From Nuxt to Nitro: How One Engine Is Powering the Modern Web (w/ Alexander Lichter)

In this episode of The Weekly Dev’s Brew, we dive into the current state of web development with Alexander Lichter, a core member of Nuxt and DevRel at Void Zero. Join us as we discuss Nitro, the innovative server engine powering Nuxt and its growing influence on frameworks like SolidStart and Analog. Discover how Nitro is transforming fullstack JavaScript development, allowing for leaner and more adaptable backends. Our conversation also touches on Vite, modern server patterns, and the realities of working in open source and developer relations today. Gain valuable insights and behind-the-scenes stories from an expert shaping the tools we rely on in the modern web ecosystem. Whether you’re passionate about Nuxt, fullstack development, or just eager to know what’s next for server-side development experience (DX), this episode is packed with information worth exploring.

Our Fantastic Guest
Alexander Lichter
Alex is a Developer Relations Engineer at VoidZero, a Nuxt.js Team member, Web Engineering Consultant, and open-source enthusiast. He creates tech-focused video content, co-hosts the DejaVue Podcast, speaks at conferences, and leads workshops to empower developers and advance the web ecosystem.

Bluesky 
Youtube 
LinkedIn 
GitHub 
x (formerly twitter) 
twitch 

Chapters

00:00 - Intro
00:14 - The origin of Nitro
03:56 - How to use Nitro?
06:39 - Nitro hidden Gems
07:56 - Nitro under the hood
10:17 - runtime agnostic - a myth?
12:38 - Nitro Project Structure
14:58 - Nitro 3 and Nuxt 4?
16:58 - What's coming with Nitro 3
19:36 - Nitro and Vinxi?
22:24 - What's the Vite Environment API?
26:36 - Vite's out-of-the-box experience
29:05 - Cargo for JavaScript?
31:01 - Void 0, Rome & Biome?
32:37 - Void 0 and standards?
33:58 - OXC's part in Void 0 vision?
35:15 - How do developer benefit?
35:55 - Void 0 on formatting
37:46 - Oxlint and ESLint
40:44 - type checking vs type stripping
42:30 - On Rolldown
44:38 - Complexity of Compatibility
47:08 - Outro

Links and Resources
Podcast with Daniel 
Podcast with Patak 
Interview with Evan You   

Production support for this video was kindly provided by WebStorm. Thanks for helping bring this idea to life!

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