Over the past few months, I’ve had the chance to design and launch several new web applications—each with a very different audience, scope, and technical requirement. These projects pushed me to consider not only what we were building, but how best to build it.
Enterprise-Grade Innovation with Spring Boot
For highly integrated, security-conscious applications at Michigan State University, we chose Spring Boot. These weren’t just any apps—they were the first fully containerized, ground-up web applications developed at MSU.
We needed a framework that offered reliability, flexibility, and integration with existing identity, logging, and monitoring systems. Spring Boot provided the structure and tooling necessary to meet enterprise-grade expectations while enabling our developers to move efficiently within the university’s broader tech ecosystem.
Helping others ramp up on the platform also became a part of the work. Introducing team members to containerized development—especially in a traditionally on-prem environment—was both a teaching opportunity and a cultural shift.
Personal Projects with Astro: Fast, Clean, and Flexible
In contrast, when it came to my own personal and consulting sites, I turned to something entirely different: Astro.
Astro gave me the freedom to build lightweight, modern websites with an emphasis on speed, aesthetics, and performance. I was able to go from idea to production-ready site in record time—all without sacrificing the polish or professionalism I expect in my work.
Astro’s component-driven approach and zero-JS-by-default philosophy offered exactly the kind of flexibility I wanted for projects that didn’t need the complexity of a full backend framework.
Why Both Matter
These projects may look very different on the surface—enterprise apps versus personal sites—but both required strategic technical decision-making, clear understanding of goals, and a commitment to quality.
Whether deploying containers in a university cloud environment or publishing a fast, accessible website in minutes, each experience deepened my understanding of modern platforms and how they can be used to deliver meaningful, scalable outcomes.
And perhaps most importantly, they reminded me that the best technology choice is never just about the code—it’s about context, people, and purpose.