Forem: Ivan Burazin

How to Write A 4000 Stars GitHub README for Your Project

Ivan Burazin — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The README is the most important file in your project. It's visitors' first impression, which can significantly impact whether they decide to star, become a user, contributor, or just close the browser tab.

Before open-sourcing our project Daytona — a first for us — I aimed to ensure everything was perfect, aside from the code, which is another story unto itself.

TL;DR

Key strategies for a successful GitHub README learned from the open-source project Daytona that gained 4.000 stars in the first week.
Impactful Header: Logo, badges, one-liner, visuals, and quick start guide.
Engaging Content: Explain the project's purpose, backstory, and detailed getting started guide.
Project Hygiene: Include contributing guide, license, code of conduct, and ensure no broken links or empty sections.

I'm excited to share with you the learnings for crafting README.md that we employed to achieve nearly 4.000 stars in the first week.

I began by examining the 100 most popular repositories on GitHub and was surprisingly underwhelmed by their READMEs. Extending my search to other projects within the same domain yielded similar results. It appears that successful projects often originate from companies or individuals who already have substantial followings, making the basics seem less critical to them. Atlassian's recent "Pragmatic drag and drop" project is a glaring example, a repo with just a readme, yet due to Atllasian’s popularity still got to trending page on GitHub for a day.

However, I decided not to leave anything to chance, so I did extensive research to uncover what truly matters. Here's what I discovered.

Heading Overview

This segment is critical as it captures most readers' attention. Fail to engage them here, and you risk losing them forever. Use this opportunity wisely. Here are my suggestions:

The Logo Beckons

Begin with your project's logo. It may seem obvious, yet many overlook it. This space is valuable real estate for making a strong first impression. In our situation, we decided our initial logo needed a redesign, and after some stress about the timing, we successfully now have a shiny new logo.

Badges Convey Trust at a Glance

Badges convey vital information about your project's health, build status, and overall quality. Strategically placed beneath your logo, these badges instill confidence in potential contributors, reassuring them that your project adheres to industry best practices.

The Elevator Pitch

Start with a catchy one-liner that encapsulates what your project is about, followed by a subtitle that provides additional context. Craft a concise, one-liner that encapsulates the essence of your project, followed by a compelling sub-title that provides additional context. This initial hook is crucial in piquing the interest of those browsing GitHub's vast repository landscape. Despite dedicating considerable effort to crafting this line, we still feel it misses the mark.

Create A Visual Feast

Humans are inherently visual creatures, and a well-executed image, GIF, or animation can convey the functionality and value of your project more effectively than words alone. Showcase your project's capabilities in a visually captivating manner, leaving a lasting impression on your audience. For this task, LiceCap remains a classic favorite for many, undoubtedly standing the test of time.

Feature Highlights

Once you've captured their attention, it's time to list your project's most compelling features. Highlight the unique value propositions that set your project apart, leaving your audience eager to explore further.

The Quickstart

Provide a quick start guide. Once users have a basic understanding of the project, offer a streamlined guide. With as few commands as possible, show how users can begin utilizing your project.

Main Body of the README

This section is for people seeking further information and more detailed insights; here are the strategies that have proven effective for us.

The Why?

Clarify from the reader's perspective why they should engage with your project. This helps in establishing a connection by directly addressing their needs or challenges.

Backstory

Not every project may have one, but if yours does, it's highly recommended to share it. People are naturally drawn to stories — sharing your motivation and the journey behind the project can make it more relatable and memorable for your audience.

Getting Started

This section is an extended version of the Quick Start guide, where you delve deeper into the how-tos, akin to mini-documents. It's essential for explaining your project's utility and application comprehensively.

Keep it Concise

Avoid unnecessarily long README files, as they can detract users and contributors who may perceive the project as overly complex.

Project Hygiene Essentials

While captivating narratives and visually stunning presentations are essential, true sustainability in the open-source realm hinges on impeccable project hygiene. These fundamental elements serve as the backbone of a thriving, collaborative ecosystem.

Contributing

A well-crafted Contributing Guide ensures that contributors follow your project's best practices, raise useful issues, and submit well-formed pull requests, making it easier for maintainers to manage the project:

Organize Steps: Ensure that the steps for contributing code are clearly organized and easy to follow.
Specific Commands: Use specific commands (e.g., git add ) instead of greedy commands like git add . to avoid adding unwanted files to commits.

License

Clearly articulate your project's licensing terms, safeguarding both your intellectual property and the rights of contributors. A well-defined license instills confidence and mitigates potential legal complications down the line.

Code of Conduct

A Code of Conduct defines how the project will engage and interact with the community, setting expectations for respectful contributions. While the wording of the Code of Conduct is outside the scope of this article, it's essential to have one in place to ensure a positive and inclusive community.

You can also take inspiration and guidance from the community, for example, our Code of Conduct is adapted from the Contributor Covenant.

The Support Network

Provide clear channels for users and contributors to seek assistance, report issues, or provide feedback. Responsive and accessible support mechanisms not only enhance the user experience but also foster a sense of community and long-term engagement.

Final README Review Checklist

Ensure every item in the README adds value. Consider moving detailed items to a separate docs folder as the file grows and referencing them in the README. Ensure your README is free from broken links and empty sections, and maintain standardized formatting to achieve a neat and professional appearance.

Maintain consistent naming conventions throughout the README and the repository. Remove empty sections from the README to keep it clean and concise. Create issues with appropriate labels for sections that need content.

Enhancing Project Hygiene Beyond the README

Security

Create a SECURITY.md file in your project's root directory, outlining the process for reporting vulnerabilities.

About

Ensure all sections are completed thoroughly:

Description - Summarize your project in a concise one-liner.
Website - Provide a link for additional information and include relevant topic tags.
On the homepage, include relevant information and deselect any of these three options—Releases, Packages, Deployments—if they're not applicable to save space effectively.

Releases

For Releases , utilize GitHub's releases feature to enable users to gauge the project's activity level based on the most recent release date.

Issues

Custom Labels: GitHub automatically provides default labels, but don't hesitate to create additional ones tailored to your project's needs. Create custom labels such as "Staff Only," "Blocked," "Awaiting Triage," and "Ready for Dev" to categorize issues, manage expectations, and create a triage flow.
Encouraging Community Contributions: At the outset, it's beneficial to populate your repository with several beginner-friendly issues to kickstart community engagement. Use the "good first issue" label to mark these tasks, encouraging new contributors. For example, apply this label to select issues in your project like so:good first issue.
Issue Templates: To ensure that reported issues follow a consistent structure, employing templates is wise. While GitHub offers default templates, customizing them allows for unique and creative approaches to issue reporting.

That's all! While it sounds straightforward, it required substantial research and testing. To see an example, please visit our repository. Additionally, if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to open an issue - we welcome your input!

Remember, the README is visitors' first impression of your project, so investing time and effort into creating a well-structured and comprehensive file can significantly impact its visibility, adoption, and community engagement.

Gaining traction and accumulating GitHub stars is not a final goal but a

journey, one that requires dedication, responsiveness, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. By meticulously crafting each aspect of your open-source project, from the captivating header to the robust contribution guidelines, you'll create an irresistible gravitational pull that attracts contributors, fosters engagement, and propels your project to the pinnacle of the open-source community.

Best of luck with your project, and here's hoping it becomes a trending success too!

The Dream Dies: Why Cloud IDEs Failed Developers

Ivan Burazin — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

For years, developers have been tantalized by the dream of coding entirely through their web browser—no more installing bulky programs or configuring local environments. Just open your online IDE and start programming from anywhere, on any device. Major players like Google and Amazon poured millions into making this vision a reality.

But the much-hyped promise of cloud IDEs has largely failed to materialize. While they've found niche uses, developers overwhelmingly still prefer native desktop tools. As an industry veteran who built some of the first browser-based coding tools back in 2009, I've watched the cloud IDE hype cycle unfold firsthand. From my vantage point today, in 2024, I can definitively say the sun is setting on the dream of cloud-based integrated development environments.

Don't get me wrong - remote development capabilities still have an important role to play. However, trying to force the entire coding experience into a web browser is a fool's errand. The cloud IDE model does not align with what most professional developers need and want in their daily workflows.

What Developers Want

To understand why cloud IDEs miss the mark, you have to consider the developer's perspective. What do coders care about most when choosing tools and environments? From my experience, three key factors rise above all else:

Speed and performance
Customizability and flexibility
Integration with existing tools

Let's explore why these factors present major challenges for the browser-centric approach of cloud IDEs.

First and foremost, developers cherish speed and native performance. They want fluid UI interactions and near-instantaneous feedback when editing code. Even small lags quickly become intolerable frustrations. Unfortunately, browser-based apps still cannot match the raw speed of compiled native programs.

Next, developers demand deep customizability to optimize their workflows. They want to configure fonts, themes, keyboard shortcuts, and layouts. They want to install plugins and extensions that add new capabilities freely. Browser IDEs restrict them to built-in options.

Finally, developers rely on tight integration with other indispensable tools like version control, debuggers, package managers, and more. They expect seamless interoperability. Again, the closed ecosystems of current cloud IDEs make this difficult.

Paradise Lost

Cloud Development Environment providers promise developers paradise - a utopian coding environment accessible anywhere through the web. But in reaching for heaven, they abandon the practical realities of what developers need to do their jobs effectively each day. By forcing everything through the browser, they create a walled garden that strips away the flexibility and power that programmers have come to depend on in their local toolchains.

This false paradise comes at an unacceptable cost for professional developers building and maintaining complex applications. The lure of "one IDE to rule them all" makes for a nice headline, but utterly fails the test of real-world developer experience.

Rebirth From Failure

As we move beyond the limitations of cloud IDEs, it's clear that a new approach is necessary—one that builds on the lessons learned from past failures. Seve Kim's insight captures this transition beautifully:

Newer developer tools present a paradigm shift that solves all the existing problems current tools present. However, these new paradigms seem to be designed in a vacuum and lack a bridge from the old world. Interoperability is table stakes. We need to meet developers where they are today.
Seve Kim, Spotify, Backstage PM

This perspective underscores the importance of not just innovating for the sake of novelty, but ensuring that new tools seamlessly integrate with existing workflows and technologies. The future lies not in discarding the old completely, but in creating a symbiotic relationship between the tried-and-true and the cutting-edge.

Does this mean the vision of remote development is dead? Not at all. The CDE hype cycle produced important lessons that can guide smarter tools in the future. The way forward recognizes that the browser is better positioned as one piece of the environment rather than the whole.

Instead of replacing all developer tools with a web-only IDE, the future lies in building desktop-native performance and flexibility augmented by cloud capabilities. Open ecosystems and community extensibility will also be critical, avoiding the walled-garden limitations of proprietary cloud IDEs. VS Code combined with a DEM platform like Daytona, enhanced by integrations for collaboration and AI assistance, exemplifies this new direction. It's about augmenting, not replacing, the tools developers already rely on.

The popularity of emerging tools like Zed show early promise in disbursing this cloud bubble. By focusing first on high-performance native editing, Zed's creators are charting a path beyond the cloud IDEs. Will native tools supported by platforms like Daytona finally unlock the long-awaited dream of remote development done right? We certainly believe so.

The CDE hype cycle produced more smoke than fire. But from the ashes, space now exists for a rebirth guided by lessons learned. The browser will play an important assisting role, while leaving the coding experience centered firmly on the desktop.

By upholding the principles developers truly care about - performance, customizability, and integration - the next generation of tools can avoid repeating mistakes. The CDE dream may have died, but developers are poised for something better today.

Embracing Open-Source Alignment

Ivan Burazin — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Open-source software has long been the bedrock of innovation, offering tools and frameworks that have propelled the digital era. In a landscape marked by rapid digital transformation, aligning with open-source methodologies is not merely a forward-thinking strategy but a requisite for businesses aiming to ship quality customer experiences frequently.

Guided by insights from respected experts like Milin Desai, CEO of Sentry and our investor, the path to success for modern companies lies in aligning with open-source principles.

The Shift Toward Open-Source Alignment

Open-source alignment goes beyond using and supporting open-source software; it encompasses a company-wide ethos that contributes time, resources, and innovation back to the community.

Customer and Enterprise Perspectives

From the consumer's viewpoint, open-source solutions offer compelling advantages like speed, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Enterprises embrace open source to catalyze development, evade vendor lock-in, and diminish costs. With organizations like Walmart and Porsche leading the charge, the trend is gaining momentum across various sectors.

Software Providers Respond

Companies are responding to this demand by integrating open-source platforms into their service offerings. This strategy allows them to extend beyond mere product provision to a more engaged, contributory role in the development community.

The Case for Open-Source Sustainment

The escalation of open-source software use underscores the industry's responsibility to support the underlying projects and contributors. This commitment grows increasingly important given the pivotal nature of open-source software in modern innovation.

However, sustaining open-source projects in the face of commercial exploitation remains challenging. Companies like MongoDB and Elastic have experienced difficulties when large commercial entities use their open-source projects. MongoDB's shift to the Server Side Public License (SSPL) in response to these challenges illustrates the complexities of balancing open innovation with the need for sustainable development. This situation underscores the importance of finding equitable solutions that protect the interests of open-source creators while maintaining the spirit of open collaboration.

Sentry's Advocacy

Sentry has established an impressive support model for the open-source community by allocating substantial funds for project maintenance, security enhancements, and long-term sustainability. Their funding approach includes smaller-scale sponsorships and larger contributions, showcasing a versatile strategy to nurture the open-source environment.

Acknowledging the vital influence of open-source initiatives in software development, Sentry has generously funded various key projects and organizations. Among the prominent beneficiaries are rrweb, receiving $15,000, which underlies Sentry's Replay feature; the PHP Foundation and Ruby Foundation, granted $10,000 and $6,000 to support these essential programming languages; and SvelteKit, awarded $1,750, selected by Syntax for their website redesign. These donations reflect Sentry's dedication to empowering the open-source ecosystem that drives technological progress.

The Industry's Collective Responsibility

The narrative of Sentry reveals an industry at a crossroads. As reliance on open-source software intensifies, the imperative to contribute will become an industry-wide mandate.

Open-Source as a Norm

For startup companies and enterprises, open-source alignment should be woven into the fabric of their business models. Beyond financial incentives, contributing to open-source projects can drive internal innovation and quality enhancement.

Cultural Shift Towards Sponsorship

The movement toward open-source sponsorship must intensify. Entities such as FOSS Funders are mobilizing companies to support this culture shift, advocating for open-source projects as an industry norm.

Open-Source Alignment as the Strategic Pillar

For contemporary businesses, particularly in the tech sector, aligning with open-source principles is transitioning from an advantageous strategy to an operational imperative. Companies like Sentry exemplify this shift, showcasing the necessity and benefits of open-source alignment.

Daytona's Open-Source Journey

Daytona's journey as an open-source project is just starting. We are currently focused on developing an open-source strategy that guarantees its long-term viability while reflecting our dedication to community contributions.

Licensing Model Deliberations

At Daytona, we are carefully evaluating our approach to open-source licensing. We aimed to find a sweet spot that substantially benefits developers and supports the developer community long-term.

Though the code has not yet been published, watch closely our Daytona Core repository for upcoming updates and releases, expected in Q1 2024.

Looking Ahead

While Daytona is transitioning towards a fully open-source strategy, it's important to acknowledge that this approach may not suit everyone.

However, there are alternative ways to support the community. One notable example is Sentry, which demonstrates its commitment through financial and developmental assistance. This sets a clear path forward for technology companies. True to Desai's vision, the future favors those who recognize open-source alignment as a strategic cornerstone for fostering innovation, enhancing competitiveness, and achieving success.

In this pursuit, contribution and collaboration are not just ethical choices but strategic ones that will define the leading enterprises of tomorrow. The call to action is simple yet profound: embrace open-source either directly or through alignment.

After all, it's important to recognize that our work wouldn't be possible without the solid foundation of open source.

2024: The Year CDEs Go Mainstream

Ivan Burazin — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

At the end of 2022, I reflected on my career's direction. During this time, I stumbled upon an article proclaiming 2023 as the "Year of the Cloud Development Environment." Reading through it, I couldn't help but wonder: Could it be true? Could the era of CDEs finally be upon us?

I've been immersed in this space since 2009, even co-founding what might have been the first cloud development company. But as the article quipped, "So 2023 is the year of the cloud development environment (CDE)." That sounded like one of the longest-running jokes in tech — "The year of Linux on the desktop." I chuckled, pondering if this was just another tongue-in-cheek.

However, the more I read, the more it resonated. Then, another piece caught my eye – Gartner's hype cycle — now featuring CDEs, including our former product, a veteran of 14 years in the industry. What was happening? Were CDEs finally stepping into the limelight after years of lurking in the shadows?

Evaluating CDEs’ Industry Momentum

As I delved deeper, seeking further validation, I started receiving inbound interest for a new CDE product. Despite my position on a unicorn company's executive board, following the sale of another venture, I felt drawn to explore this. These new signals and encounters were a nudge in a direction I've always found deeply meaningful.

What caught me off guard even more was the increasing interest from industry analysts. For someone who had never briefed an analyst before, I suddenly found myself amid these inquiries, sharing insights and data that reinforced the argument for CDEs.

But a nagging question remained: was this just another bubble? Analysts, after all, have been known to be off the mark. Could I risk my career on a second venture into cloud development?

Validation from Leading Technology Companies

As my investigation into the state of Cloud Development Environments (CDEs) deepened, clear evidence emerged: leading technology firms were not only discussing CDEs but actively embracing them. The adoption was tangible, backed by data and case studies from prominent players in the tech world.

LinkedIn, for example, made significant strides in cloud-based development, demonstrating scalable and effective environments. Shopify's story revealed an evolutionary approach to CDEs, adapting their processes to leverage cloud capabilities fully. Similarly, both Stripe and Palantir have been trailblazers in utilizing CDEs to enhance their operations, setting benchmarks in the industry.

What struck me most was Slack's strategy. Their focus on remote development has set a new standard for team collaboration and efficiency. These examples solidified my belief that CDEs were indeed the future of development, not just a fleeting trend. The data and case studies from these tech giants provided the concrete evidence I needed to confirm that CDEs were here to stay and thrive.

Highlighting Achievements by Uber and Airbnb with CDEs

In addition to Shopify and Stripe, other tech giants have made significant strides with CDEs. Uber, for instance, saw a remarkable improvement in their internal developer NPS score, leaping from a -50 to a commendable +8 after introducing a CDE. This dramatic shift underscores the positive impact that efficient development environments can have on developer satisfaction and productivity.

Similarly, Airbnb celebrated the introduction of CDEs as their biggest success in 2023. This milestone highlights the importance of CDEs in modernizing development workflows and enhancing overall efficiency in software engineering teams.

These achievements by Uber and Airbnb further validate the growing significance of CDEs. They stand as a testament to the transformative potential of cloud-based development environments, not just in improving workflows but in fostering developer satisfaction and organizational success.

Daytona and the Confirmation of a Cloud Development Era

A year has passed since the RedMonk article on CDEs first caught my attention — a piece that, until recently, had slipped from my immediate memory. Interestingly, a casual coffee meet-up with James Governor in December not only brought me full circle but also reminded me of the gratitude I owe him for that initial spark of insight.

The catalyst for this flashback was a recent article by The New Stack titled "Web Development in 2023." Reading it, an entire year flashed before my eyes. I remember initially encountering that prediction with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Now, almost to the day, a year later, a respected media outlet like The New Stack was confirming what was once just a forecast: 2023 indeed marked the year when CDEs firmly established themselves.

This isn't just about a prediction coming true. The enthusiastic embrace of CDEs across the industry marks just the beginning of an extensive transformation. At Daytona, we feel that we have actively shaped the journey of CDEs. But, as we move beyond acknowledging the emergence of CDEs, it is time to shift our focus toward the management of these environments. This critical phase underlines a maturing market, where Development Environment Management (DEM) comes into play, meeting the growing need for a secure and scalable approach to development workflows.

Through exceptionally thought-out DEM practices, we're set to harness the full capacity of CDEs and push the bounds of innovation and productivity. This journey is far from over; in fact, we are set to embark on the consequential next chapter: refining, optimizing, and elevating the cloud development experience to unparalleled heights with Development Environment Management.

JetBrains Adds Daytona to Remote Dev Env Managers

Ivan Burazin — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We're thrilled to announce Daytona's partnership with JetBrains, marking the launch of our new JetBrains plugin. This collaboration opens up a world of seamlessdevelopment environment management within your favorite JetBrains IDEs, such as IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm, among others.

As a reminder, Daytona is a self-hosted Development Environment Management platform. It fully supports the Dev Containers Specification, ensuring flawless compatibility with any Integrated Development Environment (IDE) or Git provider.

This partnership places Daytona within a select group of remote development environment managers, recognized for its unique approach to streamlining software development workflows.

TL;DR

Easily switch between Daytona workspaces without leaving your favorite editor
Directly access and manage Daytona profiles and settings
Execute commands within Daytona right from JetBrains
Smoothly collaborate with your team on the same codebases and contexts

JetBrains, renowned for its commitment to creating professional-grade development tools, has identified Daytona's potential to enhance productivity and collaboration for developers globally. By incorporating Daytona's development environment management capabilities into the JetBrains toolset, they offer unparalleled end-to-end developer experience.

At JetBrains, we acknowledge the changing landscape of software development and the growing need for advanced remote environment solutions. By empowering software teams with tools for the seamless management of their remote workspaces, we’re not just improving existing workflows but offering a new way of creating software. Our partnership with Daytona reflects this vision, ensuring JetBrains IDEs are complemented with state-of-the-art remote workspace management capabilities.
Alexander Kirsanov, Team Lead at Remote Development and Collaboration Tools, JetBrains

Streamlining Dev Environments with JetBrains and Daytona

Our partnership with JetBrains embodies our commitment to boosting developer experience while maintaining the autonomy and adaptability that developers value. This integration simplifies workspace management, enhances team collaboration, and provides seamless access to Daytona profiles, complementing the power and convenience of JetBrains' tools.

Daytona extension includes several key features to improve your productivity and development workflow while managing development environments:

Integrated Workspace Management

Managing and jumping between multiple projects has never been smoother. Switch among different Daytona workspaces with ease, right from your JetBrains ecosystem.

Enhanced Team Collaboration

Effortlessly manage and navigate team contexts, fostering better collaboration and efficiency within your development team.

Direct Profiles Access

View and manage your Daytona profiles directly within JetBrains Gateway, ensuring a cohesive and hassle-free environment management experience.

Simplified Command Handling

Enjoy intuitive command execution within the Daytona ecosystem without leaving your IDE—streamlining your workflow like never before.

Ports Management

Easily view and manage ports within your development environments, facilitating seamless connectivity and testing.

Getting Started with Daytona in JetBrains

For the Daytona extension to function, users must first secure access to a Daytona instance or create one using our demo installer available in the GitHub Daytona Installer repository. Detailed guidance for installation and setup is provided to ensure a seamless experience.

Here's how you can integrate Daytona into your JetBrains workflow:

Using the JetBrains Toolbox App, install a JetBrains IDE, such as IntelliJ IDEA, CLion, PyCharm, or another IntelliJ-based IDE.
Using the JetBrains Toolbox App, install a JetBrains Gateway.
Within the Gateway, navigate to Settings / Manage Providers to access the Marketplace. Search for Daytona Gateway and click 'Install'.
Create a new profile and configure the connection to your Daytona instance.
Launch your workspace and begin experiencing the unparalleled efficiency of Daytona in your JetBrains IDE.

Don't forget to set your favorite JetBrains IDE as the default desktop editor in the settings of the Daytona dashboard. By doing this, your selected IDE will automatically launch whenever you access a workspace.

Moreover, with our recently released open-source Daytona, and from version 0.4.0, you can also open workspaces in JetBrains directly from the command line by running daytona code. This further enhances the integration between Daytona and the JetBrains ecosystem, providing every developer with a streamlined workflow.

We're thrilled to bring Daytona's dev environment management capabilities into the JetBrains ecosystem. This partnership reflects our commitment to providing developers with the most advanced tools. This is a significant step towards solving the 'works on my machine' problem and elevating the developer experience.

Have Questions?

Discover more on the JetBrains blog and watch ourplugin introduction on YouTube. Share your experiences with us, and join the conversation about the partnership in theDaytona Slack community to connect with fellow users and the Daytona team!

Time is Ripe for Standardized Dev Environments

Ivan Burazin — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In this day and age, standardized development environments are in high demand. So, what's driving this shift in the developer landscape?

1. Market Demand: Large enterprises are seeking advice on development environments and remote development practices, indicating a growing demand for standardized solutions in this space. Analyst firms, such as Gartner and Forrester, are also witnessing increased interest from customers.

2. Customer Demand: Companies in regulated industries, like insurance, banking, aviation, and defense, want a solution that meets their specific needs and supports secure collaboration in development processes.

3. Industry Trends: Many big tech companies, like LinkedIn, Shopify, and Uber, have developed their own remote development environments. They recognize the benefits of improved productivity, scalability, and security that come with standardized development environments and have shifted in the last two and a half years.

Benefits of Standardized Development Environments

Why are companies investing in standardized development environments? It all comes down to three key benefits:

1. Productivity: Developers waste valuable time configuring and debugging development environments, which can eat up anywhere from 50% to 75% of their productive time. Standardized environments eliminate these inefficiencies and allow developers to focus more on coding and delivering value.

2. Scalability: As companies grow, local machines may struggle to handle the workload of complex development environments. Standardized environments enable effective scaling without compromising performance.

3. Security: Large companies have strict security requirements that traditional on-premises solutions, like virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), may not adequately meet. Standardized development environments provide a secure solution while allowing developers to use their preferred local integrated development environments (IDEs).

Navigating the Transition

Transitioning from local development to cloud-based or standardized environments might feel overwhelming. Here are a few tips to make the shift smoother:

1. Flexibility is Key: Different companies and developers have different requirements. It's vital to have the flexibility to choose between local and cloud-based environments according to specific needs. This ensures optimal cost management and caters to different use cases.

2. Start Small, Scale Gradually: Begin with a small, enthusiastic team or project when adopting standardized development environments. This approach allows for testing, gathering feedback, and customizing the environments before scaling across the organization.

3. Consider Infrastructure-as-Code: Defining the development environment as code using Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) ensures consistency and simplifies collaboration. With IaC, developers can easily recreate the exact environment they need, eliminating compatibility issues.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

As the developer landscape evolves, AI-enabled tools and services are emerging to assist with code creation and streamline the development process. Standardized development environments facilitate the adoption and collaboration of these tools by providing a consistent runtime environment for virtual AI agents that mesh seamlessly with developers' preferred IDEs.

Driven by market demand, customer demand, and industry trends, the time is ideal for standardized development environments. They offer benefits like increased productivity, scalability, and security. With the right strategy and gradual implementation, companies and developers can seize the advantages and succeed in the ever-changing technological landscape.

Email collections under GDPR - The right way

Ivan Burazin — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 12:10:48 +0000

You're a certain someone who works on development of a client-oriented technical solution(s)? You probably want to have the best ways to communicate to those who are consuming your services in a robust way and scale it easily? If that's all you then keep reading.

This article has plenty of non-developer essential angles of email marketing covered, yet it emphasizes the need of conveying your messages properly. If you're not that interested in high-level why's and how's, but still are looking for the best solution (platform, APIs, SDK, portal, etc.) then I'd suggest you jump straight to the solution we linked for you below and start playing with it.

What is email marketing and why should you care?

In earlier years it was possible to collect and use consumer data with little restrictions (if any). Lately, however, with all the data privacy topics being in the focus it is now a service provider who must be careful on how is he approaching service consumers.

With email marketing, you can create long-lasting connections with your consumers. It's the process of sending commercial emails to those on your list who have given permission for us to contact them through email by subscribing - and people love getting great offers!

An example campaign would include an automated message sent at 9 AM every morning reminding customers about some exciting deals happening now only available via this link which will take 10 minutes off their purchase time - what are they waiting for!?

When it comes to small companies, it is one of the most cost-effective options. It's critical to realize that a large part of your success is entirely dependent on the email marketing software you select since they are ultimately responsible for ensuring that your emails get sent. If you're not cautious, you'll find yourself paying much more for fewer marketing options and poor email deliverability rates.

If you are looking for a reliable email solution, look no further than Infobip. Infobip platform handles plenty of communication channels, and email is just one of them. Check how simple it is to incorporate our solution into your product and choose for yourself if it meets all of your requirements. Our free trial

will assist you in familiarizing yourself with our solution, understanding integration, and recognizing the best possibilities with our solution.

How much do you need to worry about GDPR?

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new set of European Union regulations governing the handling of personal data. Due to the constant development of the digital world, the GDPR is intended to bring prior data protection regulations up to date. It is designed to improve data protection inside the EU by implementing rules (and fines!) regarding personal data processing, acquisition, and storage.

The GDPR applies to your business if it processes, saves, or utilizes the personal data of EU people. Personal data includes email addresses, names, phone numbers, and behavioral data about your consumers. It is critical to remember that the rules apply to personal data transferred beyond the EU (to the US, for example).

Businesses may send email marketing to people only if the following conditions are met:

The person has expressly agreed.
They are a current client who purchased a comparable service or product and was provided with an easy method to opt-out.

The rise of social media has changed the way we interact with brands. In many cases, companies will send customers emails without their permission because they haven't unsubscribed from marketing lists or opted out - even if you don't want the communication! The best thing a person can do is check your inbox for any unsolicited messages and make sure that nobody else could have access to it either - only signing up using one email address should be enough protection against bad actors trying too hard to sell everything all at once… but let's face it: Most people just end up clicking "yes" anyways; whether on purpose or not doesn't really matter as long as there isn't an Automated Response waiting.

To be acceptable, however, they must have been provided a clear and simple option to opt out. This should be made available when their first data is taken and should be included in any future messages delivered.
This regulation implies that, although information may be given to current customers by email or text, it does not apply to new contacts or prospective consumers. Additionally, it does not apply to any promotional activity that is not commercial, such as political campaigning or charity fundraising.

Why is the Subscriber's consent important?

The GDPR imposes strict requirements on how you get, record, and maintain permission for marketing communications. In reality, this implies that people providing you with their email address must express permission actively and openly before you may send them emails.

Consent must be provided voluntarily. This implies that it cannot be accomplished via the use of a pre-ticked box. Apart from that, explicit permission is essential. This means that the client must understand what they are signing up for.

Take note that if you are contacted, you must provide evidence of the permission provided. It is critical, then, that you maintain a record of all consents granted by your subscribers.
You may send emails without obtaining permission. Rather than relying on consent, you may claim that you distribute newsletters to further your company's legitimate interests. However, and this is critical, the individual you are sending emails to should have some connection with you, such as having purchased one of your goods. It is up to each business to choose which approach is most appropriate for them - whether via consent or legitimate interests - and ensure compliance with the GDPR.

Email Marketing After GDPR implementation

Email marketing is a popular kind of advertising that was formerly very simple to deploy. However, with the implementation of GDPR, there is another area that needs careful attention.

For example, businesses must get express permission from their contacts before continuing to send them emails. This necessitates a more rigorous membership procedure that includes a double opt-in and an easy opt-out option and prohibits forced or compelled opt-ins.

A double opt-in verifies that users want to receive emails, filtering out fraudulent or negligent requests (for example, a user's failure to uncheck an automatically selected subscription box). If a customer gives their email address for a subscription, they will be required to consent to it a second time in their email.

The need for double opt-in serves as a safeguard for businesses that send promotional emails. Anybody subscribing to your emails should do so freely and without feeling compelled to do so in exchange for a specific product or service. Additionally, they should be able to unsubscribe from your email list at any moment without suffering any consequences.

To conclude

Well, we discussed that GDPR refocused marketers on established email best practices, further strengthening marketing campaigns for those already committed to providing superior customer experiences.

Now, these similar standards and guidelines advise subscribers how they will hear from you and how they want to communicate with you. As we've seen, this puts your marketing efforts in an ideal position to connect with a genuinely engaged audience, enabling you to deliver high-performing messages that impact your revenue. As marketers, we can now target and plan with more zeal, laser-focused on the information we have about our consumers. Now, their expectations have the potential to impact our companies significantly.
Moreover, using the right platforms can help create robust email solutions for their services, which helps in creating highly interactive email newsletters quickly and easily with robust solutions.

Feel free to sign up for our trial account to test out how we solve communication challenges! There you can experience how to integrate Infobipcommunication platform into your technical solution(s) and how it might help you expand the business.