New Verve at the Atlassian Developer Day ‘24

Julita Borowik | Fri, July 05, 2024 | 0 comments

Recently, our solutions developers had the opportunity to attend the Atlassian Developer Day ‘24, hosted in London. This event served as a gathering for developers within the Atlassian community to collaborate, share insights, and learn from one another’s experiences.

In addition to this, Atlassian hosts a variety of workshops and talks throughout the day, designed to give developers further insight into their toolkit. A key focus of this Developer Day was Atlassian’s next-gen app development platform, Forge. Check out what our Senior Solutions Developer, Victor, and Solutions Developer, Abraham, have to say about the event.

Can you describe your overall experience at Atlassian’s Developer Day - what were some key highlights?

Abraham

My experience at the Developer Day in London was truly amazing. We had insightful sessions about Atlassian Forge, an engaging workshop covering the basics, and networking opportunities where we could ask the experts questions and share experiences with other developers from all over the world. The day went so fast and there were many more questions and things to discuss.

The event highlighted Atlassian’s dedication to promoting and supporting its relatively new development platform, Forge. It had a welcoming atmosphere, with exceptional care provided, especially given that it was free of charge. Attendees also received exciting goodies, such as stylish Atlassian t-shirts.

During the event, Karen White, Senior Product Marketing Manager of the Developer Platform at Atlassian, delivered a compelling presentation. She shared insightful data, graphs, and statistics regarding the evolution of the Atlassian marketplace and the significant influence of Forge. Another noteworthy session was conducted by Matt Muschol from Swiftix Software. He discussed his first-hand experience in online development education, particularly focusing on the Atlassian ecosystem. Muschol highlighted the distinctions between teaching Atlassian Connect, the older development platform, and Forge, the newer development platform, among other topics. The session was rich in detailed information and numerical data. Additionally, a workshop emphasised the common ground shared by all participants.

Overall, it was a day filled with innovation, learning, and meaningful connections.

Some key insights from this included:

Innovative Development Platform: Atlassian Forge stands out as a game-changer in the app development landscape, offering a streamlined and user-friendly experience for developers.

Community Engagement: The event provided a platform for networking and knowledge sharing among developers from diverse backgrounds, fostering a sense of community within the Atlassian ecosystem.

Marketplace Evolution: Insights shared by industry experts shed light on the evolution of the Atlassian marketplace and the transformative impact of Forge on app development and distribution.

Commitment to Innovation: Atlassian’s commitment to supporting Forge was evident throughout the event, showcasing their dedication to driving innovation and empowering developers to create cutting-edge solutions.

Victor

The event offered presentations catered for those new to developing with Forge. The main highlights for me were that I got to talk to both delegates as well as Atlassian staff.

There are a few projects that I have been having some trouble with, and I was able to ask the Atlassian staff about specifics and their recommendations. Conversely, Atlassian was able to question me about the usage of Jira as a solutions partner and provide me with a glimpse of what was in the pipeline.

It was also nice to be able to chat with other delegates, talking with those who have the same day-to-day issues as myself!

What emerging technologies/talking points were you most interested in prior to attending the event?

Abraham

Atlassian Forge took centre stage in the discussion. Forge represents a fresh approach to app development for Atlassian products, prioritising simplicity for developers. This streamlined process enables quicker and more targeted task completion, appealing not only to new developers but also to individuals with limited development expertise, like Jira administrators. The emphasis is on making tasks “easy” for all.

Additionally, there were certain pain points that I was eager to address, such as Forge rate limitations and time outs, best practices, and more.

AI, being a trendy topic, was another point that caught my interest. However, it was only briefly discussed without delving into details.

Victor

It was interesting to learn how the developer ecosystem has evolved and changed over just a year. There was a deep dive presentation into the technical elements of Forge; this was a good reminder of how powerful Forge is.

What had been your prior experience in building Atlassian apps?

Abraham

My prior experience in building Atlassian apps has been quite rewarding. I have developed apps using the older Atlassian Connect platform, which provided valuable insights into the intricacies of app development within the Atlassian ecosystem. However, Atlassian Forge is a whole new level, a revolutionary new development platform that simplifies the app-building process significantly. Forge offers a seamless experience with features like built-in hosting, development environments, storage, and security, making it incredibly user-friendly for developers of all levels. The transition to Forge represents a significant leap forward in enhancing the developer experience and expanding the possibilities for creating innovative apps within the Atlassian ecosystem.

Victor

I have personally developed multiple apps in Server and also a few apps using the Connect framework and Forge platform for Cloud. Some of these are in the Atlassian Marketplace, but a number of them have been developed for private internal or direct customer use.

Can you share your thoughts regarding Atlassian’s app development platform, Forge?

Abraham

In the realm of app development, the conventional hurdles of configuring environments, managing storage, setting up databases, implementing security measures, ensuring scalability of the application, and organising hosting, often overshadow the core objective of crafting a functional and user-friendly application. This is where Forge emerges as a beacon of innovation, revolutionising the development landscape with its seamless approach. By streamlining the intricate setup processes that traditionally consume valuable developer time and energy, Forge liberates creators to focus wholeheartedly on the art of app creation. With Forge, the journey from concept to execution is marked by efficiency, empowering developers to channel their creativity without being entangled in the complexities of infrastructure management.

I can’t help but speculate whether other major tech companies will eventually follow in the footsteps of Forge.

Victor

Forge provides a runtime, UI, and integrations directly in the Atlassian ecosystem. It is clear that Atlassian has put a lot of thought into the developer experience and removing the technical barriers that once made developing in the Cloud a lengthy process.

Forge is an evolving platform and will continue to grow in capability. Currently, the extension points are quite broad and should meet most use cases. It has been interesting how the UI has evolved, specifically around UI Kit; in its current form, it is much more responsive and user-friendly than UI Kit 1.

What are the most valuable insights you gained during this Atlassian event?

Abraham

The insight that stood out the most was the exceptional quality of pastries in London! Only kidding! On top of boosting my confidence in myself and the product, it was very valuable to see a clear path to the future of app development for Atlassian.

We received insightful responses from experts like Robert Massaioli, Atlassian’s Engineering Manager, and Dugald Morrow, Atlassian’s Developer Advocate, who are highly involved in these subjects on a worldwide scale. It assisted us in understanding the reasons behind certain decisions made and exploring potential alternative choices.

To summarise, an extraordinary and invaluable event that I am extremely grateful to have been able to attend.

Victor

They revealed their plans with the latest acquisition, Rovo, and that they will be allowing the developer community to extend its capabilities soon.

Atlassian puts a lot of consideration into Forge. They request feedback in the developer community forums and only implement changes if it does not adversely affect their partners.

Looking to Atlassian’s future

It’s clear that there are many exciting things in store for Atlassian, particularly in terms of its newest platform, Forge. Make sure you stay updated with all the newest Atlassian updates through our blogs.