The Stack Overflow Podcast Don’t let your backend write checks your frontend can’t cache
Jan 20, 2026
Ryan welcomes Prakash Chandran, CEO of Xano, whose journey spans from Google to innovative startups. They delve into the critical balance between frontend and backend development, highlighting the challenges faced when frontend pushes boundaries that the backend can't handle. Prakash emphasizes the importance of server-side rendering, API preparedness for client integrations, and the complexities of AI-generated UIs. He advocates for starting small with atomic components while maintaining engineer oversight on AI tools, ensuring that teams stay in control of their code.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Front-End Checks Outpace Backends
- Prakash Chandran recalls frequently writing front-end checks that backends couldn’t cache.
- He says this is a rite of passage that surfaces quickly when front-end engineers push too much work client-side.
Ephemeral UIs Still Need Strong Backends
- Ephemeral, AI-generated interfaces still depend heavily on back-end APIs and orchestration.
- Prakash warns that permissions, tooling, and backend complexity remain central constraints for what those interfaces can do.
Start With Atomic UI Components
- Start AI-driven UI work at the atomic/component level rather than generating full pages.
- Build components that surface the core business value and provide pathways to deeper flows.