Walk into any developer meetup or scroll through tech Twitter, and you’ll hear the same buzz, such as
“Have you tried Next.js 15?”
“Are you using LangChain agents?”
“Still not deploying with Kubernetes?”
In today’s fast paced tech world, it’s easy to feel like you’re always behind. But here’s the secret, nearly every trendy technology is built on the same core computer science fundamentals.
These tools might come with fresh branding or advanced features, but underneath, they rely on the same principles software engineers have used for decades such as data structures, design patterns, software architecture, and basic best practices.
Let’s explore how this plays out across the tools we use today.
Frameworks Are Built on Fundamentals
Modern frameworks often look complex, but they’re really just abstractions built on top of foundational ideas.
| Framework | What It’s Built On |
|---|---|
| React / Vue / Angular | Components, virtual DOM (an in-memory tree data structure), state management, event handling |
| Django / Rails | MVC (Model-View-Controller), routing, database modeling, REST APIs |
| Flutter / SwiftUI | Declarative UI, widget trees, state machines, reactive updates |
| Express.js / FastAPI | HTTP protocols, routing, middleware patterns, request-response cycles |
| Spring Boot | Dependency injection, MVC, layered architecture, REST, inversion of control, beans |
Take React, for example. It uses a virtual DOM an in-memory representation of the UI structured like a tree, a common data structure. It also employs component-based architecture and the Observer design pattern.
Spring Boot is a great example of how deep computer science ideas are used in enterprise frameworks. It’s built on principles like:
- Inversion of Control (IoC): Instead of creating dependencies manually, the framework injects them for you.
- Dependency Injection: Objects receive their dependencies from an external source rather than creating them internally.
- Layered architecture: Organising code into layers with clear responsibilities.
- Encapsulation via beans: Wrapping data and behavior inside manageable units.
- HTTP based communication via REST.
These concepts come from classic software engineering lectures and textbooks. Spring Boot brings them together practically and in a developer-friendly way.
Spring Boot isn’t ‘easy’ because it hides complexity, it’s powerful because it organises core design patterns in a developer friendly way.
Trendy Topics Are Built on Classic Ideas
Have you ever struggled with a tool until you realised it was just a clever use of design patterns? Or noticed how new tech becomes easier once you connect it to fundamentals?
Some of today’s hottest topics such as micro-services, machine learning, and cloud computing all rely on solid, well known computer science concepts.
Microservices Built on distributed systems principles, microservices rely on networking, service discovery, and API communication. They handle data consistency, latency, and fault tolerance.
Machine Learning Depends on linear algebra, probability, and statistics. It uses optimisation techniques like gradient descent and applies graph theory and matrix operations under the hood.
Cloud & DevOps Uses virtualisation and containerisation. Scheduling algorithms power orchestration tools like Kubernetes. CI/CD relies on task graphs, dependency resolution, and version control. Monitoring and logging involve event streams and time-series data.
Even AI tools like ChatGPT rely on string processing, neural networks (graphs), and distributed infrastructure all concepts that have been around for decades.
Mastering Fundamentals Is Your Superpower
The tech industry moves fast. Every week brings a new framework, AI model, or deployment tool.
But here’s the good news. frameworks fade, Tools change, Fundamentals stay the same.
If you deeply understand
- Data structures (arrays, trees, graphs, hash maps)
- Algorithms (sorting, searching, traversal)
- Design patterns (Factory, Observer, Singleton, etc.)
- Software architecture (MVC, client-server, layered)
- How databases, networks, and operating systems work
…you’ll be able to learn any new technology faster because you already understand what problems it’s solving and how.
Fundamentals Make Learning New Tech Easier
One of the best parts about knowing the fundamentals is that new technologies stop being overwhelming.
When you read documentation, you’re not just trying to memorise how to use a tool. You’re recognising concepts you’ve already learned.
- A new state manager? It’s just a finite state machine.
- A new routing system? That’s tree traversal.
- A build tool? Under the hood, it’s a dependency graph and a task runner.
- An AI library? It’s using tensors, matrix math, and optimisation techniques.
Instead of asking, “How do I use this?”, you start asking, “What is this abstracting?”
That’s the shift from being a user of tools to someone who deeply understands how and why they’re built.
The more you invest in fundamentals, the faster every new trend starts to make sense.
Final Thought - Build Your Foundation
It’s exciting to try the latest tools and you should. Explore, Experiment, Be curious.
But don’t skip the core concepts.
Learn
- How arrays and hash maps work under the hood
- What makes a cache fast or a database query slow
- The difference between REST and GraphQL
- How programs are compiled or interpreted
- Why separation of concerns and clean code matter
These concepts are the foundation of everything from basic scripts to cutting edge AI.
Be so strong in the fundamentals that you could build your own framework if you had to.
That’s what separates someone who uses tools from someone who builds the future.
Over to You
Have you ever had a piece of trendy tech finally click once you understood the fundamentals behind it? Or is there a concept you’re still wrestling with?
Let’s talk about it, drop a comment and share your experience.
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