Last month, HackMD touched down at JSConf 2025 with genuine excitement to meet the community that shaped the technologies powering our platform.
Since day one, HackMD has been built on JavaScript and the surrounding ecosystem, so joining hundreds of developers, maintainers, and creators felt like returning to our roots.
The event brought together fresh ideas, bold experiments, and passionate builders, and it offered the perfect opportunity to connect, learn, and celebrate the tools and people driving the future of JavaScript.
Touching down at the event
JSConf 2025 took place along the shores of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina. The venue’s waterfront views, quiet marina, and wide open skies created a stunning backdrop for the entire event.
It was the kind of setting that encouraged developers to pause, connect, and share ideas in a relaxed and inspiring environment. The beauty of the bay paired with the resort’s open, welcoming layout made it an ideal place for the JavaScript community to come together.
Keynotes that set the tone for the week
The keynote sessions at JSConf 2025 set a strong technical foundation for the event.
One of the most technical highlights was Matteo Collina, Co-Founder & CTO of Platformatic, speaking on “Making Node.js Performance Profiling Actually Work.” Matteo opened with humor before diving into a core problem many developers face: traditional Node.js profiling tools are slow, confusing, and challenging to use in real environments like Docker or production.
He walked through why the classic node --prof workflow produces unusable output, why inspector-based profiling adds heavy overhead, and why kernel tools like perf and dtrace aren’t practical for most teams.
“All of this… is not really useful.”
Matteo then introduced more modern approaches, including Datadog’s low-overhead pprof and the evolution of tools from 0x to Platformatic Flame, which pairs CPU and memory profiling with fast WebGL-based flame graphs.
Even with a few “demo-god” surprises, the session showed how better profiling tools help teams quickly spot bottlenecks, understand memory behavior, and debug real issues without slowing down development.
For HackMD, the takeaway was clear: great documentation and accessible tooling go hand-in-hand with building high-performance software.
See the full keynote here.
The future of JavaScript runtimes
The panel with Jared Sumner (Bun), James Snell (Node.js / Cloudflare) and Lizz Parody (NodeSource) dug into how the runtime ecosystem has changed now that developers have more choices than ever. Both agreed the focus today isn’t the runtime itself but what developers can build with it — making compatibility, stability, and DX the real differentiators.
James highlighted how Node’s governance has matured into pure technical stewardship, while Jared explained Bun’s lightweight approach as a fast-moving small team focused heavily on Node compatibility because “people aren’t going to rewrite their code.”
The conversation also touched on open-source sustainability, the pain of streams, AI-assisted development, and how new contributors can get involved. Both emphasized that companies relying on OSS must support it, that AI will influence API design even if it won’t replace runtimes, and that the best way to contribute is simply to start opening PRs.
It was a clear snapshot of where JavaScript runtimes stand today and how their communities are shaping what comes next.
Watch the full panel here.
A keynote centered on people and the story behind JSConf
The final keynote HackMD attended was led by Chris Williams, creator of JSConf and Head of Professional Services at Vercel. Instead of a slide deck, Chris shared the story behind the conference itself how JSConf began as an unplanned idea, grew out of curiosity, and evolved into a global community.
Chris spoke openly about the ups and downs of building JSConf, the friendships and collaborations formed over the years, and the importance of human connection in tech.
His message was simple but powerful the JavaScript community is shaped by its people. Every conversation, shared moment, and unexpected story contributes to the future of the ecosystem.
It was a warm, honest way to close out the main sessions and a reminder of why events like JSConf matter so much.
Check out what Chris had to say here.
Wrapping up with music and new friends
The final night of JSConf 2025 captured everything that makes this community special.
After three days of keynotes, panels, hallway chats, and shared discoveries, attendees came together for a relaxed evening of karaoke, laughter, and low pressure fun.
The stage lights shifted from conference-mode to party-mode, and the room filled with people singing their favorite songs, cheering one another on, and celebrating the end of an unforgettable week.
It was the perfect reminder that while JavaScript brings everyone together, it’s the human connections that keep the community strong.
Between sessions and the closing celebration, there were plenty of chances to unwind and meet new people. One of our favorite moments was a friendly game of pool at the resort a great way to connect with other attendees in a laid back space.
And yes, all of our new friends got a HackMD T-shirt. 😊
A huge thank you to the sponsors
JSConf wouldn’t be possible without the organizations that support it.
Huge shoutout to OpenJS for the invite and the event’s sponsors that helped create an environment where developers, maintainers, educators, and teams could come together to learn, explore, and collaborate.
From open source projects like harper and vlt.sh to companies building the tools the JavaScript ecosystem depends on, each sponsor played a role in making JSConf 2025 a meaningful experience.
JSConf 2025 brought together everything HackMD cares about innovation, community, and the power of shared knowledge. We left inspired by the people we met, the stories we heard, and the ideas shaping the future of JavaScript.
Until next year.
