The Franconian
Coder Studio

If you’ve deployed anything in the cloud lately, you’ve almost certainly used containers. They’ve become the foundational building block of modern applications. But as we push towards more dynamic, scalable, and efficient architectures, I’ve been looking at the overhead that even lightweight containers introduce. That’s what led me to WASI. This emerging standard leverages WebAssembly’s sandboxed model outside the browser, promising a fundamental shift in how we package and run code. In this article, I’ll break down how WASI works, where it shines compared to containers, and what it means for the future of microservices and edge computing.

When working with web technologies, I prefer keeping things minimal and dependency-light. That’s why I’ve been experimenting with Bun to bundle TypeScript code efficiently. However, Web Workers present two specific challenges: Bun doesn’t automatically adjust worker instantiation for TypeScript, and JSON-based communication is both inefficient and untyped. In this article, I’ll share how I solved these issues using a custom build script and CBOR serialization—resulting in faster, more reliable worker communication.

The integration of AI into the daily workflow of a developer is more than a trend; it's a fundamental shift in how we approach problem-solving. Rather than replacing human intellect, the true power of these tools is unlocked when they act as a collaborative partner. In my own practice, I’ve established a simple but crucial rule: I only delegate tasks I am fully capable of doing myself. This ensures I maintain expertise and make informed final decisions. This article delves into the specific, practical ways I leverage AI for everything from high-level design discussions to tedious refactoring, treating it as a virtual pair programmer that enhances my capabilities without overriding my judgment.

Simplicity has always been my guiding principle for building sustainable and maintainable software. But there's a stark contrast between the clean architecture of a developed service and the complex toolchain required to run it in production today. The cloud, with its endless parade of CI/CD, IaC, and orchestration tools, offers convenience but often at the cost of clarity and direct control. This article isn’t a dismissal of powerful platforms like Kubernetes; it’s a call to make conscious, informed choices. We’ll explore the landscape of infrastructure tools, from simple compute units to full-blown platforms, and discuss how a deep understanding of the fundamentals empowers you to choose the right level of abstraction for your needs, prioritizing efficiency and cost-effectiveness without sacrificing capability.

Over the years, I’ve watched containers evolve from a niche technology into the backbone of modern development. But with that growth comes a danger: we’re layering on so much abstraction that we risk losing sight of what makes containers powerful in the first place. In this article, I want to revisit the core ideas—namespaces, cgroups, and the elegance of Docker Compose—and discuss why sometimes, stepping back from complex orchestration can give us faster, more transparent, and more efficient systems. It’s not about rejecting tools like Kubernetes, but about remembering what’s underneath them.