DevConf.IN 2025

Arathy Kumar

I am a Senior Software Engineer at Red Hat, specializing in web components as part of the Red Hat Design System team. With a strong background in software development and a passion for design, I specialize in building reusable, scalable, and accessible web components that help developers and designers create cohesive, user-friendly interfaces.

As a Google-certified UX Designer, I combine my technical expertise with a deep commitment to user-centered design, always striving to create inclusive digital experiences. As an accessibility enthusiast, I am dedicated to ensuring that the web is usable and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of ability. My focus is on improving usability and ensuring accessibility best practices to make digital spaces more inclusive, intuitive, and accessible for all users.


Company or affiliation

Red Hat

Job title

Senior Software Engineer


Session

02-28
13:45
35min
Unlocking Framework Independence with Web Components
Arathy Kumar

Web Components are transforming the way we build user interfaces, offering developers the ability to create reusable, modular, and framework-agnostic components. This session will explore the importance of Web Components in modern web development, their core features, and the benefits they provide for maintainable, scalable applications. Attendees will learn how to leverage Web Components for cleaner code, improved performance, and seamless integration across different frameworks. Additionally, we'll discuss the critical topic of accessibility within Web Components, ensuring that these components are usable by all users. By the end of the talk, developers will have a solid understanding of Web Components, their practical applications, and best practices for adoption in their own projects.

Key Points:

  • Introduction to Web Components
    Overview of Web Components and their role in modern front-end development.
    Why they are a game-changer in creating reusable, framework-independent UI elements.

  • Core Concepts of Web Components
    Custom Elements: Defining new HTML elements with custom behavior.
    Shadow DOM: Encapsulation for styling and DOM manipulation.
    HTML Templates: Defining reusable HTML structures and content.

  • Importance and Benefits of Web Components
    Reusability: Build once, use anywhere—across different projects or frameworks.
    Encapsulation: Isolate component styles and behavior, preventing conflicts with global styles and scripts.
    Interoperability: Framework-agnostic, making it easy to use in React, Angular, Vue, or vanilla JavaScript applications.
    Performance: Lightweight and optimized components that reduce page load time and improve rendering speed.
    Maintainability: Cleaner, more modular code that’s easier to maintain, scale, and test.

  • Real-World Use Cases
    Case studies from companies and projects using Web Components.
    Examples of large-scale applications benefiting from modular and reusable components.
    Demonstrating cross-framework compatibility.

  • Challenges and Best Practices
    Potential challenges with adopting Web Components (e.g., browser compatibility, tooling support).
    Best practices for implementing Web Components effectively in existing projects.
    Tips for integrating Web Components with modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Angular, Vue).

  • Ensuring Accessibility in Web Components
    Why accessibility should be a priority when building Web Components.
    Key accessibility considerations: focus management, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility.
    Techniques for making Web Components accessible out of the box (ARIA roles, proper semantic HTML, and custom accessibility attributes).
    Addressing common pitfalls in accessibility and how to overcome them.

  • The Future of Web Components
    How Web Components align with the evolution of the web and modern UI development.
    Their role in the growing trend of component-driven development and design systems.
    Predictions on how Web Components will shape front-end ecosystems.

Key Takeaways:

  • A strong understanding of Web Components and their practical applications.
  • Knowledge of how to create reusable, modular, and accessible components.
  • Insight into how Web Components can help solve common challenges in front-end development, such as component reuse, performance optimization, and framework interoperability.
  • Awareness of best practices for ensuring Web Components are accessible and usable for all users, including those with disabilities.
User Experience and Design Engineering
Torna Room | Chanakya Building / School of Business (capacity 200)