Full Stack Developers Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski dive deep into web development topics, explaining how they work and talking about their own experiences. They cover from JavaScript frameworks like React, to the latest advancements in CSS to simplifying web tooling.
This episode explores the new `if()` function in CSS, allowing developers to apply styles conditionally based on CSS variables, attributes, or media queries. Wes and Scott demonstrate the syntax with CodePen examples, discuss practical applications like enhanced theming, and compare this new feature to existing methods like using classes or JavaScript. They also touch upon the broader trend towards declarative APIs in CSS and the ongoing debate about CSS's role versus JavaScript.
Wes and Scott talk about the new If statements in CSS, breaking down how they work, why they matter, and when to use them. They explore use cases, syntax quirks, and how this feature pushes CSS closer to true conditional logic—no JavaScript required. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:30 Brought to you by Sentry.io 02:37 CSS If statements in action CSS if() functions & reading-flow (in Chrome 137) CodePen - If with style without attr 09:08 Advanced examples and the attribute function Cod...
We break down how to properly throw, catch, and log errors in JavaScript and TypeScript. They cover client-side and server-side strategies, using tools like Sentry, and how to handle errors without taking down your whole app. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:19 Error terminology. 01:42 Thrown and catching. 03:01 What’s in an error. 04:09 Name and message. 04:42 Stack. 07:12 Node system errors. 07:34 Messages: strings, objects, or custom errors. 08:19 Throwing errors. 12:01 Promise errors. ...
Wes and Scott explore the nuances of handling and throwing errors in JavaScript and TypeScript applications. They discuss core concepts like throwing and catching, delve into what an error object contains, and cover techniques for managing errors in promises. The episode examines client-side strategies like error boundaries and display methods, contrasts them with server-side error handling including HTTP codes and JSON APIs, and emphasizes the importance of logging and monitoring errors in production using tools like Sentry. Finally, they touch on the challenges of typing errors in TypeScript.
Wes and Scott interview Jeppe Reinhold about Storybook 9, highlighting its major improvements like significantly reduced bundle size, seamless Vite integration, and enhanced testing capabilities. The discussion covers component design best practices, visual regression testing with Chromatic, automated accessibility checks, and the philosophy behind testing UI components in isolation to build more robust applications.
Wes rebuilt his personal site from Gatsby to a modern stack using Waku, React Server Components, and Cloudflare Workers — all while keeping the same design. Scott and Wes break down the pain points with Next.js, MDX, image handling, caching, and the custom setup that now powers a blazing-fast blog. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:03 Barcelona Conference. 04:09 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 04:33 Existing stack, goodbye to Gatsby. 06:11 New stack, the goals for moving. 06:56 So what is the ...
Investor Dan Levine provides insights into venture capital for developers. He explains how to approach VCs, what makes a startup attractive for investment, and typical funding amounts like Seed and Series A. Dan also shares his perspective on investor influence versus support, the nuances of bootstrapping vs. fundraising, the AI market's current state, and the potential outcomes for venture-backed companies.
CJ steps in for Scott and joins Wes to share his experience working with Nuxt, from routing and data fetching to the pros and cons of the framework. They break down the Nuxt ecosystem, directory structure, and how it handles server routes and modules. Show Notes 00:00 Syntax Meetup! 00:26 Welcome to Syntax 01:21 The deal with Nuxt. CJ’s Nuxt Course. 02:51 Why do you like Vue? 04:52 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 05:17 Routing with Nuxt. h3 - The Web Framework for Modern JavaScript Era. Nuxt Guides...
In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and CJ answer your questions about OpenAI’s $3B Windsurf acquisition, the evolving role of UI in an AI-driven world, why good design still matters, React vs. Svelte, and more! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! Devs Night Out 02:35 OpenAI acquires Windsurf for $3B Windsurf Ep 870: Windsurf forked VS Code to compete with Cursor. Talking the future of AI + Coding 05:20 What is the future of UI now that AI is such a heavy hitter? 08:45 Handling spam submissio...
Scott and Wes are joined by Erich Gamma, creator of VS Code, and Kai Maetzel, Copilot Lead, to share some big news about the future of VS Code and Copilot. They discuss what it means for developers, how AI is shaping the future of coding, and why staying open to the community is key. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:00 The inception of VS Code. 02:49 VS Code adoption. 04:31 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 04:55 Syntax Denver Meetup! 05:19 The big announcement. 06:25 The current state of Copil...
Wes talks with Peter Pistorius about RedwoodSDK, a new React framework built natively for Cloudflare. They dive into real-time React, server components, zero-cost infrastructure, and why RedwoodSDK empowers developers to ship faster with fewer tradeoffs and more control. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:52 What is RedwoodSDK? 04:49 Choosing openness over abstraction 08:46 More setup, more control 12:20 Why RedwoodSDK only runs on Cloudflare 14:25 What the database setup looks like 16:15 Du...
Scott and Wes break down the latest in JavaScript news, including new async patterns in Svelte, React Server Component tooling with Parcel, and Redwood’s push into Cloudflare with its new SDK. They also cover what’s new in Storybook 9 Beta, from visual testing to a sleeker, lighter build. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:50 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 03:37 Syntax Meetup ! 04:09 React View Transitions . 08:58 addTransitionType. 11:18 Activity API. Offscreen Renamed to Activity . 14:22 Ma...
Scott and Wes sit down with Cassie Evans of GSAP to talk all things animation—from SVGs and scroll timelines to GSAP’s new rebrand and exciting features. They also dig into performance, plugins, and what makes GSAP such a powerful tool for web developers. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:59 What is GSAP ? Cassie Codes . 01:53 GSAP Rebranding. 04:44 GSAP under the hood. 05:29 The big announcement ! 07:19 GSAP Showcase . 11:01 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 11:26 Why is GSAP easier for animat...
Wes and Scott talk all things 3D printing—from fixing every day items to organizing tools, printing gadgets, and even teaching their kids entrepreneurship. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 03:34 Brought to you by Sentry.io 05:03 Practical uses of 3D printing 07:34 Creating tools for organization Gridfinity 10:33 Improving and adapting everyday items Underware 14:34 The benefits of printing something vs buying it 15:32 Choosing the right 3D printer Bamboo Lab Elegoo Prusa Flashorge 25:26 Proje...
Scott and Wes break down the tricks and techniques for making your app feel blazing fast—even when it’s not. From optimistic UI to preload-on-hover, it’s all about perception, not just performance. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:12 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 02:34 Mousedown or pointerdown events. 06:00 UI animations should be fast. 08:00 Animations should not block interaction. 08:20 Animations should be cancellable / reversible. 10:50 Optimistic UI. 12:37 Local Data. 13:36 Delay load...
Scott and Wes break down the current state of React Server Components — what they are, how they work, and why they’re so controversial. From framework support to bundling complexity, it’s everything you need to know about RSC in 2025. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:01 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 01:55 What exactly are React Server Components? 02:18 Server components rendering. 03:17 Server components are async. 03:45 Server components can be suspended. 05:05 Server components send RSC ...
Wes and Scott talk with Chad Whitacre, the newest member of the Syntax team, about all things open source—licenses, controversies, economics, and ethics. Chad breaks down what most people misunderstand, and how companies can support sustainable software development the right way. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:39 Meet Chad Whitacre 03:39 Chad’s retro headphones Retrospekt 05:00 Chad’s role at Syntax https://syntax.fm/oss Open Path 09:41 What do people get wrong about open source? 11:11 W...
Scott and Wes break down the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a new open standard that gives AI agents secure, tool-like access to your dev environment. They cover how it works, why it’s a big deal for AI coding workflows, and real-world use cases like GitHub, Sentry, and YouTube. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:49 The lore of ICP. Wes MCP Shirt . 03:09 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 03:33 What is MCP ? 05:06 The steps of AI coding. 07:11 MCP hosts. 07:28 MCP clients. 07:35 MCP servers. 08:24...
Wes and Scott talk about the origins of Syntax, sharing how a friendly course name conflict led to a mastermind group, then a podcast, and eventually a full-blown media brand. They also reflect on key milestones, from early episodes and sponsorships to joining Sentry, expanding the team, and what’s next. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:51 How Wes and Scott met Scott Tolinski & The Origins of LevelUpTuts LevelUpTutorials WesBos.com 09:31 How Syntax got its name Episode 001: React Tools 15:...
Light mode? Dark mode? Scott and Wes break down the best ways to implement theme switching in CSS, from prefers-color-scheme to manual overrides. Plus, tips on handling shadows, icons, and the dreaded flash of dark mode! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:05 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 02:06 Light and dark mode, things to consider. 02:31 Light and dark mode from scratch. drop-in.css . 04:41 Calculations vs assigned color. 05:32 color-mix and relative color. 08:15 Foreground and background ...
Wes and Scott talk about the ins and outs of accepting payments online—from choosing processors like Stripe and PayPal to handling fraud, taxes, custom checkouts, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:34 Payment processors Stripe PayPal Square Authorize.net 09:29 Checkouts 18:22 The checkout flow 23:10 Methods of accepting money 25:30 Brought to you by Sentry.io 28:34 Merchant of Record Lemon Squeezy Gumroad Paddle Beacons 32:51 Handling fraud, disputes, and refunds 41:25 Sick Picks +...
Scott and Wes talk about the planning process for a major redesign of the Syntax.fm website. They share their thoughts on organizing tasks, choosing tech, handling styling, and the debates that come with deciding what to keep and what to change. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:36 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 02:48 Why we need version 3.0 of Syntax.fm . Level Up Tutorials , Travis Neilson . 04:41 Project planning and organization. 05:53 The codebase. 09:50 The CSS changes. Episode 770: De...
Is Vibe Coding the future of software development or just a fun way to experiment? Scott and Wes talk about coding with AI, the risks of ignoring the details, and the cool (and sometimes cursed) projects they’ve Vibe Coded. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:31 “Personal Software”. 01:30 What exactly is Vibe Coding. 02:46 The challenges of coding with AI. Levelsio Airplane Game . 04:49 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 05:39 Vibe coding quality concerns. 07:25 Vibe Coding as a learning tool. 10:...
Wes and Scott talk about Infrastructure as Code and how SST makes deploying to AWS easier than ever. They dive into SST’s features, developer experience, and how it simplifies managing services like databases, email, and more. Plus, insights on Cloudflare integration, auto-scaling, and real-world use cases. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! Supper Club × Next.js on AWS + Serverless with Dax Raad 02:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io 04:52 Intro to SST config SST AWS 05:40 Overview of Scott’s SST c...
Scott and Wes dig into the wild world of CSS fonts—covering fallbacks, variable fonts, and new tricks like text-box-trim. They also break down font-display, font kits, and how to avoid layout shifts when loading custom type. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:06 Brought to you by Sentry.io . Damnit Sans . 02:53 @font-face. 03:27 Font Display . 07:40 Avoiding layout shift. Fallbacks . 10:45 Variable fonts. Fontaine . font-kit Wakamai Fondue . Syntax Ep. 782 . Font Variation Settings . 16:23 V...
Wes and Scott talk with Anders Hejlsberg and Daniel Rosenwasser about TypeScript’s leap to native code. They discuss the challenges, trade-offs, and the decision to port TypeScript to Go, unlocking faster compilation, better concurrency, and new possibilities for AI-assisted development. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:38 TypeScript compiler goes native 05:24 Challenges in rebuilding TypeScript 08:49 How long has this been in development? 10:32 What does porting TypeScript to native entai...
What are Web Vitals, and why should you care? Scott and Wes break down metrics like LCP, FCP, CLS, and INP, explaining what they measure, how they impact your site’s performance, and how to track them yourself. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 03:26 What each web vital means. Web Vitals Playground . 03:38 LCP - Largest Contentful Paint. 05:04 FCP - First Contentful Paint. 06:07 CLS - Cumulative Layout Shift. 10:58 INP - Interaction to Next Paint. 13:43 Measuring the impact. 14:22 TTFB - Time ...
