Moving Towards Spec-Driven Development The Real Python Podcast

What are the benefits of vibe coding with an LLM over spec-driven development? Do these current patterns indicate a shift toward declarative programming? Marc Brooker, VP and Distinguished Engineer at AWS, joins us on the show this week to talk about Kiro and specification-driven development.

Writing requirements, which specify what a program should accomplish and what needs it should satisfy, is how Marc explains the process of creating an application. We examine the distinctions between declarative and imperative programming by delving into some of the history of computer science.

We also talk about Amazon’s new integrated development environment, Kiro, which is centered on converting prompts into formal requirements. We look at the several kinds of documents that are used to define design, direction, tasks, and requirements.

Topics:

1. 00:00:00 – Introduction
2. 00:02:41 – How did you get involved in open source?
3. 00:07:23 – How would you describe spec-driven development?
4. 00:10:49 – Balancing the desire to start coding with defining the project
5. 00:13:06 – What does this documentation look like?
6. 00:18:27 – Declarative vs imperative programming
7. 00:24:13 – Infrastructure as part of the design
8. 00:27:03 – Getting started with a small project
9. 00:29:05 – Committing the spec files along with the code
10. 00:31:08 – What is steering?
11. 00:34:17 – How to get better at distilling specifications?
12. 00:38:59 – What are anti-patterns in spec-driven development?
13. 00:41:08 – Should you avoid third-party libraries?
14. 00:43:16 – Real Python Resource Spotlight
15. 00:44:39 – Getting started with Kiro
16. 00:51:00 – Neuro-symbolic AI
17. 00:55:41 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?
18. 00:58:36 – What do you want to learn next?
19. 01:00:18 – How can people follow your work online?
20. 01:00:57 – Thanks and goodbye

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