Passwordless App Infrastructures Utilizing Azure Managed Identities and Identity Federation

In this session, discover how to build passwordless app infrastructures using Azure Managed Identities and Identity Federation. We'll start with an overview of managed identities and identity federation, emphasizing their benefits and limitations. Learn to set up service principals in Azure DevOps and GitHub, backed by user-assigned managed identities, and release code / infrastructure changes using Azure Pipelines and Bicep.

We'll explore a typical PaaS Azure architecture and see how to configure these components to authenticate securely with each other using Azure RBAC without relying on passwords, eliminating the risk of credential expirations.

We'll also learn to configure Azure DevOps agents to use managed identities instead of PATs and integrate external secrets like API keys into your infrastructure. If time permits, we'll also cover a short example on Workload Identity in Kubernetes.

Join us to master the most secure and laziest way to configure your infrastructure. Say goodbye to passwords and credential management hassles, and hello to seamless, secure operations. It's a win-win!

Can be scaled to 30, 45 or 60 minutes

HTMX, Tailwind CSS, and your favourite language: The Perfect Combination

As a seasoned backend developer and IT professional, the prospect of creating user interfaces has always been daunting, especially with the increasing complexity of state management and feature sets in popular libraries like React. However, the advent of tools like HTMX and Tailwind CSS has revolutionized UI development, making it accessible even for those who primarily focus on backend work.

In this presentation, we will delve into HTMX and how hypermedia is experiencing a resurgence. We'll demonstrate how to implement features with just a few HTML attributes, achieving in minutes what would typically require tens or hundreds of lines of JavaScript. Additionally, we'll explore Tailwind CSS, a utility-first CSS framework that simplifies styling by leveraging predefined classes. This approach drastically reduces the need for custom CSS, speeding up development and ensuring consistent design.

We'll conclude with a look at HTML-first component libraries like Shadcn-inspired FrankenUI and DaisyUI, showcasing how they can further streamline the UI development process. Whether you're a backend developer hesitant to venture into the front-end world or simply looking for more efficient ways to build UIs, this presentation will provide valuable insights and practical examples to enhance your workflow.

Optimizing Cloud Reliability with SLOs, SLIs, and Azure Workbooks

In today's cloud-driven landscape, ensuring reliable and high-performing services is crucial for business success. This talk delves into the essential concepts of Service Level Objectives (SLOs) and Service Level Indicators (SLIs), explaining their importance in maintaining service reliability and enhancing user satisfaction. We will explore how to identify key metrics, set achievable performance goals, and integrate these indicators into your operational workflows to drive continuous improvement.

Moving beyond theory, we will provide a practical guide on creating your first set of SLIs, highlighting best practices for selecting relevant metrics, establishing realistic baselines, and implementing effective measurement strategies. The session will culminate with a demonstration of building actionable dashboards using Azure Workbooks. Attendees will learn how to leverage Azure's powerful tools for real-time monitoring, trend analysis, and troubleshooting, empowering them to proactively manage service performance and swiftly address issues. This comprehensive approach will equip participants with the knowledge and skills to enhance their cloud operations and deliver exceptional user experiences.