React Summit 2023 Malte Ubl

At React Summit 2023, Malte Ubl talked about the Principles for Scaling Frontend Application Development, discussing how to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of developing large-scale frontend applications.

Drawing from his experiences at Google and currently at Vercel, Ubl emphasized the importance of iteration velocity in software development, suggesting that rapid iteration can address many emerging issues by allowing developers to quickly adjust and refine their approach.

Ubl introduced several principles essential for scaling development efforts.

One key principle is the removal of barriers to collaboration, which he suggested can be effectively managed by adopting a monorepo structure, allowing seamless code sharing and reducing overhead associated with version management.

Another principle focused on making it easy to delete obsolete or redundant code, thereby keeping the codebase clean and manageable.

Ubl highlighted that using tools like Tailwind or CSS-in-JS can help ensure that styles are removed along with the components they style, avoiding orphaned code.

Further, Ubl stressed the importance of incremental migration, arguing that most successful migrations are those done piece by piece rather than all at once.

This approach minimizes disruption and allows for continuous adjustment based on ongoing feedback and results.

Ubl also touched on implementing strict coding standards and linters to maintain code quality, yet recommended using allowlists to avoid overwhelming the codebase with linter exceptions.

This, he argued, helps manage technical debt more visibly and systematically.

If you are involved in managing or scaling frontend projects, how have you addressed these challenges in your work?

Are there particular strategies or tools you have found effective?