Let me introduce myself briefly. I am Edith Puclla, a Tech Evangelist at Percona. A couple of months ago, I attended Codegarden 2024, Umbraco's premier annual conference, focusing on the Umbraco content management system (CMS).
This event, which took place from June 11th to 14th in Odense, Denmark, brought together Umbraco developers, users, and enthusiasts worldwide for technical sessions, workshops, and social activities.
I want to share some of the amazing highlights from the talks here, including a quick recap of my talk “Managing Database Containers with Kubernetes Operators and Docker”
Codegarden is the biggest congregation of Umbraco users and developers in the world. The program includes diverse sessions, from technical deep dives to innovative design discussions and case studies, complemented by social activities like the Umbraco Business Summit and various recreational events.
This year’s event focused on community involvement, celebrating the many contributions to Umbraco, promoting inclusivity, and welcoming new members. You can check out the amazing Codegarden 2024 Week Program again!
Managing Database Containers with Kubernetes Operators and Docker
In my talk at Codegarden 2024, I discussed how Kubernetes Operators and Docker manage database containers, focusing on PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB. I broke down the complexity and showed how these tools simplify managing stateful applications.
Key takeaways from my talk:
Kubernetes Operators and Docker work together to simplify managing stateful applications like databases, reducing complexity and operational overhead.
Integrating these tools enhances the reliability and scalability of database management within Kubernetes, making deployments more efficient.
My step-by-step demonstration with the "Chips and Chocolate" example shows how to containerise, deploy, and manage databases using these technologies.
Demonstrating how to containerise, deploy, and manage databases using the chocolate chip example
Overall, my talk highlights the importance of mastering these tools to improve efficiency, scalability, and reliability in modern application management.
Plus, I also introduced Percona Everest, an open-source tool we are developing at Percona. It uses a graphical user interface to help manage different databases on Kubernetes clusters.
Key takeaways other speakers at Umbraco Codegarden 2024
After my intense trip, I decided to stay in the same place as my talk and move as little as possible to regain some energy. Here is a summary of the discussions I attended, from which I gained a lot.
Let's package it up!
Laura Neto
The key takeaways from Laura's talk include:
Laura's journey of building her first Umbraco package, which started as a simple project to improve the Delivery API, became a significant learning experience.
She gained hands-on experience with several new front-end technologies, including Vite, Lit, TypeScript, and React, which was crucial in developing her package.
Laura also learned to perform integration tests using Playwright and managed her project using GitHub Actions, enhancing her understanding of continuous integration and delivery processes.
The project provided Laura with many new skills and knowledge, far exceeding her initial expectations. It shows the value of diving into practical projects to expand technical expertise.
Umbraco Deployments Made Swift: A “Taylored” GitHub Actions-Centric Approach
Matthew Hart
Here are the key highlights from Matthew's talk:
Matthew demonstrated how to leverage GitHub Actions to streamline Umbraco deployments by handling tasks independently.
He compared the performance of Linux and Windows performance, offering insights to guide better decision-making.
Matthew shared how to automate processes using a combination of ChatGPT and Bash scripts.
He taught how to create custom GitHub tasks tailored to enhance Umbraco deployments.
He emphasised the importance of staying up-to-date with GitHub's rapid updates in the dynamic landscape of software development.
Matthew did all this using songs from Taylor Swift, making great analogies with her music since he's a big fan!
Meditation Session
Mette B. Lorenzen
Mette's session at Codegarden was a calming and refreshing break. People felt recharged and learned easy mindfulness tips they could use right away. This 30-minute session was a great way to relax and clear my mind.
Remote team synergy: Cultivating connection, comfort and work-life balance
Joke Van Hamme
In her talk, Joke shared tips on staying connected and productive while working from home, discussing habits that kept her team close.
She explained how asynchronous communication and personal manuals improved focus and productivity.
She showed her team's successful transition to remote work using real-life examples and shared best practices from Scrum, Agile, and Management 3.0.
Joke also addressed burnout, encouraging open discussions based on her own experiences.
You can read more about this topic from Joke’s recent Innerworks article
More Awesome Sessions
Jason Elkin, Erica Quessenberry and Jonah Andersson
1. Jason Elkin's talk, "Async All the Things," explained the importance of asynchronous programming in .NET, demonstrated its impact on performance through practical examples, and clarified common misconceptions about async/await in C#.
2. Erica Quessenberry's talk on avoiding common problems when handing over work between designers and developers. She emphasised using curiosity, empathy, and communication to improve collaboration. By learning Umbraco, she better understood the developer's perspective, helping to create smoother workflows and better experiences for users and content editors.
3. Jonah Andersson's session on "Cloud Development with Azure Developer CLI (azd)" explained how this tool helps developers work with Azure more easily. She covered how to set up your environment, use azd templates, and connect with DevOps tools like GitHub Actions, which makes developers more productive, helps them learn new technologies, and improves teamwork.
Umbraco Festivities and Fun
Shout outs
Thank you to the organising team, Marie-Louise Nielsen and Maarten Balliauw, for inviting me to speak and assisting with the preparations to make it happen. A massive shout-out to our Umbraco speaker mentor, Adam Montandon. He supported us during our presentations and helped with our slides and preparations before the conference.
See you at the 2025 conference?
Codegarden 2024 was a fantastic experience with interesting talks, workshops, and fun activities. If you want to attend next year, please keep checking the website, as it usually happens in June. The Codegarden Umbraco Conference is already in my heart and is one of my favourite tech conferences.
I enjoyed giving my talk about Kubernetes and databases, and if you were there, I hope you found it engaging and informative.
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