What is a framework?

Sam and Ryan talk about what sorts of capabilities a tool should have to be considered a web framework. They discuss how frameworks tackle the complexity of getting different systems to communicate with each other, how good frameworks embrace the strengths and patterns of the language they're written in, and why frameworks and services are not in opposition to each other. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 3:58 - Adapter pattern and cohesive boundaries 9:43 - Rails is Omakase 13:47 - Configurable, but still cohesive 17:04 - Frontend frameworks try to “work with everything” 21:42 - Does composition mean a React framework will look different than Rails? 29:29 - Why taste still matters 34:20 - A framework is a shell of adapters and a brain that coordinates them 35:16 - When using services, complexity still exists in the in-between 37:59 - A fullstack dev is someone who acknowledges and understands how all the parts come together 44:06 - Tweets about the hard problems that Laravel tackles, and the deep design it took to get there 49:15 - Frameworks should embrace the strengths and patterns of their language and ecosystem 50:35 - Why RSCs and Server Actions mean the “Rails for JS” may end up looking nothing like Rails 52:11 - Why users of a “fullstack framework” shouldn’t even care about where the code is running 55:31 - Why libraries or services that are easy to install and set up are not a replacement for frameworks Links: Sam's BigSkyDevCon talk Rails is omakase Povilas' Laravel tweet Mary's Laravel tweet Build UI's upcoming React Component Patterns course Email Sam Email Ryan