Node JS: Advanced Concepts

Go beyond the basics of Node!  This course will give you the skills needed to become a top Node engineer.

Query Caching with Redis? You will learn it.  The Node Event Loop? Included.  Scalable File Upload? Of course!

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This is a must-take course if you work with Node.

Node Internals: Here's one of the most common interview questions you'll face when looking for a Node job: "Can you explain Node's Event Loop?" There are two types of engineers: those who can describe the Event Loop and those who cannot!  This course will ensure that you are incredibly well prepared to answer that most important question.  Besides being critical for interviews, knowledge of the Event Loop will give you a better understanding of how Node works internally.  Many engineers know not to 'block' the Event Loop, but they don't necessarily understand why.  You will be one of the engineers who can clearly articulate the performance profile of Node and its Event Loop.

Caching with Redis: We'll also supercharge the performance of database queries by implementing caching backed by Redis.  No previous experience of Redis is required!  Redis is an in-memory data store purpose built for solving caching needs.  By adding caching to your application, you can decrease the amount of time that any given request takes, improving the overall response time of your app.

File Upload: There are many resources online that offer suggestions on how to handle file upload, but few show a solution that can truly scale.  Hint: saving files directly on your server isn't a scalable solution!  Learn how to leverage AWS S3 to implement file upload that can scale to millions of users with a few dozen lines of simple code.  Plentiful discussions are included on security concerns with handling uploads, as well.

Continuous Integration Testing: This is a must have feature for any serious production app.  We'll first learn how to test huge swaths of our codebase with just a few lines of code by using Puppeteer and Jest.  After writing many effective tests, we'll enable continuous integration on Travis CI, a popular - and free - CI platform.  Testing can sometimes be boring, so we'll use this section to brush up on some advanced Javascript techniques, including one of the only legitimate uses of ES2015 Proxies that you'll ever see!

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Here's what we'll learn:

• Master the Node Event Loop - understand how Node executes your source code. 
• Understand the purpose of Node, and how the code you write is eventually executed by  C++ code in the V8 engine
• Add a huge boost to performance in your Node app through clustering and worker threads
• Turbocharge MongoDB queries by adding query caching backed by a lightning-fast Redis instance
• Scale your app to infinity with image and file upload backed by Amazon's S3 file service
• Implement a continuous integration testing pipeline so you always know your project functions properly
• Think you know everything there is about managing  cookies and session?  Well, you might, but learn even more!
• Ensure your app works the way you expect with automated browser testing using Jest and Puppeteer
• Bonus - learn advanced JS techniques along the way, including where to use ES2015 proxies!

I've built the course that I would have wanted to take when I was learning to Node. A course that explains the concepts and how they're implemented in the best order for you to learn and deeply understand them.

📚 **Global Course Rating:** 4.65 **Overall Consensus:** This course is highly regarded by recent reviewers, with a majority praising its comprehensive coverage of advanced Node.js concepts, clear explanations, and effective use of illustrations to aid understanding. The content is considered an excellent investment of time and money, providing in-depth knowledge and a wide perspective on the topics covered. **Pros:** - **Pacing and Explanation:** Reviewers appreciate the author's tempo through the modules, with examples explained thoroughly and informatively. - **Content Depth:** The course is noted for its depth, particularly in advanced features of Node.js, including caching and authentication strategies. - **Visual Aids:** The use of illustrations to explain key concepts is singled out as a highlight, making complex ideas more accessible. - **Instructor's Knowledge:** Despite some reviewers mentioning that the instructor does not have deep knowledge in all areas, Stephen Grider is commended for providing a high-level overview and useful insights. - **Coverage of Advanced Concepts:** Important advanced concepts such as integration testing with Jest and Chromium, Redis usage, clustering, and benchmarking are covered extensively. - **Clear Instructions:** The instructions are clear, and the course structure is well-received, allowing learners to follow along effectively. - **Real-world Application:** Learners report that the knowledge gained from this course can be readily applied in production-ready applications. **Cons:** - **Outdated Content:** A significant concern raised by reviewers is the outdated nature of some content, particularly with regards to Node.js version, Puppeteer, and AWS SDK updates. - **Misplaced Topics:** Some sections, especially those involving React and testing, are felt to be misplaced within a course that should be more focused on Node.js. - **Unclear Project Setup:** A few reviewers encountered issues with the project setup, rendering a large portion of the course useless due to compatibility with newer versions of tools like Puppeteer. - **Lack of MVC Model Implementation:** The course does not follow the MVC model and instead writes all logic inside routes, which some programmers find problematic. - **Course Updates:** There is confusion and criticism regarding the lack of transparency in course updates on Udemy, with some learners only realizing the age of the content after purchase. **Suggestions for Improvement:** - **Update Content:** Reviewers suggest that the course should be updated to reflect the latest versions of Node.js, Puppeteer, AWS SDKs, and other technologies discussed. - **Add Advanced Topics:** Some learners recommend expanding the course to include additional advanced topics such as Streams, Events, Websockets, webhooks, and Design patterns. - **Clarify Project Setup:** Ensuring that project setups are clear and compatible with current versions of tools would greatly enhance the learning experience. - **Improve MVC Implementation:** Including a proper implementation of the MVC model could improve the course's relevance for backend developers. **Final Thoughts:** Despite some criticisms regarding outdated content and areas needing improvement, this Node.js course by Stephen Grider remains highly recommended due to its comprehensive coverage of advanced concepts and clear instruction style. With a few updates and clarifications, it could become an even more valuable resource for learners at all levels.