Rockford Lhotka

No Silver Bullet: Use the Right Architecture for the Right Problem

Although monolithic architectures are making a comeback, the best way to build distributed software solutions is through the use of service-based architectures. These include microservices, dedicated n-tier services, and related architectural models widely used when building comprehensive solutions. In this session you will learn when to implement a system using microservices, and when to use dedicated services. You will also learn when to use sync vs async communication between system components, and the importance of discipline around messaging protocols within your system and with external consumers.

You will learn

1. How microservices fits into the history of distributed computing
2. When to use a well-architected monolith vs services
3. When to use n-tier services, microservices, and other architectures

Hands-On: Learn to Build and Run Cloud-Native .NET Code

In this hands-on lab you will learn how to design and build cloud-native software, how to deploy the code to containers, and how to run your containers in Docker and Kubernetes (k8s).

Along the way you will learn how to install and interact with Docker on your local workstation and in Microsoft Azure. Building on that, you will learn how to install and use k8s on your local workstation.

Using that infrastructure, you will learn how to build microservices and n-tier services in .NET 5 and apps in Visual Studio using web APIs, and message-based services. The back-end services will follow cloud-native best practices around microservice and message-based/event-based architecture, 12-factor design. You'll learn how to avoid the fallacies of distributed computing, and more.

You will also build a client-side Blazor app that can run on any device with a modern browser. This app will make use of the backend services running in containers.

Learning goals:
1. How to install Docker and Kubernetes locally
2. How to build .NET 5 services that deploy to k8s
3. How to implement a microservice-based app with a Blazor front-end

A Career With Open Source

Open source (OSS) is inescapable in our industry today, and we are all part of the ecosystem one way or another. We all have a responsibility, as organizations and individuals, to understand our role in the ecosystem, and to actively engage to ensure OSS continues to be available into the future.

Learn how you and your organization can support the OSS ecosystem, what OSS many OSS projects need, and ways to help keep our industry vibrant and healthy into the future.

Rockford Lhotka relied on freeware, shareware, and OSS to build his career, and then became an OSS creator, with the CSLA project (https://cslanet.com) being active for more than 25 years.

DIY - Make A Kubernetes Cluster with Inexpensive Devices

If you are interested in Kubernetes, containers, and want an actual multi-node cluster you can use for learning, it is kind of fun to build your own by using low-cost devices such as Raspberry Pi and old laptops, plus a few extra bits of hardware.

Join Rockford Lhotka as he talks about how he assembled a multi-node cluster, got 64 bit Ubuntu set up, and installed Kubernetes with microk8s, all for less than the cost of a low-end laptop.

Building Enterprise Blazor Apps Using CSLA .NET

Blazor is one of the most powerful UI technologies available today, allowing you to write apps that run on a web server, or directly on client devices in any modern browser by using WebAssembly.

An enterprise app probably calls back-end services and needs to interact with app servers. Some or all of your business logic may run on the client, the app server, or both. That's ideal for the balance between user interactivity, performance, scalability, and security. The widely-used open source CSLA .NET framework helps you create a reusable, scalable, and cross-platform portable business layer that lets your application run on multiple types of client devices while sharing business logic between the clients and your app server. This session is an end-to-end walkthrough of how this works and how you can benefit.

Learning points:
1. Learn how Blazor can be used to build end-user experiences for the enterprise
2. Learn how CSLA .NET helps you develop maintainable, reusable, cross-platform business logic
3. Learn how to leverage your business logic on the server with Linux containers

Deep Dive on Blazor: The Run Everywhere with .NET UI Framework

Blazor is a UI framework that enables you to build powerful web apps using HTML, CSS, and C#. You can host an app on a web server, or run the app on the client device in any modern browser. The Blazor UI framework is very capable, and provides a powerful UI component model, data binding, routing, authorization, and many other features necessary to build a modern app.

Learning points:
1. Learn how Blazor, WebAssembly, and .NET combine to enable this app platform
2. Learn how to build server-side Blazor and Blazor WebAssembly apps
3. Learn how to use Blazor UI framework features such as UI components, data binding, routing, and authorization

Workshop: Build an App using Blazor, CSLA .NET, and Cloud-native

Blazor is a powerful web and .NET based UI framework for building modern apps in the browser, PC, mobile, and more. CSLA .NET enables building reusable, maintainable business logic for any .NET application. Cloud-native server technologies like containers, Kubernetes, and Azure enable highly scalable and secure deployments.

In this workshop you will learn how to use open source Blazor, CSLA .NET and cloud-native technologies to build apps that are scalable, maintainable, and deployable.