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 apps to mind-mapping tools and little scripts that make life easier. Plus, find out what snippet managers they swear by and how they keep their email under control.

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 03:01 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• 03:44 Syntax meetup San Francisco.
• 04:26 Breakdancing update.
  • Kid Cruz Instagram.
• 05:18 Password management.
  • 1Password.
• 08:30 Apple stomping on apps.
• 09:50 To-do applications.
  • Things.
  • Getting Things Done.
  • Tweek.
• 18:18 To-do in code.
  • Todo Tree.
  • Better Comments.
• 20:21 Snippets.
• 25:55 Mind-mapping.
  • MindNode.
  • FigJam.
• 29:01 Note-taking.
  • Obsidian.
  • Stashpad.
  • ObservableHQ.
  • Jupyter.
• 36:34 Little scripts.
  • Script Kit.
• 39:50 Email.
  • Superhuman.
• 48:11 Some honorable mentions.
  • Habitpath.io.
  • Focus.
• 52:10 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs.

• Scott: The Legend of SwordQuest.
• Wes: The Economics of Everyday Things.

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

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 creation to type-safe middleware, find out how Hono keeps things simple, powerful, and ready to use inside Next.js.

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 00:46 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• 01:11 What is Hono?
  • Watch CJ’s Video Here

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

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 just add complexity. They dive into everything from rendering strategies to auth solutions, deployment options, and how to choose the right tool for the job.

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 01:32 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• 03:17 What is a framework?
  • Syntax Meetup San Francisco.
• 08:21 Examples of frameworks for Vue, Svelte and Angular.
• 12:39 What questions do you need to answer?
• 12:44 What or where do you need to ship?
• 14:12 How do you render it?
• 18:22 Where are you deploying it?
• 24:03 How do you store data?
• 24:09 Existing API.
• 26:03 Integrated server.
• 26:22 Database.
  • Supabase.
• 26:59 Does it have RPC or server actions?
• 34:27 Do you need authentication?
• 38:45 Auth packages.
  • LuciaJS.
  • Lucia announcement.
  • Lucia preview.
  • NPM Arctic Oauth.
  • Auth utilities.
  • Better-Auth.
  • Scott’s Drop-In Auth.
• 42:10 Does it include email?
• 42:52 What does the TypeScript story look like?
• 43:32 How does it handle images?
• 44:35 How do we work with CSS?
• 46:02 How long has it been around?
• 47:37 How mature is the ecosystem?
• 48:35 Is there community support?
• 50:21 Portability.
• 51:18 Hiring.
• 52:17 Sick Pick + Shameless Plugs.

• CJ: Infinite Health.
• Scott: USB A to C adapters.
• Wes: Citric Acid.

• Scott: Syntax on YouTube

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

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 code and automating mundane tasks, they break down how AI can handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on the fun stuff!

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 01:23 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• 01:43 Using AI tools effectively.
• 05:29 Stack trace reading and error finding.
• 08:37 San Francisco Syntax Meetup!
• 09:19 Research and validation.
• 12:19 Completing mundane tasks.
• 14:10 Refactoring.
• 18:56 Simple typescript.
• 20:29 Summarizing docs and source code.
• 23:56 Quick hits.

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

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, including TanStack Router and TanStack Start.

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 02:59 What is TanStack Start?
  • UnJS

• Tanner:
  • LG C4

• Tanner:
  • TanStack Blog

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

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 junior to senior dev, working with QA teams, and even dive into game development with Godot.

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 00:31 DenverScript.
• 03:14 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• 03:54 Question 1: Moving off create-react-app.
  • Proposal: TC39 Import Attributes.
  • HTML iframe srcdoc Attribute.
• 09:10 Question 2: Working together with QA teams.
• 13:46 Question 3: Benefits of React with Next.js Framework.
  • Svelte Turnstile.
  • Next.js Pages Router vs Next.js App Router.
• 17:38 Question 4: What are your real names?
• 19:22 Question 5: Thoughts on RTO and WFH.
• 27:50 Question 6: Where can I find you Sick Picks?
  • Sick Picks.
  • Sick Picks Scraper.
• 29:34 Question 7: From JR developer to SR developer.
• 31:41 Question 8: Godot and game development.
  • Godot Engine.
  • GDScript.
  • Phind.
• 39:37 Question 9: Inherent advantage between Callbacks and Events.
• 44:44 Question 10: Transitioning to freelance with corporate experience.
• 49:44 Question 11: Dealing with negative feedback.
• 57:05 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.

• Scott: audiobookshelf, Plappa App.
• Wes: New Syntax Swag.

• Scott: Syntax on YouTube.

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

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 email verification, rate limiting, shadow banning, and more to protect your users and data.

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 00:15 The problem.
• 02:47 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• 04:23 CAPTCHA.
• 06:24 Data collection.
• 07:11 Stripe Radar score calculation.
• 09:12 Rate limiting.
• 11:34 Shadow banning.
• 13:53 Email verification.
• 15:38 Tie to accounts.
• 16:23 Tied to real identity.
• 19:36 Manual approval.
• 21:19 Blocking ASN.
• 23:17 Honey pot field.
• 24:28 SMS verification.
• 25:05 Mechanical Turk.

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

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 for making your reviews more effective.

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 00:59 What is a code review?
  • How to review code effectively: A GitHub staff engineer’s philosophy

• Sarah: https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck

• Sarah: https://github.com/sponsors

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

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 insights will help you level up your skills faster!

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 02:09 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• 03:45 13 Web Development Tips I Wish I Knew Sooner.
• 03:49 Number 1 - No one is all-knowing.
• 05:39 Number 2 - People with extremely strong opinions.
• 11:13 Number 3 - Using tools to help you isn’t a bad thing.
• 12:34 Number 4 - Approach new technology with a mixed dose of skepticism and open-mindedness.
• 16:05 Number 5 - Things make more sense the more you actually use them.
• 18:40 Number 6 - Willingness to change your mind is a strong skill.
• 20:06 Number 7 - Doing is better than reading or watching.
• 22:29 Number 8 - Asking questions is good.
• 26:45 Number 9 - Everyone doesn’t learn the same.
• 30:41 Number 10 - You don’t need a SAAS for everything.
• 35:53 Number 11 - You don’t need to worry about scale.
• 37:49 Number 12 - Learning the fundamentals will always pay off.
• 40:07 Number 13 - Working in public will make you more hireable.
• 42:48 Number 14 - You can interview without accepting a job offer.
• 45:29 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.

• Scott: Glasses.
• Wes: Oxo Whisk, Danish Whisk.

• Scott: Syntax on YouTube.

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads