“In API Platform, personalized operations are essential”, our interview with Hubert and Jérémy

On September 15, Hubert Lenoir and Jérémy Jarrié, two SensioLabs experts, had the opportunity to give a speech at the API Platform Con 2022. After their talk, they share with us their experience as speakers at a tech conference, and they tell us more about their topic.

Jérémy Jarrié: Our topic [personalized operations in API Platform] is a mechanism we use on a specific project. It is not documented yet, and few people know about it.

Hubert Lenoir: We selected this topic because we worked on it together in a project, plus it is a promising aspect of API Platform. In the functioning of API Platform, it’s something essential, really central. So it is an opportunity to tell a little more about it and to know how to extend it because the plan is to extend it.

JJ: We illustrated our topic with a practical case. We really start from the simplest solution to the ultimate solution. The latter is the most difficult and the least known.

JJ: Quite frankly, I was stressed out! It’s not easy for someone like me that is not used to speaking in public. I really felt it because there were 2 phases.

First, the presentation part was when I was very nervous. It was even difficult to speak. Then, the Q&A session was easier, because it is less personal, I was already more comfortable and I had no problem answering the questions.

GT: Hubert, you are used to doing talks: how did you feel this time?

HL: On the one hand, I would say that I was not nervous enough, maybe too relaxed. It’s fun to talk at a tech conference. You don’t have to overthink your subject. On the other hand, it was my first time speaking as a duo. I am relieved that it went pretty well.

JJ: There was a funny moment when I was focused on what you were saying. I was following up more with the slides. And I felt at one point that you were making one, then two calls repeating the same thing to move on to the next slide.

GT: What are your advice to become a speaker?

JJ: Start preparing your talk as early as possible. And just talk about things that really interest you. It will motivate you the most.

HL: Usually, it is easier to start with a topic you experience in your daily life. Don’t be afraid of it, there is no stupid theme. You can think: “Yes, it seems simple…”, but it won’t be simple for everyone. I recommend you find a subject early and avoid doing it at the last minute. 

A good piece of advice is also to work on your subject step by step. If it comes from a project you are developing, you will generally know your project well, and it helps. We have clear evidence: Jeremy was much more comfortable in the Q&A session. Because he was talking about something he knows.

JJ: Yes, and it was practical. I am more into practice than theory.

GT: What is SensioLabs’ expertise in API Platform?

JJ: I don’t know exactly how many projects use API Platform. I worked on a large development project for a CAC40 client. We implemented API Platform several times in this project. In fact, two critical APIs are imported by API Platform. This development project has been in production for 3-4 years now, so I am pretty comfortable with this technology now.

HL: We have this experience in managing APIs in complex projects. In addition, for the project Jeremy just mentioned, having two APIs on API Platform has never caused us any problems. For another project, we have implemented API Platform to make an API bundle. In the architecture, we also have minor API points for auto-completion, sorting, and a small Ajax call that does not use API Platform. API Platform is not compulsory in our development projects: it comes naturally. We often implement this technology because it works well in most of the use cases.

Thanks, Hubert and Jeremy, for sharing your experience and congratulations for your talk!