The Easy Way to Full Stack

About this talk

Coming from a purely frontend background, stepping into the backend and DevOps world can feel daunting. This talk at React Alicante 2024 made the case that the jump isn't as steep as it looks. Through practical examples, it explored the tools and patterns that let a frontend developer start building full-stack applications without rewriting everything they already know — from serverless functions and edge runtimes to containerisation basics and CI/CD pipelines.

Key takeaways

• Why frontend developers are already closer to full-stack than they think
• Serverless functions and edge runtimes as the lowest-friction entry point to backend development
• Containerisation basics every developer should know without becoming a DevOps engineer
• The mental model shift from "frontend dev" to "product engineer"