Software Engineering Daily

Heroku and the Twelve-Factor App with Vish Abrams

Jan 14, 2025

Vish Abrams, Chief Architect at Heroku with a rich background at Oracle and NASA, shares insights on the evolution of Heroku since its inception. He discusses the transformative impact of the Twelve-Factor App methodology on modern software design and how it aids in scaling applications. The conversation explores the complexities of credentials management and highlights the challenges posed by agentic AI on adaptation. Vish also emphasizes the importance of community engagement in evolving Heroku’s platform to meet the dynamic needs of developers.

38:20

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Episode guests

Vish Abrams

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Heroku's evolution from an uncertain Salesforce acquisition to a key platform illustrates its significant role in simplifying application deployment for developers.

The open-sourcing of the Twelve-Factor App methodology aims to adapt its principles to modern challenges like microservices and credentials management while preserving its foundational simplicity.

Deep dives

The Evolution of Heroku Within Salesforce

Heroku, founded in 2007 and acquired by Salesforce in 2010, has undergone significant changes over the years. Initially, Salesforce was uncertain about how to integrate Heroku into its ecosystem, but over time, it has become a vital part of Salesforce's internal operations. Heroku has transitioned into Salesforce’s largest customer, driven by its capacity to support internal projects like Trailhead, the Salesforce educational platform. This growth highlights Heroku's greater integration into Salesforce's broader strategy, emphasizing the platform's ability to appeal to developers by simplifying the complexities of application deployment.

Intro

2min

Heroku's Evolution and Impact

6min

Navigating AI and the 12-Factor App Methodology

7min

Evolving the 12-Factor App Methodology

12min

Adapting Twelve-Factor Principles for Agentic AI

3min

Navigating Interoperability Challenges

9min

Heroku is a cloud platform-as-a-service that enables developers to build, deploy, and manage applications. It was founded in 2007 and was acquired by Salesforce in 2010. The platform supports multiple programming languages, including Ruby, Python, Node.js, and Java, and has features such as automated scaling, database monitoring tools, and a streamlined deployment workflow.

Vish Abrams is the Chief Architect at Heroku and previously worked at Oracle and NASA, among other organizations. He joins the show to talk about the history of Heroku, its role within Salesforce, open-sourcing the Twelve Factor App, the long-standing challenge of credentials management, and much more.

Full Disclosure: This episode is sponsored by Salesforce (Heroku).

Sean’s been an academic, startup founder, and Googler. He has published works covering a wide range of topics from AI to quantum computing. Currently, Sean is an AI Entrepreneur in Residence at Confluent where he works on AI strategy and thought leadership. You can connect with Sean on LinkedIn.