Stanford WebCamp 2025 Begins Today with Tools, Talks and Open Source Collaboration

Stanford WebCamp 2025 begins today with two days of sessions, discussions, and informal collaboration focused on web development, open source tools, and digital innovation. The event flags off online on May 8 and continues in a hybrid format on May 9, culminating in a live keynote and in-person gathering at Stanford University. It is free and open to the public, with no registration required, and invites participants across experience levels to learn, connect, and experiment.

Traditionally, the Stanford WebCamp features introductory sessions for beginners, higher education, and various advanced technical topics. Beginning sessions will be highlighted on the first day and more complex content will be prevalent on the last day of the program.

A major draw this year is the keynote by Paul Nuyujukian, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and Neurosurgery, titled “Bringing Science into the DevOps Era.” This session will be held in person only, with no streaming or recording available. It will cover the increasing reliance of scientific research on data pipelines and DevOps practices. Paul plans to share open-source tools that support real-time data acquisition, trusted timestamping, reproducible pipelines, and long-term research transparency. The session is intended for anyone interested in how IT best practices are shaping modern science and will not be streamed or recorded, reinforcing the event’s emphasis on real-time, community-centered learning.

The program includes sessions on site building with Drupal, automated end-to-end testing, publishing workflows, and secure web infrastructure. Organizers note that topics range from content management and accessibility to cutting-edge uses of AI in web development.

“This year we have various sessions, not only for web designers and developers,”

said Irina Zaks, a member of the organizing committee. She pointed to sessions like “Publishing Safely” and “Drupal 4 Everyone” as examples of how the camp addresses both the technical and editorial sides of digital work. Eric Wheeler, another member of the organising committee, also shared,

"I think sessions like 'Drupal 4 Everyone: Site templates and more' are a good starting point for modern Drupal development.  I also think that Modern web development with headless Drupal could be a good session to go to for newer Drupal devs who are used to using other more modern tech stacks."

The schedule also includes informal Birds of a Feather meetups, community showcases, and practical tool demonstrations. One such session will invite attendees to explore tools together in a developer jam format. Events like these reflect the camp’s informal, open-ended tone, designed to promote collaboration and experimentation outside traditional conference structures.

WebCamp is supported by the university and external sponsors, and made possible in large part by volunteers.

“Lots of work is being done behind the scenes,” shared Irina. “We want to say a special thank you to our volunteers that sponsor us with their time.”

Eric says the event is rather lucky, for it has great sponsors like Jakala and Pantheon. The event will close with an in-person happy hour at Tresidder Memorial Union, sponsored by Pantheon, while Jakala is the Contrib sponsor. 

"While welcoming back sponsors like Aten, Acquia, and Four Kitchens. We have also gotten a huge pouring in of support from Stanford departments like the Doerr School of Sustainability, University Communications, and the School of Humanities and Sciences."

For many, it’s a chance to connect offline, meet fellow participants, and reflect on the ideas and tools shared throughout the camp.

Stanford WebCamp 2025 remains free and open to the public, with sessions scheduled to be streamed where possible and recordings posted afterward. Whether attendees are stepping into web work for the first time or refining their tenth project, the event offers a space to learn, share, and build together. Connect on Stanford Slack channel (Stanford ID is required) or Drupal.org Stanford Webcamp channel

"Networking opportunities and information are probably the biggest takeaways.  Stanford has always been a leader in innovation and a melting pot for technical progress and new ideas. Plus, it's a lot of fun!"

concludes Eric.