
Modern Web
The modern web is changing fast. Front-end frameworks evolve quickly, standards are emerging and old ones are fading out of favor. There are a lot of things to learn, but knowing the right thing is more critical than learning them all. Modern Web Podcast is an interview-style show where we learn about modern web development from industry experts. We’re committed to making it easy to digest lots of useful information!
Latest episodes

Jan 18, 2023 • 37min
Building a Design System with Paige Kelley
In this episode Jesse Tomchak is joined by Paige Kelley to talk about the ins ad outs of building a design system including the gritty details of coordinating an actual micro frontend. They also talk about the return to conferences, what changes they've noticed in the conference experience, what it's like to speak at a tech event, and more.
Guest
Paige Kelley- Senior Software Engineer at Pax8
Host
Jesse Tomchak- Software Architect at This Dot Labs
Sponsored by This Dot Labs

Jan 11, 2023 • 52min
Authorization on the Web with Cerbos ft. Alex Olivier
In this podcast, Rob Ocel and Adam L. Barrett talk with Alex Olivier, Product Lead at Cerbos, to discuss Authorization. They discuss how authorization (AuthZ) differs from authentication (AuthN), how Cerbos works and how it makes authorization simpler, what differentiates business logic from authorization logic, how to test authorization logic, and more!
Hosts
Adam L. Barrett - Senior Developer at @thisdotlabs - @adamlbarrettRob Ocel - Architect at @thisdotlabs - @robocell
Guest
Alex Olivier - Product Lead at @cerbosdev - @alexolivier
For more information on Cerbos, check out cerbos.dev.

Jan 4, 2023 • 32min
Developing an API is Like Building Legos with Ray Gesualdo
In this episode, Rob Ocel is joined by Ray Gesualdo, live at Connect Tech 2022, to discuss API development and how the process is a lot like building with the internationally famous toy, Legos. They share some fond memories of growing up and now raising kids around Legos, talk about the traits and characteristics of the best component and service APIs, and show how some of the great victories and lasting lessons of Lego apply to building more resilient, modular, reusable, and consistent software.
Host
Rob Ocel- Software Architect and Engineering Lead at This Dot Labs
Guest
Ray Gesualdo- Staff Software Architect at SalesLoft
Sponsored by This Dot Labs

Dec 28, 2022 • 45min
React: Past, Present, & Future with Cory House
In this episode, Rob Ocel and Jesse Tomchak are joined by Cory House at Connect Tech 2022 to discuss the past, present, and future of React. They talk about: lessons learned from 7 years of React (featuring discussions of coupling, testing, and hooks), how to pick a React meta-framework, and what pillars they think successful developers should prioritize.
Hosts
Rob Ocel- Software Architect and Team Lead at This Dot Labs
Jesse Tomchak- Software Architect at This Dot Labs
Guest
Cory House- Founder of ReactJS Consulting
Sponsored by This Dot Labs

Dec 21, 2022 • 31min
Talking Vue Composition Functions with Jess Sachs
In this episode Tracy Lee and Jesse Tomchak are joined by Jessica Sachs to talk about the world of Vue Components and all of the exciting new tools and communities being built to improve and simplify composition. Composables can be as simple as a logic gate or as complex as any renderless component, mixin, directive, or plugin, and in this conversation, our speakers dive into VueUse, which provides a collection of essential composition functions and renderless components.
Hosts
Jesse Tomchak- Software Architect at This Dot Labs
Tracy Lee -Co-Founder and CEO of This Dot Labs
Guest
Jess Sachs- Software Engineer and Open Source Developer
Sponsored by This Dot Labs

4 snips
Dec 14, 2022 • 40min
When the World Ends, We Need Documentation with Jeremy Meiss
In this episode, Rob Ocel and Jesse Tomchak are joined by Jeremy Meiss live at Connect Tech 2022. They talk about the table stakes of CI/CD and having a high performing team, and the vast array of options available to run DevOps and be successful. They also dive into the topic of mentorship and documentation, and how it benefits teams and the industry at large.
Hosts
Rob Ocel- Software Architect and Engineering Lead at This Dot Labs
Jesse Tomchak- Software Architect at This Dot Labs
Guest
Jeremy Meiss- Director of DevRel at CircleCI
Sponsored by This Dot Labs

Dec 7, 2022 • 26min
GraphQL, Microservices, Bridging the Programming Language Gap, and Client App Consumption with Roy Derks
In this episode Tracy Lee and Dustin Goodman are joined by Roy Derks- Developer Experience at StepZen ⸱ Tech Entrepreneur ⸱ GraphQL Speaker, Trainer, and Advocate- to discuss microservice design and how GraphQL can help alleviate problems derived from poorly designed microservices. They discuss different strategies teams leverage to best scale their GraphQL APIs whether they use RPC, federated schemas, or REST wrappers. They explore how GraphQL is programming language agnostic and how it’s helping to bridge gaps between different language teams. They discuss how GraphQL can positively impact consumer application usage and how it can possibly help save energy consumption and help with the world energy crisis.
Guest
Roy Derks
Hosts
Tracy Lee
Dustin Goodman
Sponsored by This Dot Labs

Nov 23, 2022 • 1h 2min
Building Functional Web Apps with Enhance ft. Simon MacDonald
In this episode Rob Ocel is joined by Simon MacDonald- Head of Developer Experience at Begin- to talk about Functional Web Apps and how Enhance can help to build them. They talk about the value of building with web-standards, HTML, and web components; progressive enhancement; how Enhance works and how it differs from other libraries such as Remix or Next; and how to use Enhance with dynamic web apps and/or legacy systems. They also discuss who are the developers whose experience Simon is the head of, and a discussion of Simon's love of books and recommendations for what you should be reading!
Host
Rob Ocel- Software Architect, This Dot Labs
Guest
Simon MacDonald- Head of Developer Experience, Begin
Sponsored by This Dot Labs

Nov 9, 2022 • 52min
The Future of DevRel and Databases with Tejas Kumar
In this episode Rob Ocel is joined by Tejas Kumar - international Keynote Speaker, Angel Investor, Advisor, and also the Director of Developer Relations at Xata - to talk about how DevRel and Databases have changed over the last few years. They talk about how the state of the conference scene, and the challenges of managing a developer relations team through the global pandemic. They also talk about the pain points that developers face when selecting databases and implementing applications on top of those databases. They discuss SQL vs No-SQL, the differences between databases and CMS, schemas and low-code alternatives, branching and data migration.
Host
Rob Ocel- Software Architect, This Dot Labs
Guest
Tejas Kumar- Director of Developer Relations
Sponsored by This Dot Labs

Oct 26, 2022 • 54min
Career Transitioners, Learning Git, and Representation in Tech with Jessie Auguste
In this episode Rob Ocel is joined by Jessie Auguste- Backend Software Engineer at CybSafe, co-host of the Glowing In Tech podcast, and leadership team member for Coding Black Females. They talk about coding as a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) career, the opportunities and pitfalls for junior developers transitioning from other industries, and telling the stories of underrepresented groups in tech. They also cover the cyber security challenges we face as an industry and how to meet them, learning (and teaching) Git and other difficult technical topics, dealing with ADHD in the workplace, and more!
Host
Rob Ocel- Software Architect, This Dot Labs
Guest
Jessie Auguste- Backend Software Engineer at CybSafe, Co-host of the Glowing in Tech Podcast, Leadership team at Coding Black Females.
Sponsored by This Dot Labs