Building modern apps requires a lot of boilerplate backend code -- setting up server endpoints, forwarding requests to the database, and performing authentication are examples of code developers have to write over and over again. In this talk you'll learn how to dramatically cut down development time by using prefabricated, open-source backends like loopback.io and deepstream.io, and how to extend these backends with custom code once your application outgrows the functionality available out of the box. We'll also talk about how prefabricated backends are changing application architectures, and the impact end-to-end event driven application development is making on end-user experience. We’ll talk about our journey through the process of solving these problems in RethinkDB and Horizon, and how we see the future of web development unfold. RethinkDB Horizon is an open-source developer platform for building realtime, scalable web apps. It is built on top of RethinkDB, and allows app developers to get started with building modern, engaging apps without writing any backend code.