Backend Banter

Boot.dev
  • 5.0 (26)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Backend Banter

The only podcast dedicated to backend development, technologies, and careers. Lane Wagner, the founder of Boot.dev, interviews successful backend engineers to get their takes on various trends, technologies, and career tips for new backend developers. Golang, Python, JavaScript, and Rust are the programming languages most commonly discussed, but speakers dabble in all sorts.

  1. The Tools Are Smarter. Are You? ft. YK Sugi | S02 E12

    MAR 31

    The Tools Are Smarter. Are You? ft. YK Sugi | S02 E12

    Today we welcome YK Sugi—engineer, educator, and the mind behind CSS Dojo—for the final episode of season two. We talk about his journey from YouTube dev tutorials to building one of Sourcegraph’s most-used AI tools, and how the role of DevRel has changed (and in some cases, disappeared). YK also breaks down how senior engineers are actually using AI, why fundamentals still matter, and how Agent Chat was born during a company hackathon. If you’re curious about AI devtools, the future of DevRel, or just want to hear how a former YouTuber accidentally shipped a flagship feature—this one's for you. Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast player - https://www.backendbanter.fm YK’s X: https://x.com/ykdojo YK's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykdojo/ Sourcegraph's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Sourcegraph/featured Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and Meeting YK 03:05 - Starting Out with CSS Dojo 05:36 - DevRel Burnout and Market Whiplash 11:40 - Building Agent Chat at Sourcegraph 13:52 - Claude, Cursor, and AI Tool Comparisons 21:52 - AI Use: Juniors vs. Seniors 26:22 - Designing Dev Tools That Think 37:56 - Will AI Consolidate the Tooling Ecosystem? 44:21 - Should Codebases Change for AI? 50:52 - Advice for Learners, DevRels, and Job Seekers 01:07:02 - Outro and Where to find YK's work Like & subscribe for the algo if you enjoyed the video!

    1h 8m
  2. How to Win at Learning ft. Quincy Larson | S02 E11

    MAR 24

    How to Win at Learning ft. Quincy Larson | S02 E11

    In this episode, we sit down with Quincy Larson, founder of Free Code Camp, to explore his incredible path from high school dropout to influential tech educator. Quincy shares his unconventional journey — from living in his car and working fast food jobs to building one of the most impactful coding education platforms in the world. We discuss the power of self-learning, the evolution of coding education, and the philosophy behind building meaningful skills. Quincy also dives into his productivity habits, structured routines, and why he prioritizes lifelong learning over traditional memories. Lane's interview on Free Code Camp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/getting-a-developer-job-lane-wagner-podcast-157/ Free Code Camp podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDLDCm3bPfU&list=PLWKjhJtqVAbm04DK8TSUCRheRjW2P9TR7 Learn back-end development: boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast player: backendbanter.fm Follow Quincy on X/Twitter: @ossia Free Code Camp: freecodecamp.org Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and Meeting Quincy 01:05 - Running a charity 03:58 - Getting deep into podcasts 11:58 - Quincy's lifestyle 17:47 - The Birth of Free Code Camp 25:47 - What has freecodecamp been working on 27:40 - Building Skills vs. Chasing Shortcuts 30:20 - How to Stand Out in Today's Tech Job Market 50:44 - What changed since Quincy wrote his book 54:06 - Obligatory AI talk 1:12:01 - Where to find Quincy Like & subscribe for the algo if you enjoyed the episode!

    1h 14m
  3. Mitchell Hashimoto: From Terraform to Ghostty | S02 E10

    MAR 17

    Mitchell Hashimoto: From Terraform to Ghostty | S02 E10

    Today we welcome Mitchell Hashimoto, co-founder of HashiCorp and creator of Ghostty, a new terminal emulator built in Zig. In this episode, Mitchell shares the story behind Ghostty, how his curiosity about terminals evolved into a full-fledged project, and why Zig became his language of choice. We also dive into Ghostty’s unique features, the role of libghostty, and why Mitchell believes native-feeling apps are essential for developer experience. Plus, we explore his insights on computer science education, dynamic linking, and what really matters when learning to code. If you’re into terminals, low-level programming, or just love hearing how great software gets built, this one’s for you! Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast player - https://www.backendbanter.fm Mitchell's X/Twitter: https://x.com/mitchellh Ghostty: https://ghostty.org/ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and Meeting Mitchell 01:06 - Mitchell’s Journey at HashiCorp 03:13 - What is Ghostty and Why Build It? 08:35 - Native Performance and Zig’s Advantage 15:25 - Why Mitchell Chose Zig Over Rust 31:15 - Ghostty’s Road to Package Repositories 52:00 - Future Plans for Ghostty 1:04:02 - Where to Find Mitchell and Ghostty Like & subscribe for the algo if you enjoyed the video!

    1h 4m
  4. Vercel’s Big AI Bet. ft. Malte Ubl | S02 E09

    MAR 10

    Vercel’s Big AI Bet. ft. Malte Ubl | S02 E09

    Today we welcome Malte Ubl, CTO of Vercel, to discuss the evolution of frontend development and the role of AI in shaping modern engineering workflows. Malte dives into V0, Vercel's innovative tool for generating frontend code using AI, and explains how it empowers developers—especially backend engineers—to build full-stack applications. We also explore the concept of verticalization in engineering roles, the challenges of balancing innovation with infrastructure, and how AI is redefining productivity in tech. Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm Malte's X: https://x.com/cramforce Vercel: https://vercel.com/ V0: https://v0.dev/ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and Meeting Malte 01:23 - What is V0 and Why Did Vercel Build It? 04:00 - The Technical Challenges Behind V0 10:34 - How V0 Leverages Tailwind and TypeScript 19:15 - AI's Impact on Frontend Development 23:20 - Verticalization of Engineering Roles 32:01 - How AI is Changing Development Workflows 37:09 - The Future of Full-Stack Engineering 44:08 - How Vercel Balances Product Innovation with Core Infrastructure 46:06 - Final Thoughts and Where to Find Malte Like & subscribe for the algo if you enjoyed the video!

    48 min
  5. Build skills, not degrees. ft. Madison Kanna | S02 E08

    MAR 3

    Build skills, not degrees. ft. Madison Kanna | S02 E08

    Today we welcome Madison Kana—a self-taught dev who defied the traditional path. From dropping out and navigating a world of homeschooling to launching the Code Book Club, Madison transformed her unconventional journey into a thriving community of coders. In this episode, she shares how bypassing the typical education route fueled her passion, the real challenges of learning on your own, and the power of mentorship in building a dynamic tech career. If you’re ready to break the mold and carve your own path in software development. Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm Madison's X: https://x.com/Madisonkanna Website: https://madisonkanna.com/ Learn out loud: learn0utloud.com Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:30 - Where did it all start? 01:40 - Dropping out 08:42 - How Madison started learning code 22:00 - Team leading 30:30 - Code Book Club 38:50 - Learn out loud 46:20 - AI talk 54:18 - Book recommendations 56:05 - Outro Like & subscribe for the algo if you enjoyed the video!

    54 min
  6. Roll your own auth or you’re ngmi. ft. Dreams of Code | S02 E07

    FEB 24

    Roll your own auth or you’re ngmi. ft. Dreams of Code | S02 E07

    This time Elliot from  @dreamsofcode  joins us to talk about building his own course platform we dive into why he chose to go custom, the tech stack behind his platform, and the philosophy of building vs. buying in software. We also discuss the challenges of teaching programming, the role of AI in development, and what it really takes to create a great online course. If you're into coding, education, or the intersection of both, this one's for you! Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.devListen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm Elliott's Youtube:  @dreamsofcode  Elliott's Course: https://dreamsofcode.io/ Elliott's X: https://x.com/dreamsofcode_io Timestamps 00:00 - Intro and Meeting Elliot 02:36 - Why Build a Custom Course Platform? 08:13 - The Challenges of Serving Video Content 20:16 - The Build vs. Buy Debate 28:20 - What Was Bought vs. Built? 33:28 - How AI Is Changing Development 45:12 - GDPR, Privacy, and Analytics 54:19 - Tech Stack Behind the Platform 1:06:33 - AI’s Real Impact on Developer Jobs 1:13:16 - Where to Find Elliot and His Work Like & subscribe for the algo if you enjoyed the video!

    1h 14m
  7. Programming Music with Sonic Pi feat. Sam Aaron | S02 E06

    FEB 17

    Programming Music with Sonic Pi feat. Sam Aaron | S02 E06

    Today we bring Sam Aaron, the creator of Sonic Pi, a free code-based music creation and performance tool that lets you use simple code to turn your computer into a fully networked live coding music studio! It is also used to engage students in computer science and programming through music creation! In this episode, we explore the origins of Sonic Pi, its deep connection with Raspberry Pi, and how it enables live coding for music creation, starting from it's Ruby-based language features, we discuss how Sonic Pi has evolved, the challenges of maintaining it as a sustainable open-source project and if you’re curious about coding, music, or both—this one’s for you! Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm Sonic Pi - https://sonic-pi.net/ Sam's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/samaaron Sam's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samaaron/ Sam's X/Twitter: https://x.com/samaaron DJ Dave: https://www.youtube.com/@dj_dave____ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:11 - Sonic Pi Origin Story 03:03 - Connection To Raspberry Pi 04:23 - But What Is Sonic Pi? 06:25 - Is Ruby The Primary Language Used In Sonic Pi? 10:25 - A Small Sonic Pi Showcase 17:53 - Collaboration through Git 23:12 - How Did Sam Get Involved In All Of This? 25:14 - The Feedback Loop of Sonic Pi 26:56 - How Does The Live Coding Experience Work In Sonic Pi? 32:01 - The Two Different Working Modes Of Sonic Pi 33:42 - How Does Debugging Work In Sonic Pi 38:55 - How Do The Different Components Fit Into The Architecture Of The Project 51:33 - Has Sam Been Full-Time On Sonic Pi Since Its Inception? 53:25 - Does Sam Want To Try Something Different? 56:25 - How Is Sam Finding More Sustainable Revenue?

    1h 5m
  8. KRAZAM Unfiltered feat. Ben Burke | S2 E05

    FEB 10

    KRAZAM Unfiltered feat. Ben Burke | S2 E05

    Today, we bring a very special guest, one whose face you might recognise, one that appears on your homepages with a sporadic video and seemingly disappears. His name is Benjamin Burke, or simply Ben, he’s the co-creator of KRAZAM, a channel that consists of sketches that combine grotesque and absurdist humor with technological anxiety, satirizing the tech industry and the modern alienation of the corporate life in general. In this episode, which admittedly is a bit different from the usual, we’ll focus on KRAZAM and its origins, creative process, and what future plans and ambitions the duo has. Both Ben and Shiva started in software engineering, met in college and started doing sketches just for fun, not expecting this project to explode in popularity in the way it did. Ben will also share their unique approach to content and why KRAZAM prioritizes loyal viewers over virality, comedic inspirations. Stay tuned! Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm KRAZAM'S Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@KRAZAM/videos KRAZAM's X/Twitter: https://x.com/krazamtv KRAZAM'S Website: https://www.krazam.tv/ Krazam's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KRAZAM Ben's X/Twitter: https://x.com/bb_fresh Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bnjmnbrk/ Shiva's X/Twitter: https://x.com/shivakilaru Shiva's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivakilaru/ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:58 - KRAZAM Origin Story 03:59 - How Much More Footage Is Left After the Recordings? 05:12 - Are Both Ben and Shiva Programmers? 06:46 - Inspiration Behind "The Hustle" 08:47 - Has Ben Read Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations"? 09:25 - The Actual Introduction to KRAZAM 10:49 - Microservices 14:04 - Sending Birthday Messages Is HARD 19:06 - On Shiva Not Being in the Microservices Video 20:48 - Favorite KRAZAM Videos 22:22 - Most Underrated KRAZAM Video 32:00 - KRAZAM's Viewers Are Very Loyal 36:03 - Ambitions for the KRAZAM Channel 39:04 - How Did You Know KRAZAM Had Product-Market Fit? 40:59 - Ben's Comedic Inspirations 43:08 - KRAZAM Does Not Aim for Virality 46:47 - Was It Stressful to Do a Live Talk? 49:40 - KRAZAM's Video Release Frequency 51:46 - Competitive Excel 55:34 - Site Reliability Engineer Video 57:50 - AI Bots on Spotify 01:00:27 - Self-Hosting and The Good Old Days 01:02:31 - What's the Churn in the Industry? 01:05:21 - Where to Find Ben and KRAZAM

    1h 7m
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5
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

The only podcast dedicated to backend development, technologies, and careers. Lane Wagner, the founder of Boot.dev, interviews successful backend engineers to get their takes on various trends, technologies, and career tips for new backend developers. Golang, Python, JavaScript, and Rust are the programming languages most commonly discussed, but speakers dabble in all sorts.

Information

  • Creator
    Boot.dev
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Boot.dev
  • Show Website
    Backend Banter

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