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HackYourFuture - Node.js

This 3 week HYF Module is about Node.JS. We can think of Node.JS as "Javascript not running in a browser". This is what we mean by "backend", as in "backend developer".

Planning

Week	Topic	Read	Homework
0.	introduction	Week 0 Reading	-
1.	Node.js, NPM, http	Week 1 Reading	Week 1 Homework
2.	fs, process	Week 2 Reading	Week 2 Homework
3.	express, REST	Week 3 Reading	Week 3 Homework

Pre-requisites

We will build on knowledge from the following HYF (sub)modules. If we feel we have gaps we should review the curriculum ourselves or ask a teacher to help.

• JavaScript
• Git
• Bash/CommandLineInterface

What will we learn?

• What is Node.js?
• Using Node Package Manager (NPM)
• Using require to include modules
• Using http to handle http requests and respond
• Using fs to read from and write to files.
• Using process to read arguments from the CLI
• Using express to make a RESTful API

Why Node.js?

For almost any web application, it is essential to have a backend. The backend is a place where we, the developers, can store our data, communicate with users and let the users communicate with us, do smart things like calculations, data processing etc.

There are many languages for this. We might've heard of Java, C, C++, Go, Python, Ruby, PHP and the list goes on.

There are two reasons why we at HYF choose Node.JS over others:

1. You already know JavaScript, so it's easier to get started than other languages
2. Node.js is great for making web APIs because it is asynchronous by nature and thus allows for high input/output. By this we mean that it allows many users to make very light requests at the same time.

Handing in homework

A Video to remind you abouthow we hand in homework.

Also review the Git workflow material from the JavaScript3 module, use this as a reference.

Rewatch previous lectures

• Lecture 1(Joost): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8OvRVsbIsc
• Lecture 2(Joost): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY7IDaLX-no
• Lecture 3(Joost): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeWCqKJsHtU&t=99s