2021 Development Year in Review Link to heading

As 2021 draws to a close, I’m looking back on a year that has been transformative for my development skills and understanding of modern software practices. If 2020 was about adapting to remote work, 2021 has been about embracing new tools, patterns, and approaches that have fundamentally changed how I build software.

Major Technology Adoptions Link to heading

TypeScript Becomes Default Link to heading

The decision to migrate existing JavaScript projects to TypeScript early in the year proved to be one of the most impactful changes. By mid-year, I was starting all new projects with TypeScript by default, and the productivity gains have been substantial.

The type safety has caught countless bugs before they reach production, and the improved IDE experience has made refactoring large codebases much more confident. Most importantly, TypeScript has made collaboration easier; the types serve as always-current documentation of how functions and data structures should be used.

Container-First Development Link to heading

Docker Compose has revolutionised my local development workflow. The ability to spin up complex multi-service applications with a single command has eliminated the “works on my machine” problem and made onboarding new team members trivial.

The consistency between development and production environments has reduced environment-specific bugs significantly. More importantly, it’s changed how I architect applications; thinking in terms of services and dependencies from the start leads to better separation of concerns.

Serverless Adoption Link to heading

Experimenting with Vercel and Netlify has shown me the power of serverless architectures for the right use cases. The deployment simplicity and automatic scaling have made them my go-to choice for side projects and MVPs.

The JAMstack approach; combining static sites with serverless functions; has proven particularly powerful for content-heavy applications that need dynamic features without the complexity of traditional backends.

Technical Skills Developed Link to heading

Backend Architecture Link to heading

Learning Go alongside Node.js has given me a broader perspective on backend development. The explicit error handling and concurrent programming models in Go have influenced how I write JavaScript, leading to more robust error handling patterns.

Building the same applications in both technologies highlighted the trade-offs between development speed and runtime performance, helping me make more informed technology choices.

API Design Maturity Link to heading

This year’s API projects taught me that good API design is as much about consistency and developer experience as it is about technical implementation. The lessons around versioning, error handling, and documentation have become fundamental to how I approach any new API project.

The shift from thinking about APIs as technical interfaces to thinking about them as products for developers has changed my entire approach to backend development.

Modern JavaScript Ecosystem Link to heading

The JavaScript ecosystem continued to evolve rapidly in 2021, but it feels like it’s reaching a more mature state. Build tools like Vite are making development faster, while TypeScript adoption has improved code quality across the board.

The standardisation around ES modules, improved Node.js performance, and the continued growth of the NPM ecosystem have made JavaScript a compelling choice for a wider range of applications.

Development Practice Evolution Link to heading

Testing Strategy Link to heading

My approach to testing has matured significantly. The integration of Docker Compose with testing environments has made it practical to run comprehensive integration tests locally, improving confidence in deployments.

The shift toward testing behaviours rather than implementation details has resulted in more maintainable test suites that actually provide value during refactoring.

Documentation as Code Link to heading

Tools like OpenAPI/Swagger have made API documentation a natural part of the development process rather than an afterthought. When documentation is generated from code, it stays current and becomes a valuable development tool rather than a burden.

CI/CD Integration Link to heading

GitHub Actions has become second nature, with every project now including automated testing, building, and deployment pipelines. The integration with the GitHub ecosystem makes this feel seamless rather than like additional overhead.

Remote Work Normalisation Link to heading

The remote work patterns that emerged from pandemic necessity have solidified into permanent changes. Development teams have adapted their processes, and many companies have embraced fully distributed teams.

This has accelerated the adoption of async communication tools and documentation practices that benefit everyone, not just remote workers.

Cloud Native Everything Link to heading

The move to cloud-first architectures has accelerated. Even small projects now start with deployment automation and containerisation from day one. The infrastructure-as-code mindset has become standard practice.

Developer Experience Focus Link to heading

There’s been a noticeable shift toward prioritising developer experience in tooling. Build tools are getting faster, deployment is getting simpler, and the feedback loops in development workflows are getting tighter.

Personal Growth Areas Link to heading

Systems Thinking Link to heading

Working with microservices and distributed systems has improved my ability to think about system-level concerns like data consistency, service communication, and failure modes.

Communication Skills Link to heading

Technical writing and documentation have become as important as coding skills. The ability to clearly communicate technical decisions and trade-offs has proven crucial for team collaboration.

Technology Selection Link to heading

I’ve become more thoughtful about technology choices, considering not just technical capabilities but also team expertise, long-term maintenance burden, and ecosystem maturity.

Challenges Faced Link to heading

Information Overload Link to heading

The pace of change in the JavaScript ecosystem sometimes feels overwhelming. Learning to filter signal from noise and focus on technologies that solve real problems has been important.

Balancing Depth vs Breadth Link to heading

With so many interesting technologies to explore, finding the right balance between deep expertise and broad knowledge has been an ongoing challenge.

Production vs Learning Link to heading

Balancing the desire to use new technologies with the need to deliver reliable solutions has required careful judgment about when to adopt new tools.

Looking Forward to 2022 Link to heading

Areas for Growth Link to heading

System Design: I want to develop deeper expertise in designing distributed systems and understanding their operational characteristics.

Performance Optimisation: While modern tools are fast by default, understanding how to optimise for specific performance requirements remains valuable.

Infrastructure: Kubernetes and advanced cloud services are becoming increasingly important for scalable applications.

Emerging Technologies Link to heading

WebAssembly: The potential for running non-JavaScript languages in the browser and on the server is intriguing.

Edge Computing: The move toward edge deployment for better performance and user experience.

AI/ML Integration: Understanding how to integrate machine learning capabilities into traditional web applications.

Key Insights Link to heading

Technology Fundamentals Matter Link to heading

Despite rapid tool evolution, fundamental concepts like data structures, algorithms, and system design remain crucial. New tools make these concepts easier to apply, but don’t replace the need to understand them.

Developer Experience Drives Adoption Link to heading

The most successful technologies prioritise developer experience. Tools that are easy to learn, use, and debug tend to succeed regardless of their technical superiority.

Consistency Beats Perfection Link to heading

In both code and processes, consistency is more valuable than optimisation. Predictable patterns make systems easier to understand, maintain, and collaborate on.

Learning Is Continuous Link to heading

The half-life of specific technical knowledge continues to shrink, but the ability to learn new tools and adapt to change has become the most valuable skill.

Gratitude and Community Link to heading

This year’s growth wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible open-source community. The quality of documentation, tutorials, and community support for modern development tools has been exceptional.

The willingness of experienced developers to share knowledge through blogs, talks, and open-source contributions creates an environment where rapid learning is possible.

Conclusion Link to heading

2021 has been a year of significant technical growth and expanded perspective on software development. The tools and practices I’ve adopted have made me more productive and confident in building complex applications.

More importantly, I’ve developed a better sense of when and how to adopt new technologies. The key is being thoughtful about the problems they solve and the trade-offs they involve.

Looking ahead to 2022, I’m excited to continue learning and building, while applying the lessons from this year about consistency, communication, and thoughtful technology adoption.

The fundamentals of good software development; clear code, good testing, and thoughtful design; remain constant even as the tools continue to evolve.

What were your biggest learnings from 2021? Which technologies or practices had the most impact on your development work this year?