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WebDevPro #97: LTS-Level Node Upgrades, Rust Introduces Let Chains, Claude Now Lets You Create Apps in Chat 🌍🔍

Crafting the Web: Tips, Tools, and Trends for Developers

Hi ,

Welcome to WebDevPro #97! This week brings updates that you will want to bookmark. Let's start with the highlights:

🟢 Node.js v24.3.0 & v22.17.0 LTS Released: V8 upgrades, better diagnostics, and more stable production builds
🦀 Rust 1.88 Sharpens Safety and Extensibility: Adds non-exhaustive traits, assume intrinsic, and wildcard Cargo features
🧠 GitHub CEO: Manual Coding Still Matters: Thomas Dohmke reminds devs they're still essential—even in the AI era
📄 Claude’s “Artifacts” Feature: Turn chats into editable, versionable documents for collaborative projects
✨ Gemini CLI as Your AI Agent: Google’s new tool makes terminal scripting cleaner and AI-assisted

We’ve rounded up releases, tools, and expert takes that sharpen your workflow and won’t waste your time. Scroll down and dig in.

Latest news: what's new in web development? 🧑‍💻

🟢 Node.js v24.3.0 & v22.17.0 LTS Released: This week’s Node.js update delivers something for everyone. The current version, v24.3.0, upgrades to V8 12.4 and brings improved performance diagnostics and bug fixes. Meanwhile, v22.17.0 (LTS) is a stability-focused release with important security patches and production-ready enhancements.

🦀 Rust 1.88 Sharpens Safety and Extensibility: Rust 1.88.0 adds support for #[non_exhaustive] on traits, letting library authors design more resilient APIs. The release also introduces a new assume intrinsic for unsafe code optimizations and brings glob pattern support to Cargo’s --features flag. Clean, smart, and built for scale.

💡 Google Debuts Gemini CLI as an AI Agent for Your Terminal: Google’s Gemini CLI is now open source and ready to streamline dev workflows. It’s built for scripting, automation, and direct integration with Gemini models, right from your local terminal. Think AI-assisted coding, testing, and deployment all within reach of a simple command.

🧠 Claude’s New “Artifacts” Feature Adds Collaborative Muscle: Anthropic’s Claude just got a major UX upgrade. The new Artifacts feature turns conversations into editable, persistent code or content blocks, right inside the interface. This lets you iterate, refine, and co-develop with Claude in a much more interactive way. Ideal for code, writing, and docs.

📦 JSON Imports Now Baseline Across Major Browsers: Importing JSON just got simpler; no bundler tricks required. That means you can now import data from './file.json' directly in your modules. It’s a small change with big cleanup potential for modern JavaScript projects.

☕ Jakarta EE 11 Is Official with Java 21 Support: Jakarta EE 11 has landed, marking the platform’s first feature release under a faster, six-month cadence. It adds support for Java 21, introduces a leaner Core Profile for modern workloads, and reaffirms Jakarta’s push toward cloud-native enterprise Java. This is the most forward-looking EE release in years.

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Eyes on the prize, not the strain 👁️

After a marathon of debugging and deployments, your eyes deserve a break. Whether you’ve been wrangling flexboxes or frameworks, this one’s for you.

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Try the 20-20-20 Rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This quick habit helps reduce digital eye strain, boost focus, and protect long-term eye health.

🔬 Learn the science behind it: How a simple visual reset can make a big difference.
🧘 Get a gentle reminder: Install the 20-20-20 EyeCare Chrome extension, it’ll nudge you to take breaks before the fatigue kicks in.

Expert corner: what's the web community talking about?🎙

🧠 GitHub CEO says AI Can’t Replace Manual Coding (Yet): In a recent interview with The New Stack, GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke emphasized that AI is a productivity enhancer, not a replacement for human developers. His message echoes a growing sentiment in the dev community: large language models are powerful tools, but understanding how and why your code works still matters more than ever.

⚡️ Python devs meet ‘uv’ the new pip for lightning-fast Docker builds: Nick Janetakis dives into switching from pip to uv, a new ultra-fast Python package installer. The result? Dramatically faster Docker image builds, especially for Flask or Django apps. If you're optimizing for CI/CD speed, this swap might be your new secret weapon.

🛠️ Building AI Text Apps with React + Vite + OpenAI: This DZone tutorial breaks down how to spin up an AI-powered text analysis app using React, Vite, and the OpenAI API. Beyond the basics, it covers token management, real-time user interaction, and prompt engineering tips. Ideal if you're exploring LLM integration in frontend workflows.

🔄 Event-Driven Architectures Meet MCP for Maximum Flexibility: If you're exploring ways to simplify asynchronous workflows in complex systems, this intro to Multi-Channel Processing (MCP) shows how it can complement event-driven architectures. It's a high-level overview, but useful if you're mapping patterns for large-scale service orchestration.

⚛️ Preact Signals rethink state with zero virtual DOM fuss: Preact’s signals are gaining traction among performance-first JavaScript developers. This guide explains how they deliver fine-grained reactivity without the overhead of virtual DOM diffing or excessive state management. A strong case for rethinking the state in lean web apps.

Want to be featured in WebDevPro? Share your tips or takes, we’re all ears!

Workshop: Unpack OWASP Top 10 LLMs with Snyk

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REGISTER TODAY

Join Snyk and OWASP Leader Vandana Verma Sehgal on Tuesday, July 15 at 11:00AM ET for a live session covering:

✓ The top LLM vulnerabilities
✓ Proven best practices for securing AI-generated code
✓ Snyk’s AI-powered tools automate and scale secure dev.

See live demos plus earn 1 CPE credit!

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Packt catalogue: must read dev books📚

📘 Practical Serverless and Microservices with C# on Azure by Gabriel Baptista and Francesco Abbruzzese

This book helps C# developers transition to cloud-native thinking by building scalable, event-driven systems using Azure services. It's hands-on, practical, and tailored to real-world production needs.

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Why pick it up:
✅ Learn how to build serverless APIs with Azure Functions
✅ Apply microservices architecture patterns in C#
✅ Master event-driven workflows using Event Grid and Service Bus

Grab your copy!