Relationships in the Toolchain

01:03:43 Type Checking Strategies and Future Directions

01:05:21 Understanding Isolated Declarations in TypeScript

01:06:20 Performance Comparison: OXC vs SWC

01:09:11 The Role of Code Formatting in Development

01:12:18 Extensibility and Plugin Architecture of OXC

01:15:21 Dev Server Performance and Cold Starts

01:21:35 The Role of Developer Relations at VoidZero

01:27:24 Encouraging Contributions from the Community

01:31:19 Collaboration Between Different Developer Communities

01:33:21 Future Prospects and Final Thoughts

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Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Epic AI: https://epicai.pro/

- MCP: https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol

- Kent on X: https://x.com/kentcdodds

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this episode, we explore the evolution of user interaction, particularly in the context of AI and the Model Context Protocol (MCP). We discuss how user experiences are shifting from traditional UI elements to more natural language interactions, akin to conversing with a human assistant. We also discuss the potential of AI to enhance user experiences and the implications of MCP in creating more efficient workflows. Kent shares his vision for a Jarvis-like AI assistant that could revolutionize how we interact with technology, emphasizing the importance of understanding and implementing MCP for developers and users alike. We also talk about security concerns, particularly tool poisoning, highlighted as significant issues that need addressing.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:35 The Evolution of User Interaction

00:07:41 AI and the Future of User Experience

00:11:45 Building the Future: Jarvis and MCP

00:15:34 MCP: Understanding the Model Context Protocol

00:28:28 The Practical Implications of MCP

00:42:14 Understanding MCP and LLM Interactions

00:47:12 The Evolution and Maturity of MCP Spec

00:52:07 The Future of MCP and Its Adoption

01:01:07 Security Concerns in MCP: Tool Poisoning

01:05:20 MCP's Impact on Digital Strategies

01:22:25 The Future of AI and MCP

01:28:18 User Experience and Adoption of AI

01:33:44 How to Get Started with MCP

01:40:50 Building MCP Servers and Best Practices

01:45:46 Exploring AI Developments Beyond MCP

01:52:45 Agent Communication and Tool Management

01:57:31 Where to find Kent C. Dodds

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Links

- Kendo React: https://www.telerik.com/kendo-react-ui/components/free

- Kathryn's Book: https://www.telerik.com/campaigns/design-story/ebook--foundations-of-design-for-developers

- Progress: https://progress.com

- Sam on X: https://x.com/samidip

- Kathryn on X: https://x.com/kathryngrayson

- Kiril on X: https://x.com/kirchoni

Summary

In this episode, we talk with Sam Basu, Kathryn Grayson Nanz, and Kiril to explore Kendo UI and Kendo React. We discuss the evolution of UI libraries, the engineering behind Kendo's components, and the importance of accessibility in modern applications. The conversation delves into the unique offerings of Kendo React, particularly its data grid and virtualization techniques, as well as the design considerations that enhance user experience.

The introduction of the Theme Builder is highlighted as a tool that bridges the gap between design and development, allowing for seamless collaboration and customization. We also cover the importance of collaboration between designers and developers, the significance of design tokens, and the incremental adoption of Kendo React in existing applications.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:04:24 Kendo UI and Progress

00:07:19 Kendo React's Unique Offerings

00:10:35 The Engineering Behind Kendo UI Components

00:13:10 Kendo React: A Case Study in UI Libraries

00:16:19 Accessibility and Compliance in Kendo React

00:19:35 Deep Dive into Kendo React's Data Grid

00:22:26 Virtualization Techniques in Kendo React

00:25:31 Design Considerations for Kendo UI Components

00:28:37 Theme Builder: Bridging Design and Development

00:38:15 Version Control in Design Workflows

00:39:22 The Evolution of Theme Builder

00:40:41 User-Centric Design and Feedback

00:42:35 The Role of Design Systems

00:44:37 Bridging the Gap: Designer-Developer Collaboration

00:46:12 Understanding Design Tokens

00:47:57 Incremental Adoption of Kendo React

00:55:53 State Management in Kendo React

00:62:37 Bundle Size Considerations

01:10:35 Measuring the Success of a Design System

01:15:14 Design Systems and Component Libraries

01:19:45 The Role of Progress and Kendo UI

01:24:21 Learning Resources for Developers

01:27:56 Evaluating UI Component Libraries

01:33:56 Collaboration in UI Design and Development

01:36:14 Emerging Technologies and AI in UI Development

01:44:23 Future Trends in React and UI Components

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Follow me on 𝕏: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

This podcast episode dives deep into the world of Event Sourcing, a powerful architectural pattern used in modern software development. Beginning with a clear definition of Event Sourcing, the episode explores its roots in Domain Driven Design and its critical role in recording and storing every change made to the state of an application in an event store. I break down complex topics, such as the nature of events, the intricacies of implementing Event Sourcing in real-world applications, and the various benefits and challenges associated with this approach.

Listeners will gain insights into the practical aspects of Event Sourcing, including detailed discussions on storage costs, computational expenses, and the practice of snapshotting to optimize performance. The episode also covers the concept of event ownership, Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS), and ensuring data consistency using Apache Kafka, a distributed event streaming platform known for its high throughput, reliability, and scalability.

Further, the episode delves into Kafka's performance mechanisms, its use as an event store, and the transition from Zookeeper to KRaft for cluster coordination. Alternatives to Kafka, such as using Postgres' Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) as an event store, are examined, providing listeners with a comprehensive view of the options available for implementing Event Sourcing.

The discussion extends to real-life use cases of Event Sourcing, highlighting its application across various industries and projects. The experts also tackle some of the common problems encountered when adopting Event Sourcing, offering practical advice and solutions. Finally, the episode concludes with a thoughtful analysis on whether Event Sourcing is the right choice for your project, helping listeners to make informed decisions based on their specific needs and project requirements.

This episode is a must-listen for software developers, architects, and technology leaders looking to understand Event Sourcing, its benefits, challenges, and implementation strategies. Whether you're new to Event Sourcing or looking to refine your existing knowledge, this episode provides valuable insights into making the most of this powerful architectural pattern.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

03:33 - Sponsor (CrabNebula.dev)

04:21 - Defining Event Sourcing

07:47 - What are Events? (Domain Driven Design)

14:45 - Real-World Examples of Event Sourcing

19:52 - Complexities of Event Sourcing

21:33 - Storage Costs

23:36 - Computational Costs

24:10 - Snapshotting

35:15 - Event Ownership

36:19 - CQRS

44:08 - Consistency with Kafka

54:10 - Kafka Performance Mechanisms

01:03:05 - Kafka as an Event Store

01:04:13 - Zookeeper & KRaft

01:09:47 - Postgres WAL as an Event Store?

01:13:24 - Event Sourcing Use Cases

01:18:50 - Event Sourcing Problems

01:26:22 - Should You Event Source?

01:27:44 - Conclusion

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- Codecrafters: https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

- JSHeroes conference: https://jsheroes.io

- Attention is All You Need Paper: https://scispace.com/pdf/attention-is-all-you-need-1hodz0wcqb.pdf

- Google Agents paper: https://ppc.land/content/files/2025/01/Newwhitepaper_Agents2.pdf

- Jack Herrington episode about implementing MCP server:

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zXyCQV4A84

- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/jack-herrington-model-context-protocol-mcp-growing/id1731855333?i=1000698551942

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5u7ReU2AMnS3TOYuiSwVY1?si=HrBzavRGThOITtYdXDloTA

- John McBride episode about fine-tuning Mistral 7B at OpenSauced

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipbhB3k0ik0

- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1731855333?i=1000663298584

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/77UWTis0TxCd1uPOZhGAnJ?si=CUGmHtJ2RxWhmW5MI3XYbg

This episode is a long-form lecture on AI innovation in 2025. We cover a wide range of topics. For more details, see chapters below.

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:31 What is AI?

00:07:30 Limitations of AI

00:14:29 Solving AI Problems with RAG

00:22:51 Embeddings and Vector Databases Explained

00:31:23 Hybrid Search: Vectors and Keywords (BM25)

00:38:17 Rerankers for Maximum Accuracy

00:43:51 RAG vs. Fine-Tuning

00:54:29 AI Agents

01:13:12 Model Context Protocol (MCP)

01:26:12 How to Get Started

01:34:04 Conclusion

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Links

- Codecrafters: https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Tiny Fish: https://tinyfish.io

- AgentQL: https://www.agentql.com/

Summary

In this conversation, we discuss AgentQL, a framework designed to enable AI agents to access the web using natural language. Together, we explore the technical aspects of AgentQL, its advantages over traditional web access methods, and the challenges faced in its development. The discussion also covers the role of TinyFish, the parent company of AgentQL, and the future direction of their products.

Key use cases for developers are highlighted, showcasing how AgentQL can simplify web scraping and automation tasks. We deep dive into the integration of Playwright with AgentQL, the engineering decisions behind its development, and the importance of maintaining consistency across different SDKs. The conversation also touches on the challenges of remote browsing, security concerns, and the complexities of navigating data structures. Additionally, the various operating modes of AgentQL are explored, highlighting the trade-offs between speed and accuracy.

Chapters

03:25 Introduction to AgentQL

06:33 The Technical Framework of AgentQL

09:34 Challenges with Traditional Web Access

12:35 The Role of TinyFish and Future Products

15:25 Technical Hurdles in Building AgentQL

18:26 Interacting with the DOM

21:29 Use Cases for Developers

24:21 Building with AgentQL

27:35 Disambiguation and Query Context

30:32 Balancing Precision and Flexibility

33:30 Future Directions and Enhancements

36:36 Integrating Playwright with AgentQL

38:56 Building Infrastructure for Remote Browsing

39:30 Engineering Decisions in AgentQL Development

45:05 Web Test Automation and AgentQL

45:55 SDK Development: Python vs JavaScript

47:39 Maintaining Consistency Across Languages

51:40 Cross-Browser Support with Playwright

54:17 Security Concerns in Remote Browsing

59:14 Navigating Complex Data Structures

01:03:36 Operating Modes of AgentQL

01:04:20 Understanding Browser Fingerprinting and Anti-Bot Measures

01:06:31 Exploring AgentQL's Browser Toolkit for Langchain

01:09:15 AgentQL's Potential in Automating Workflows

01:10:17 The Future of Email Automation with AgentQL

01:11:34 Navigating the Challenges of Building a Startup

01:16:20 Achieving Success on Product Hunt

01:19:30 Implementation Pitfalls for New AgentQL Developers

01:21:37 Founder's Playbook: Lessons Learned

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Links

- Codecrafters (partner): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Snyk: https://snyk.io/

- Liran on X: https://x.com/liran_tal

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this conversation, we explore the complexities of software security, particularly focusing on the challenges posed by Node.js and the broader software supply chain. We discuss the evolution of security practices, the importance of awareness among developers, and the role of automation in enhancing security measures. The conversation highlights the need for a balance between automated tools and manual audits, emphasizing that human oversight remains crucial in high-risk environments.

We also explore the vulnerabilities associated with open-source software and the trust developers place in third-party tools and extensions, specifically the importance of SBOMs in understanding software dependencies. We discuss the SolarWinds attack as a pivotal case in supply chain security and the role of tools like lockfile lint in enforcing security policies.

Finally, we discuss AI and the role of LLMs in security, particularly regarding attack vectors and the reliability of AI-generated code.

Chapters

00:00 Liran Tal

01:44 Introduction to Security in Software Development

04:53 The Evolution of Node.js and Security Challenges

07:29 Understanding Software Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

10:49 The Role of Open Source in Security

13:51 Exploring Security in Development Tools and Extensions

16:40 The Importance of Security Awareness and Training

19:40 Automating Security: Tools and Best Practices

22:30 The Balance Between Automation and Manual Audits

25:43 Conclusion and Future of Security in Software Development

35:00 Balancing Automation and Human Intervention in Security

38:08 Understanding S-BOMs and Their Importance

41:14 The SolarWinds Attack: A Case Study in Supply Chain Security

43:29 Lockfile Lint: Enforcing Security Policies in Code

46:49 Generating SBOMs: A Practical Approach

49:03 Demystifying CVSS: Understanding Vulnerability Scoring

52:50 AI in Security: Attack Vectors and Defense Strategies

59:52 Navigating Security in AI-Generated Code

01:05:39 The Role of LLMs in Security Vulnerability Detection

01:08:24 Integrating Agents for Secure Code Generation

01:11:16 Challenges of LLMs in Security Validation

01:14:42 The Complexity of Security in AI Systems

01:20:56 Understanding Fuzzing and AI's Role

01:24:08 Container Breakout Threats and Mitigation Strategies

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