--- layout: post title: A recap of Init. The Appwrite community at its best description: We had such a great week and we look forward to the next Init, but for now we look back and enjoy all the fun we had. date: 2024-03-04 cover: /images/blog/a-recap-of-init/the-recap.avif timeToRead: 12 author: laura-du-ry category: init featured: false faqs: - question: "What is Appwrite Init?" answer: "Init is Appwrite's launch week event where the team ships new products and features daily, hosts community Discord sessions, and gives away swag. Think of it as a focused, week-long product showcase paired with community programming." - question: "What did Appwrite announce during this Init?" answer: "Headline launches included [Messaging](/docs/products/messaging) (push notifications, email, and SMS), improved server-side rendering support, and other product updates rolled out across the week. Each announcement came with a video, blog post, and Discord deep-dive." - question: "What is Appwrite Messaging?" answer: "Messaging is Appwrite's built-in service for sending push notifications, transactional emails, and SMS to your users. It supports topics, subscriber management, and integrations with providers like Twilio. See [Appwrite Messaging](/docs/products/messaging) for the full reference." - question: "Does Appwrite support server-side rendering?" answer: "Yes. Appwrite supports SSR across major frameworks (Next.js, SvelteKit, Nuxt, and others), with cookie-based sessions and SDK methods that work cleanly in server contexts. The improvements shipped during Init made SSR auth flows simpler to wire up." - question: "Will there be another Appwrite Init?" answer: "Yes. Init is recurring, with new product launches scheduled for future events. Watch the Appwrite blog and Discord for announcements of the next one." - question: "How can I participate in the Appwrite community?" answer: "Join the [Appwrite Discord](https://appwrite.io/discord) to attend community sessions, ask questions, and get early looks at new features. You can also follow Appwrite on social media and contribute on GitHub if you want to help build the platform." --- Init has come to an end, and we’re happy how all of you showed up and made it an amazing week filled with product announcements, events, content, celebrations, a release, and most of all, community fun! In this blog, we will recap on what happened during Init and highlight some of our favorite moments and comments, and share all the content for each day. Let’s dive in. # Announcing the start of something new For months, we have been working on creating all of the elements that make Init come alive. We spent many hours creating and planning the tickets, the website, the videos, the swags, Discord sessions, and all other content. We did everything in-house, which brought some challenges as we had to learn on the spot, but we had a lot of fun doing it, and the results were beyond our own expectations. We even filmed and produced five videos starring the Appwrite team. For most, it was also the first time being in front of the camera. Here is a [sneak peak of behind-the-scenes footage](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4FvPehvxs5/) of the team working on the Init announcement videos. ![behind the scenes](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init1.avif) ![behind the scenes](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init2.avif) ![behind the scenes](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init3.avif) ![behind the scenes](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init4.avif) ## The fun begins And then, finally, we got to [announce Init](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/announcing-init) to all of you and have you join in the fun and create your tickets. ![Init begins](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init5.avif) Many of you asked us, but what is Init? [Dennis explains](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Brex4HwiKqU). Of course we understood we needed some more explaining to do, about what Init actually is. So, we prepared an announcement video, which was the most exciting part of the pre-campaign. This was a first for Appwrite, and we loved sharing this moment with you. [Video](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/5NtrYks2dqE?si=0vjkBCZYg8yf2GUW) Of course, we designed Init swag for you to win and The Appwriter. Didn’t win an Appwriter? No worries, it will be coming to the [Appwrite Store](https://appwrite.store/) soon. ![Appwrite Init giveaway](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init6.avif) ## Special guest line up But what would Init be without special guests? We invited friends and creators of Appwrite to join us during a Discord session each day to come geek out with us and join in the celebration. The lineup speaks for itself. ![Special guest line up](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init7.avif) ![Reactions to announcing the line ups](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init8.avif) # Init begins After a week of pre fun it finally was time to make our first announcement. This product was one that was highly anticipated, and we holding our breath to share it with the world. So what did we kick off with? ### The first of many On day 0 of Init, we brought you Messaging, a massive announcement as this was a product many of you have requested as it is a requirement for many applications, being able to communicate with your users. [Video](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/w-izHSKXqtU?si=OV30JUel_Zoq10AU) The reactions are what we hoped for and made day 0 of Init a great start to the week. ![Reactions to Messaging](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init9.avif) ![Reactions to Messaging](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init10.avif) ### Discord session We kicked off the first Discord session with Appwrite Hero and Vonage dev advocate [Diana Pham](https://twitter.com/dianasoyster) to talk about Messaging. As always, the community around Appwrite showed up in mass and made it a great hour of fun and learning! ![Discord session turn out](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init11.avif) ### Content list - [Best practices for sending push notifications](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/push-notifications-best-practices) - [How Twilio simplifies messaging for developers](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/simplify-messaging-twilio) - [Product tour video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdDgPeuBZ1I) ## Another day On day 1 we continued our same flow and announced Improved support for [server-side rendering.](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/introducing-support-for-server-side-rendering) [Video](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/jeL4cSovOBA?si=0tMDecmUucWOYASg) This improvement was more than welcome. ![Welcome SSR](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init12.avif) ### Fund and knowledge For day 1 we invited [Hitesh Choudhary](https://twitter.com/Hiteshdotcom) to come and join us on stage to talk about SSR. ![Hitesh having fun](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init13.avif) ![Community fun](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init14.avif) ### Content list - [SSR vs CSR with Next.js](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/csr-vs-ssr-with-nextjs) - [Product tour](https://youtu.be/7LN05c-ov_0) - [Announcement SSR](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/introducing-support-for-server-side-rendering) ## Safety first Day 2 of Init was all about safety and the dev experience. Two-factor authentication and Enum SDK support were announced. [Video](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/hpdUXOFay4M?si=TPO8CistphsTOCas) As Eddie mentioned, with just a few lines of code you can now add 2FA to your apps. ![Eddie responding to 2FA](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init15.avif) With Enum SDK support we make our commitment to improving your developer experience valid. ![James loving Enums](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init16.avif) ### Last minute guest We got a curve ball thrown at us on day 2 of Init, as our guest for the day had to cancel. But luckily we had [Francesco Ciulli](https://twitter.com/FrancescoCiull4) from daily.dev join us last minute to save the day. ![Francesco joining us last minute](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init17.avif) ### Content list - [Product tour 2FA](https://youtu.be/OWRju8ZZuQ8) - [Announcement 2FA](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/announcing-two-factor-authentication) - [From passwords to protection: Implementing 2FA in your applications](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/password-protection-2fa) - [Announcement Enum SDK support](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/introducing-enum-sdk-support) - [Effective use of enums in API design](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/enums-api-design) - [Enhancing type safety in software development with enums](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/enhancing-type-safety) ## More querying! What is a database without queries? Not a lot! The introduction of new Database operators for Appwrite Databases makes all the difference and gives you more control and flexibility when writing queries. [Video](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/73flN6mZqAs?si=3hUI26G9DDVDzJG4) ![Community highlight](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init18.avif) For day 3 of Init, we had [Danny Thompson](https://twitter.com/DThompsonDev) join us. Not only did he have great horror SQL stories, he also shared some helpful insights. Soon, we will share the videos of each Discord session. ![Danny joining us](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init19.avif) ### Content list - [Database operators announcement](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/introducing-new-database-operators) - [Product tour video](https://youtu.be/IMgl9f_iht4) - [Understanding data queries in database management](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/understand-data-queries) ## The end and the beginning The last day of Init was a proper celebration. We started off with our last announcement: [New and updated runtimes.](/blog/post/announcing-more-and-updated-runtimes) But the highlight of the day was the closing party we held on Discord with our friend from open-sauced, [Nick Taylor](https://twitter.com/nickytonline). ![Fun with Nick during the closing party](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init20.avif) The closing party got an extra special touch with five giveaways to celebrate. And if you ever wondered who holds the power of the giveaway, according to Francesco it’s Aditya. ![Aditya the giveaway man](/images/blog/a-recap-of-init/init21.avif) ### Content list - [New runtimes announcement](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/introducing-enum-sdk-support) - [Sound null-safety for your Dart functions](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/sound-null-safety-for-your-dart-functions) - [Why you need to try the new Bun function runtime](https://appwrite.io/blog/post/why-you-need-to-try-the-new-bun-runtime) # Thank you all for joining Init is the start of something new and we hope we have inspired you to get started on your next project. We hope to see you at the next Init! Do you have ideas on how to make it better? Share your feedback with us by filling out [this Typeform](https://t.co/OEaBMMGblT).