Conference Driven Development
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Conference Driven Development is rewriting your entire tech stack every time someone comes back from a tech conference hyped about a new tool. 'I just saw a talk about Bun — we're switching from Node.' 'This guy at KubeCon showed me Istio — we need a service mesh.' The code is always in flux, the architecture is always 'transitioning,' and the team is always confused.
Real Talk
Conference Driven Development (CDD) is an anti-pattern where technology decisions are influenced by conference talks, blog posts, and industry hype rather than actual requirements. It leads to architectural churn, incomplete migrations, and multiple competing approaches in the same codebase. The antidote is evaluation criteria, proof-of-concept validation, and a technology radar process.
When You'll Hear This
"Someone went to a Next.js conf and now we're migrating from Nuxt — conference driven development at its finest." / "New rule: you can't propose a new framework for 30 days after attending a conference."
Related Terms
Architecture
Architecture is the master blueprint for your app — like deciding whether to build a house, apartment block, or skyscraper before laying a single brick.
Golden Hammer
The golden hammer is when you find a tool you love and use it for EVERYTHING — even when it's completely wrong for the job. Love React?
Over-engineering
Building a rocket ship when you just need a bicycle.
Resume Driven Development
Resume Driven Development is choosing technologies not because they're right for the project, but because they'll look good on your resume.