Not Just AI, Not Just Code—How the AWS Community Changed My Life

Some stories aren’t just about frameworks, code patterns, or clean deployments.
Some stories are about people, belief, and growth.

Speaking at AWS Summit Bengaluru 2025, sharing my talk “Application Modernization: Practical Patterns for Transformation using AI”, was one of the proudest moments of my career. But it was also deeply humbling , because I knew I hadn’t walked that journey alone.

This wasn’t just a milestone.
It was a tribute to every person, every mentor, and every moment that got me there.

🌟 Bhuvaneswari

Your mentorship has been a masterclass in grace and depth. You lead not with noise but with clarity and compassion. In moments of doubt, your words brought direction. In times of decision, your wisdom brought balance. You’ve shown me that leadership is about empowering others, not positioning yourself—and that’s a lesson I carry every day.

🌟 Raja

You have the rare ability to push people toward their potential without overwhelming them, Your belief in continuous learning has challenged me to never settle. You’ve taught me that being technically strong is important, knowledge across multiple domains like Psychology, history and bring in depth perpective of what industry expects next decade by thinking globally and mentor next generation talents.

🌟 Suman

With you, mentorship has always been rooted in genuine care for AWS Developer Community across the region - Specifically on AI/ML Space. You listen deeply, share openly, and build trust through every interaction. You’ve helped me recognise that mentorship is not about fixing others—it’s about walking with them. Your encouragement has helped me take bolder steps, both in community and in leadership

🌟 Ridhima

The space you create for everyone in #AWSCommunity to grow, the way you amplify voices quietly behind the scenes, and your ability to make everyone feel included is nothing short of extraordinary. You’ve shown me that community work is heart work. And your presence in the AWS ecosystem is what makes it feel like home.

Peers from AWS UG Bengaluru Leaders and members - whom I always admire their passion for learning and sharing. Jones, Avinash, Vivek

My Special thanks to all @AWSCommunityBuilders and @AWS Heroes and @AWS UG Leaders.

Proud moment to see the AWS Heroes India featured at AWS Summit Bengaluru—a celebration of passion, contribution, and leadership.

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💡 Gist of my Talk: Application Modernization with AI – Through Real Patterns

This wasn’t a session built on buzzwords. It was built on personally-tested experience—modernizing large-scale, real-world legacy systems with AI as a true engineering partner.

The Developer's Dilemma – Greenfield vs Brownfield

We kicked off with the fundamental question:
“Do we build fresh or fix what's broken?”

This isn’t a theoretical debate—it’s something every developer faces in their day-to-day. I introduced how Amazon Q Developer helps us find a middle ground, giving structure to both legacy refactors and new builds. It’s about enabling judgment, not replacing it—letting developers lead with clarity, not chaos.

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Scaling Legacy Refactor with Amazon Q

This part was a deep dive into modernizing a Java 8 monolith with SOAP and 1000+ classes. It was dense, painful, and full of institutional logic that couldn’t be lost.

We used Amazon Q and Amazon Q CLI to:

• Interpret legacy WSDL

• Auto-generate REST APIs

• Build test suites to protect logic

• Migrate class-by-class to Java 17 + REST

What stood out to the audience was that this wasn’t flashy—it was practical, iterative, and safe. That’s what real modernization looks like.

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Let Q Do the Coding – Developer Empowerment

One of my favorite slides, because it spoke directly to the developer experience.

The image represented what happens when Q integrates into your IDE, your CLI, and your rhythm. You’re not constantly switching context. You’re not buried in boilerplate. You’re building with momentum, guided by intent and validated by tests.

This isn’t AI replacing developers.
It’s AI supporting developers—and giving them time back to focus on what matters.

I showed how Test-Driven Prompts and Behavior-Driven Documentation became the secret to scaling both paths with Amazon Q.

The audience resonated with the idea of “brick-by-brick building methodicaly”—because they’re living it every day.

Ref: https://github.com/jayyanar/simple-budget-tracker

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Feel free to follow my approach and share your comments.

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AISDLC is like basketball - It Collaborative Effort

Just prompting an LLM? That’s like asking a kid to dunk.
Train it, guide it, structure it—and suddenly, you’re playing like a team.
Agentic AI isn’t solo coding. It’s smart, strategic, and collaborative.

The Summit Stage – A Dream Realized

This final photo means more than I can put into words.

That moment on stage wasn’t just about sharing knowledge—it was about honoring a journey shaped by AWS community. I thought of every small meetup, every Slack conversation, every friend who said, “You should speak.”

This moment belonged to you as much as to me.

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🌍 Why the AWS Community Changed My Life

Over the years, I’ve realised that the true magic of AWS isn’t just in its services — it’s in the people who bring those services to life and building great products.

At AWS Summit Bengaluru, the Developer Lounge buzzed with energy. Conversations weren’t just technical—they were full of encouragement, vulnerability, and celebration. I saw first-time speakers own the stage. I saw old friends reconnect. And I saw a community that grows not by competition, but by contribution.

It’s where builders become leaders.
Where contributors become mentors.
And where careers—and people—are transformed.

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✨ Closing Thoughts – More Than Code, It’s Character

This journey wasn’t about AI alone. It was about belief.
It wasn’t about architecture alone. It was about community.

What I shared on stage was only possible because of the people who nudged me forward, reviewed my work, believed in my voice, and gave me room to grow.

So here’s what I know now:

• Community isn’t a side project—it’s the foundation.

• Leadership isn’t loud—it’s supportive.

• And AI won’t replace us—it will amplify us if we let it.

— Ayyanar Jeyakrishnan
AWS Machine Learning Hero

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#AWSCommunity #AmazonQ #AISDLC #Modernization #AIForGood #Leadership #DeveloperExperience #CloudTransformation #Gratitude #RefactorWithPurpose