Node.js training

Curriculum

Getting your bearings

Hi Node!

• Installation and upgrade methods
• Node, a history in 5 minutes
• My first program
• Running a JS file
• A richer example
• Shebangs and “executable” files

Node’s module system

• Configurable modules
• Deferred initialization
• Built-in modules
• Module loaders and alternative syntaxes
• Module paths and the nitty-gritty about require

Debugging

• With Visual Studio Code
• With Google Chrome
• A few words on WebStorm et al.
• Debugging when using nodemon

Testing

• All about automated tests: unit tests, integration tests…
• A rich test harness with Jest
• Rich assertions with Chai
• Mocking methods, objects and modules

npm

• Module packaging
• Searching for modules
• Local installation vs. global installation
• Production vs. development dependencies
• The end of version conflicts
• package.json details

Some core modules

• console
• process and os
• fs and path
• util
• Global objects
• Quick overview of the other core modules

Events

• The events module
• EventEmitter
• Mixing event handling in existing code

Critical skills

Asynchronous programming

• Callbacks
• “Callback Hell” and “Pyramid of Doom”
• Mitigating the issue using proper function declarations
• Node-style callbacks
• Complex callback combos with async.js
• Promises: principles, examples and native support
• “Promisified” classic async APIs
• async / await

Streams and buffers

• Stream types
• Stream modes and mode switching
• Buffers
• Text encodings
• Pipelining
• Stream all the things!

Key security best practices

• Updating Node itself; regular vs. LTS releases
• Deprecating risky APIs
• npm audit, npm audit fix
• Node Security Project
• Node Certified Modules
• Automatic vulnerability auditing on GitHub
• Install scripts
• Managing credentials and secrets
• Choosing your crypto algorithms wisely
• General data storage principles
• Third-party attack foiling services

Modern data storage with MongoDB

• About NoSQL
• Intro to MongoDB
• A few words on CouchDB, ElasticSearch, Firebase…
• MongoDB’s native API
• Getting comfier with Mongoose
• A quick tour of GUIs (e.g. dbKoda, Robo 3T, Compass)

Developing a REST API

• REST principles
• Hypermedia
• Versions
• Content variation
• Testing a REST API

Developing a GraphQL API

• A whirlwind tour of GraphQL
• Designing a useful schema
• Auditing performance
• Testing a GraphQL API

Securing an API

• Request / Query validation
• Rate limiting: REST and GraphQL variations
• Authentication: tokens or sessions?
• About JWT…
• Authorization
• 2FA / MFA
• CORS

Deploying an API server

• Manually on infrastructure
• On PaaS: Heroku, Azure, GCP, Now

Testimonials

Trainer

Christophe Porteneuve

Christophe has been doing professional web work since 1995. He co-created Europe’s first production JSP portal in 1999, moving to J2EE before going with Ruby, Rails and finally Node.js.

A best-selling author of“Bien développer pour le Web 2.0” (“Best practices for modern web development”) at Eyrolles, he also wrote the reference book “Prototype and script.aculo.us” at Pragmatic Programmers, articles in various online magazines (most notably the widely-acclaimed A List Apart), and speaks at a number of conferences big and small.

In France, Christophe enjoys a solid reputation of expertise in the areas of front-end web dev (most notably JavaScript), Node.js, Git and Rails.

Christophe is the founder and CTO of Delicious Insights.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter @porteneuve
• GitHub tdd
• YouTube
• Books

Intended audience

This course targets developers. A decent knowledge of JavaScript is mandatory; anyone already using JavaScript on a daily basis, ideally beyond just jQuery-based stuff, is likely comfortable enough.

However, trainees might want to “study up” ahead of time to make learning all of this easier once attending the training proper. Future trainees will likely benefit from browsing this list of quality contents Christophe compiled.

This preparation is also quite desirable for back-end developers who have never worked with JavaScript.

Overall, you should:

• Having already used at least one back-end technology in production (e.g. PHP, Python, Java, .NET, Node.js)
• Know the fundamentals of JavaScript: variables, data types, loops, functions, the language’s standard library at least as of ES3 (1999).

Pre-requisites

There is no pre-requisite for this training course (as in, verifiably acquired knowledge, through degrees, certifications, tests, etc.).

Logistics

• Every session is held synchronously, “live,” including remote sessions. This is not about pre-recorded videos.
• We are currently not scheduling new multi-client in-room sessions before, at the earliest, April 1st, 2022.
• Comprehensive course material is provided, acting as a common thread. It usually includes numerous slides and starter codebases or repositories for every exercise and lab.
• Trainees can ask questions at any time.
• Sessions always alternate between theory and hands-on labs, in short intervals (5 minutes to 1 hour).
• Hands-on periods rely on real-world use-cases (which can be bootstrapped through starter codebases, Git repositories or online assignment labs).
• Hands-on periods may be completed individually or as sub-groups that may vary from one period to the next, to foster pair programming and collaboration.
• Remote sessions use a Zoom recurring meeting, accessible through a provided link using both the installed app and the pure-web, no-install client. They mostly use features such as video thumbnails, screensharing, chat, breakout rooms and possibly quizzes, annotations and whiteboards.

Deliverables & assessments

• Every session half-day requires attendance signing (paper sheet or digital tool). For remote sessions, should a trainee fail to submit their entire attendance sheet in due time, Zoom participant logs will be considered authoritative.
• At the beginning of every day’s first period, we run a “debrief”: during about half an hour, we help collectively resurface skills and knowledge first tackled on the previous day. This helps put everyone back “in the zone,”, consolidate learning and boost group dynamics.
• Throughout the course, assessment of skill acquisition is done through the successful completion of hands-on labs (exercises, mini-projects, labs, use cases, etc.). Interactive quizzes may supplement this. The trainer remains available for any question during hands-on periods.
• Should a trainee exhibit significant difficulty, the trainer may opt to provide one-to-one mentoring for a while using the trainee’s computer as a working base. This also applies to remote sessions using Zoom’s dedicated features (e.g. one-to-one / individual assistance).
• When the session ends, every trainee may request a completion certificate (or at least attendance certificate) and, for remote sessions financed by a French institutional entity, we issue a standardized completion certificate in order for financing to be able to proceed smoothly.
• Once the training is over, every trainee receives a link to an online “hot” feedback survey, so they can express, among other things, whether they feel they achieved the stated goals of the training (or believe these will be achieved in the short term).

During the session, trainees receive at the start of every period access to:

• all the related slides and supporting material in a web-based format, so they can easily follow along,
• the starter repository for the common-theme app developed throughout the course.

Once the training is done, they also get:

• an extremely content-rich debrief e-mail,
• a reference archive with all related slides, finalized codebase with full documentation and tests, and various complementary resources.

Acquired skills are assessed throughout the session, looking for successful completion of the development steps of the common-theme app and the successful execution of automated tests (both trainee-written and provided ones).

Hardware & software requirements

• Use a sufficiently powerful laptop, properly set up (in particular, having followed whatever training-specific setup guide might have been linked to in the summons e-mail or training’s web page).
• This laptop must be equipped with a webcam, microphone and audio output (preferrably using a headset or earphones, to avoid feedback).
• Use an internet access with a minimal bandwidth of 1Mbps both ways, with an ideal minimum of 5Mbps (test your bandwidth here)
• Be able to run Zoom, either as a regularly installed software, or through their 100% web-based client. You can verify your installed client works fine using this test.

• Node.js courses require some prior installation on your computer: instructions can be found here.

Registration & deadlines

Regardless of the modalities you’re looking for (single- or multi-client, in-room or remote), your initial request (for quotation or contract) should be made online from the training’s web page. You can find further up contract request links for every available multi-client session, a proposal request button for a single-client session, and for any other enquiry can use the contact button further below. Please favor our online forms as they speed up processing by avoiding numerous e-mail back-and-forths in order for us to get all your necessary information.

For multi-client, fixed-date sessions, we reply to quotation or contract requests within at most 2 business days (and usually within minutes). For single-client, custom sessions, we usually get back to you within 3 business days to fine-tune your requirements and create a bespoke offer.

The e-mails we send to provide quotations or contracts, as well as our online training pages, provide a link to an online survey prospective trainees can use for fit-for-needs assessment; this information should get to us ASAP, ideally before contract signing, so we can verify our training offer is a good match for the audience.

Summons are sent by e-mail no later than 7 days prior to the session, at which time a potential cancellation decision (usually because two few trainees registered) is made. If the session is guaranteed ahead of that deadline, we can send your summons earlier at your request.

For multi-client sessions, you can register online (requesting a contract and sending it back signed by e-mail) until the day before the session starts, provided the required amount of seats remain free. If you finalize your registration after the usual summons-sending deadline, your summons are sent immediately by e-mail.

However, when French nationals contractualize with us in their personal capacity, French law mandates a withdrawal period (10 calendar days for in-room sessions, 14 calendar days for online sessions). In order to allow such clients to register later than this, they are provided an opt-in choice in their contract request online form to waive their withdrawal rights if the schedule requires it.

For French client entities applying for third-party financing (e.g. OPCOs, Pôle Emploi, Regions, EU), it is imperative that financing agreements be sent to Delicious Insights no later than the last day of the training session. Should financing be denied or only partially provisioned, the client is liable for payment of the balance of the fee.

You can find more information on the details of registration, cancelling and getting refunds in our Terms of Sale.

Disabilities & special needs

The French law dated September 5, 2018 for “freedom to choose one’s professional future” aims to facilitate accessing and retaining a job for people with disabilities or special needs.

Delicious Insights is very keen to help everyone, regardless of their particulars, move forward professionally.

We can often adapt the modalities of our trainings to fit your needs: let’s just review your situation together.

Do feel free to get in touch with our point person for Disabilities, Christophe Porteneuve, by e-mail or phone.

Do feel free to get in touch with our point person for Disabilities, Christophe Porteneuve, by e-mail at handicap@delicious-insights.com or phone at +33 662 059 656.