Talk Python to Me is a weekly podcast hosted by developer and entrepreneur Michael Kennedy. We dive deep into the popular packages and software developers, data scientists, and incredible hobbyists doing amazing things with Python. If you're new to Python, you'll quickly learn the ins and outs of the community by hearing from the leaders. And if you've been Pythoning for years, you'll learn about your favorite packages and the hot new ones coming out of open source.
#537: Datastar: Modern web dev, simplified
February 21, 2026
1:16:37
13.01 MB ( 60.83 MB less)
Downloads: 0
You love building web apps with Python, and HTMX got you excited about the hypermedia approach -- let the server drive the HTML, skip the JavaScript build step, keep things simple. But then you hit that last 10%: You need Alpine.js for interactivity, your state gets out of sync, and suddenly you're juggling two unrelated libraries that weren't designed to work together.
What if there was a single 11-kilobyte framework that gave you everything HTMX and Alpine do, and more, with real-time updates, multiplayer collaboration out of the box, and performance so fast you're actually bottlenecked by the monitor's refresh rate? That's Datastar.
On this episode, I sit down with its creator Delaney Gillilan, core maintainer Ben Croker, and Datastar convert Chris May to explore how this backend-driven, server-sent-events-first framework is changing the way full-stack developers think about the modern web.
Episode sponsors
Sentry Error Monitoring, Code talkpython26
Command Book
Talk Python Courses
Delaney Gillilan: linkedin.com
Ben Croker: x.com
Chris May: everydaysuperpowers.dev
Datastar: data-star.dev
HTMX: htmx.org
AlpineJS: alpinejs.dev
Core Attribute Tour: data-star.dev
data-star.dev/examples: data-star.dev
github.com/starfederation/datastar-python: github.com
VSCode: marketplace.visualstudio.com
OpenVSX: open-vsx.org
PyCharm/Intellij plugin: plugins.jetbrains.com
data-star.dev/datastar_pro: data-star.dev
gg: discord.gg
HTML-ivating your Django web app's experience with HTMX, AlpineJS, and streaming HTML - Chris May: www.youtube.com
Senior Engineer tries Vibe Coding: www.youtube.com
1 Billion Checkboxes: checkboxes.andersmurphy.com
Game of life example: example.andersmurphy.com
Watch this episode on YouTube: youtube.com
Episode #537 deep-dive: talkpython.fm/537
Episode transcripts: talkpython.fm
Theme Song: Developer Rap
🥁 Served in a Flask 🎸: talkpython.fm/flasksong
---== Don't be a stranger ==---
YouTube: youtube.com/@talkpython
Bluesky: @talkpython.fm
Mastodon: @talkpython@fosstodon.org
X.com: @talkpython
Michael on Bluesky: @mkennedy.codes
Michael on Mastodon: @mkennedy@fosstodon.org
Michael on X.com: @mkennedy
What if there was a single 11-kilobyte framework that gave you everything HTMX and Alpine do, and more, with real-time updates, multiplayer collaboration out of the box, and performance so fast you're actually bottlenecked by the monitor's refresh rate? That's Datastar.
On this episode, I sit down with its creator Delaney Gillilan, core maintainer Ben Croker, and Datastar convert Chris May to explore how this backend-driven, server-sent-events-first framework is changing the way full-stack developers think about the modern web.
Episode sponsors
Sentry Error Monitoring, Code talkpython26
Command Book
Talk Python Courses
Links from the show
GuestsDelaney Gillilan: linkedin.com
Ben Croker: x.com
Chris May: everydaysuperpowers.dev
Datastar: data-star.dev
HTMX: htmx.org
AlpineJS: alpinejs.dev
Core Attribute Tour: data-star.dev
data-star.dev/examples: data-star.dev
github.com/starfederation/datastar-python: github.com
VSCode: marketplace.visualstudio.com
OpenVSX: open-vsx.org
PyCharm/Intellij plugin: plugins.jetbrains.com
data-star.dev/datastar_pro: data-star.dev
gg: discord.gg
HTML-ivating your Django web app's experience with HTMX, AlpineJS, and streaming HTML - Chris May: www.youtube.com
Senior Engineer tries Vibe Coding: www.youtube.com
1 Billion Checkboxes: checkboxes.andersmurphy.com
Game of life example: example.andersmurphy.com
Watch this episode on YouTube: youtube.com
Episode #537 deep-dive: talkpython.fm/537
Episode transcripts: talkpython.fm
Theme Song: Developer Rap
🥁 Served in a Flask 🎸: talkpython.fm/flasksong
---== Don't be a stranger ==---
YouTube: youtube.com/@talkpython
Bluesky: @talkpython.fm
Mastodon: @talkpython@fosstodon.org
X.com: @talkpython
Michael on Bluesky: @mkennedy.codes
Michael on Mastodon: @mkennedy@fosstodon.org
Michael on X.com: @mkennedy