The problem of maintainable, sustainable and successful software development is not yet solved. Building the right thing the right way, in the right environment, with the right people- this is why Craft was organized for the first time in 2014, and is still the cause behind the highly successful event. Craft Conference is an international festival-like event about software delivery craft. It combines talk sessions, workshops and a hackathon where attendees can learn about the latest tools, methods and practices of software craft. An event that serves as a compass on new technologies and trends provided by top-notch experts from all over the world.

The conference is for everyone in tech. Developers naturally, but agile coaches, team leaders, executives and engineers of all kinds are all welcome. And apparently, tech recruiters too! 6 colleagues of IseeQ spent 3 days from 2nd to 4th of June in the Hungarian Railway History Park, listened to dozens of speeches on 5 stages, spent time exploring the local market and made new connections as well. This article is our team’s take on the 2022 Craft.

Innovation in a modern setting

After 2021, Craft was held in a hybrid format for the first time. After 2 years of online events, it was refreshing to return to the special atmosphere of the event. The whole scene seemed like a festival, the stages were nicely decorated, the setup of the booths of companies was also just a really nice view. Together with the museum, the venue felt like Google’s campus. Electric scooters could be ridden to get from one place to another, speakers’ backstage was set within 2 old train wagons, and the nice weather contributed to an amazing outdoor experience.

Extensive range of topics

In 3 keynote sessions, more than 60 talks, 6 hands-on tutorials, and 10 workshops, more than 80 world-class practitioners from leading companies like Google, Microsoft, eBay, Airbnb, Slack, etc. shared their real experiences and learnings. The topics of the presentations and workshops were interesting and diverse this year. Amongst new trends in programming, agility and leadership were also heavily featured. The workshops and the talks were divided and labelled as Advanced, Intermediate and General, to indicate the depth of the topic to be discussed.

Journey to passwordless – Lukas Westermann (Nevis Security)

Our team found Lukas Westermann’s presentation the most thought provoking and educative. After a brief introduction to the history of passwords since the 1960s, he went on to explain the difference between Fido U2F, FIDO UAF, FIDO2. Later he was mentioning the different variables of password use: password, Face ID, touch ID, or USB key – these are the ones that require user gesture before a private key can be used. After that he explained how the private key works, and highlighted multiple passwordless options to best fit users and providers.

Entertainment and work- combined

While the conference was an amazing and entertaining experience thanks to the attentive organization, the aim of every attendee was to learn something new and be inspired by the greatest minds of the field. In-person keynote presentations, virtual talks and onsite workshops were happening at the same time, providing attendees with multiple learning opportunities to choose from. Several companies, and most big players of the local tech scene had a stand, where everyone could ask questions and even play some games. This was one of the highlights for our team, especially our newcomers, as the setting created a friendly atmosphere to discover the market in an informal environment, eliminating all strictness and stress.

We are proud to say that many of our partners were present as either attendees, speakers or exhibitors. It gives us great pleasure to know that the companies we work with share the same strive for innovation and education as we do. Our team enjoyed Craft 2022 a lot, and we already can’t wait for next year’s event!