Microsoft has officially released XAML Studio as an open-source project, an advanced tool for XAML user interface prototyping, now available on GitHub under the .NET Foundation. This move represents an important step toward a more collaborative and flexible development ecosystem for the .NET community.

Originally created in 2017 as an internal project during a hackathon, XAML Studio was designed to modernize legacy tools from the WPF era. Today, the project has evolved into a complete standalone application aimed at enabling rapid UI prototyping for WinUI and UWP.

XAML Studio 2.0: main updates

The new XAML Studio 2.0 version, currently available as pre-release source code, introduces several improvements and new features. Building the project requires Visual Studio 2022 and the Windows SDK.

Among the most relevant updates:

• New UI design based on Fluent UI principles
• Improved integration with WinUI 3
• Real-time live XAML rendering
• Monaco-based code editor
• Live data context for testing bindings
• Property inspector and properties explorer
• Updated control library from Community Toolkit and WinUI

These features make XAML Studio a powerful tool for experimenting with layouts and interfaces without needing to create an entire project from scratch.

An open-source project ready to grow

Although XAML Studio 2.0 is still under development and includes some bugs and incomplete features, opening the source code represents a major opportunity for the community. Developers can directly contribute to the project, report issues, and propose new features.

Additionally, the open-source approach opens the door to potential integrations with alternative platforms such as Avalonia and Uno Platform, further expanding the tool’s possible use cases.

Why XAML Studio matters for developers

The release of XAML Studio under the MIT license confirms Microsoft’s commitment to promoting collaborative and modern development practices. Thanks to its integration within the .NET Foundation, the tool provides a fast feedback loop for designing XAML interfaces, eliminating the complexity and overhead of traditional project scaffolding.

For .NET developers, designers, and product teams, XAML Studio positions itself as a strategic resource to accelerate UI development workflows for both current and future applications.

L'articolo Microsoft Releases XAML Studio as Open Source: A New Boost for .NET UI Prototyping proviene da Giovanni Anfuso.

Figma: what it is and why it has become a standard in digital design

Figma is a web-based UI/UX design tool used by designers, developers, and product teams to collaboratively create digital interfaces. Unlike traditional software, Figma works directly in the browser (with optional desktop apps) and allows multiple people to work simultaneously on the same file in real time.

Thanks to its simplicity, flexibility, and power, Figma has become a standard in product design, web design, and application development, adopted by both startups and large enterprises.

How Figma works

Figma is built on a cloud-first architecture. All files are saved online and accessible from anywhere, without the need for local versions or manual transfers.

Its main features include:

• Advanced vector editor for interface creation
• Real-time collaboration (similar to Google Docs)
• Reusable components and design systems
• Interactive prototyping without code
• Comments and feedback directly on the design
• Integrations and plugins to extend functionality

Technically, every user action is synchronized instantly with Figma’s backend, ensuring real-time updates for all collaborators.

Key advantages of Figma

Figma’s tremendous success comes from several key advantages:

1. Real-time collaboration
Multiple users can edit the same file simultaneously, eliminating version conflicts.

2. Accessibility
Being browser-based, Figma is accessible from any operating system without complex installations.

3. Performance and reliability
Even with complex files and large teams, Figma maintains high performance.

4. Scalable design systems
Components ensure visual consistency and speed up workflows.

5. Evolving ecosystem
Plugins, APIs, and integrations make Figma extremely extensible.

The scalability challenge: from a few users to over 10 million

With such rapid growth, Figma faced one of the toughest challenges for any SaaS platform: infrastructure scalability.

Initially, the team had to scale a monolithic PostgreSQL database designed for far fewer users than current volumes.

In a recent technical thread, Figma shared the journey from a single database to a horizontally sharded architecture capable of supporting over 10 million active users.

Phase 1: immediate relief with vertical scaling

The first phase addressed the most urgent issues:

• Vertical scaling of PostgreSQL
• Introduction of read replicas to reduce read load
• Connection pooling via PG Bouncer

These solutions provided a quick improvement but were insufficient for the long term.

Phase 2: stability with logical partitioning

In the medium term, Figma adopted logical partitioning, separating table groups into dedicated databases.

Notable innovations included:

• PostgreSQL views to simulate sharding
• Query testing on sharded structures before physical separation

During migration, the team optimized logical replication, temporarily removing indexes to speed up data transfer, drastically reducing migration time.

Phase 3: horizontal sharding and distributed architecture

The final phase achieved true scalability:

• Introduction of horizontal sharding
• Creation of a custom query router
• Development of a DB proxy in Golang for intelligent query routing across shards

Deployment occurred in two stages, using PG Bouncer to ensure safe transitions without downtime, allowing gradual and controlled traffic routing.

Why these optimizations matter

These optimizations are not just relevant for Figma—they are a key case study for anyone building high-growth SaaS applications.

They demonstrate how:

• PostgreSQL can scale to extremely high levels
• Incremental solutions are often more effective than full rewrites
• The combination of architectural choices and custom tooling can make a huge difference

Conclusion

Figma is not just a design tool but an excellent example of a well-engineered tech product, both in terms of user experience and backend architecture.

Its evolution, from a simple collaborative tool to a global platform serving millions of users, shows how innovation, performance, and scalability can coexist when technical decisions are guided by a clear, progressive vision.

For professionals in design, development, or software architecture, Figma remains an essential reference point.

L'articolo Figma: the design tool that keeps growing thanks to technological innovation proviene da Giovanni Anfuso.