c’t 2025: Deep-dive workshops for modern web development

The c’t conference offers frontend developers an exceptional opportunity to deepen their expertise through intensive, full-day workshops on November 18th. Four experienced practitioners will guide participants through crucial topics that shape modern web development. Each workshop is designed as an interactive, hands-on experience where theory immediately meets practice.

AI and UX

Sebastian Springer’s workshop „AI Applications in Node.js with LangChain and LangGraph“ takes developers beyond simple chatbot implementations. Participants will build a sophisticated AI application from scratch, learning how to implement modular architectures and intelligently chain components using LangChain. The workshop covers seamless LLM integration, tool-calling for external system interactions, and dynamic logic implementation with LangGraph. A highlight is the introduction to the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for creating standardized interfaces.

Vicky Pirker brings participants „Back to the roots“ of UX with her workshop on Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics. These timeless principles remain the backbone of every usability evaluation, yet many developers underestimate their power for modern interfaces. The morning session establishes the theoretical foundation, while the afternoon gets practical: in small groups, participants analyze real applications and conduct initial usability tests.

Security and Web Components

Security vulnerabilities can sink even the most beautifully designed applications. Martina Kraus’s „Web Security Fundamentals“ workshop addresses this through real-world scenarios and current best practices. Starting with the OWASP Top 10, participants dive deep into common vulnerabilities – from injection attacks like XSS and SQL Injection to CSRF, authentication failures, and broken access control. Special attention goes to the risks surrounding access tokens and OAuth. But it’s not just about understanding threats: the workshop emphasizes effective defense strategies including data sanitization, Content Security Policy implementation, and secure cookie configuration. Participants immediately apply their knowledge through hands-on examples in an Angular application.

Katja Potency challenges conventional wisdom with her workshop „No, webcomponents are not the past“. Despite simple basics and grand promises, webcomponents often face skepticism compared to frameworks. Recent resistance from prominent figures has added fuel to the debate. But should developers abandon this approach? Through building actual webcomponents and learning practical tricks along the way, participants will discover where the platform truly helps and what should be left to frameworks. This workshop provides clarity in an often confusing landscape.

Conference and c’t slam

On the two conference days, November 19-20, 2025, the entire spectrum of frontend development will be covered, from testing, accessibility and UX in general to basics such as CSS. As part of the get-together on the first conference evening, November 19th at 6 pm, there will be a small bonus „conference“: the c’t slam. Editors from c’t and sister publications take the stage to explain their areas of expertise. The c’t slam is also open to external visitors.

The c’t conference takes place November 18-20, 2025, at KOMED Event Center in Cologne and will be conducted in English. More information and the complete agenda are available at ct-webdev.com.

(jo)