Vue.js Forge Episode 1 In Review

The first ever Vue.js Forge event is now behind us and what a time it was! With more than 10,000 coders registering and 2,500 coders joining, it was certainly amongst the largest online events in the JavaScript industry globally.

Developers from around the globe, including from notable companies like Vodafone Group, PayPal, Google, and Alibaba joined together to get hands-on Vue.js experience while developing a full SaaS project management tool (Trello clone) from scratch. During the process, attendees got to use some of the latest and greatest technologies from the ecosystem like Vite, Pinia, VueUse, GraphQL, and Typescript. They also got to experience working with a variety of third-party products and services to provide back-end functionality, automated image optimization, headless content-management, and professional-grade components for bootstrapping UI.

The Awesome Parts

There were many unique and noteworthy features of this one-of-a-kind event. Here were some of the most awesome parts, based on observations from the organizers and from a wealth of feedback from attendees.

Community Experts Live Coding

Seeing experts in the Vue community live code a real world app in real time was both interesting and educational. The process granted attendees a front row seat to the development and debugging processes of industry leaders. Not only did attendees enjoy it but we received feedback from live-coders as well that the experience was unique and exciting.

Meeting Like-Minded Devs

Teaming up with other Vue.js developers gave attendees the chance to network and have a good time! Some developers worked on the project together while others worked separately but communicated with teammates for both advice and rubber-ducking (the process of bouncing ideas off of one another). Other attendees said they enjoyed sharing their experiences and knowledge with their teammates and were grateful for the opportunity to help like-minded devs. After the event was over, we even got wind of several teams joining up for a make-shift after party with fun and games 🎉.

Access to Experienced Mentors

Perhaps one of the highlights of the event were the amazing group of mentors that pitched in to help teams learn and grow. Mentors with a variety of experiences and a wealth of knowledge were on-hand throughout the 2 days to answer questions and help attendees solve exercises. This type of hands on help is rare indeed and we can’t thank our mentors enough for the amazing job they did!

Live Q&A with Evan You

As always, when you have the chance to ask Evan You questions directly, you can definitely consider that time well spent. During the Q&A, Evan answered questions concerning the Options API vs the Composition API, Vuex vs Pinia, Vite vs Vue-CLI, the future of Vue (including a new compilation strategy inspired by SolidJS), and much more! We were very grateful for Evan’s time and involvement in the event and look forward to inviting him back in the future to answer your burning questions.

Improvements for Round 2

As the first Vue.js Forge event we’ve hosted and even more so, as the first event really of it’s kind, we undoubtedly had some hiccups along the way. However, we’re already knee-deep in developing Vue.js Forge Episode 2 and with your feedback in mind, we’re looking forward to making an awesome event even better!

Some improvements you can expect from Vue.js Forge Episode 2 include:

• Better team grouping that prioritizes making sure no one is left without teammates
• Lots more time dedicated to you working and developing with your team without having FOMO about what’s happening on stage
• A single central repo to serve as both the boilerplate and the working project with branches for easy access to the starting point of each exercise
• More focused and precise exercises to help you learn more deeply and thoroughly
• Lastly, no idiots (ie. Daniel Kelly - me!) using Firefox causing botched screen-sharing quality

So if you missed out on Vue.js Forge Episode 1 then definitely register now for Vue.js Forge Episode 2!

Don’t take Our Word for It

Lastly, let me share with you some of the great things attendees had to say about the event. We know it means a lot more coming from them 😉

• “I can't pick a favourite moment because everything was my favourite!”
• “[My favorite part was] the satisfaction of helping someone finally resolve a bug they were stuck on!”
• “I felt genuine relief seeing every presenter hit at least one unexpected coding complication. There's comfort in seeing industry-leading professional devs get an error and be like: ‘what is this error?…’”
• “The Vue.js Forge proposal is very refreshing”
• “I really liked the layout of the sessions and how each title for the sessions was clear and understandable as to what will be taught. The tutors who gave each sessions where clear and straight to the point and very helpful and knowledgable.”
• “I attended to the Vue.js Forge Conference! A special thank you to Vue School for giving my career such an amazing opportunity.”
• “Had a blast at Vue.js Forge! Met a bunch of great people and had so much fun. Kudos for everyone involved making this event happen! Can't wait for the next event!”

Conclusion

Vue.js Forge Episode 1 was a wild ride with a ton to be learned from live-coders, mentors, and teammates alike. We can’t wait to see you for Vue.js Forge Episode 2 for more live-coding, hands-on learning, and real time networking!