Backend JavaScript Development Course

Lesson 1 • Understanding the Node.js Runtime

Explains the V8 engine, single-threaded execution, and the call stack. Provides the mental model needed to reason about async behavior later.

Lesson 2 • Package Management with npm

Introduces npm CLI, package.json structure, and dependency resolution. Enables students to scaffold and manage any Node.js project.

Lesson 3 • Installing and Configuring Node.js

Covers version management, runtime installation, and environment variables. Sets the baseline toolchain every subsequent chapter depends on.

Lesson 4 • The Event Loop and Async Model

Details phases of the event loop, the callback queue, and microtask queue. Explains why non-blocking I/O is central to Node.js performance.

Lesson 1 • Functions, Closures, and Scope

Explains lexical scope, closure mechanics, and higher-order functions. Mastery here underpins middleware patterns and functional utilities used later.

Lesson 2 • Prototypes and Object-Oriented Patterns

Covers prototype chains, class syntax, and inheritance. Provides the foundation for building reusable service and model classes in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Modern JavaScript Syntax Essentials

Covers destructuring, spread/rest, template literals, and optional chaining. These patterns appear throughout every backend codebase students will encounter.

Lesson 4 • Asynchronous Patterns: Callbacks to Async/Await

Progresses from callbacks through Promises to async/await. Students gain the async fluency required for all I/O-heavy backend operations.

Lesson 1 • HTTP Protocol Fundamentals

Reviews request/response cycle, HTTP methods, status codes, and headers. This context is essential before writing any server-side handler logic.

Lesson 2 • Parsing Request Data

Handles URL parameters, query strings, and streaming request bodies. Parsing incoming data correctly is required for any real API endpoint.

Lesson 3 • Creating a Raw HTTP Server

Uses the http module to create a server, listen on a port, and inspect IncomingMessage. Demonstrates what frameworks abstract away.

Lesson 4 • HTTPS and Secure Transport Basics

Introduces TLS certificates, the https module, and redirect patterns. Students understand secure transport before deploying any server.

Lesson 1 • Routing and Route Parameters

Defines routes with path parameters, query strings, and route grouping. Proper routing structure keeps APIs maintainable as they grow.

Lesson 2 • Building a Complete CRUD API

Assembles routing, validation, and error handling into a full resource API. Serves as the capstone exercise for this chapter.

Lesson 3 • Centralized Error Handling in Express

Implements four-argument error middleware and custom error classes. Centralizing errors ensures consistent API responses across all routes.

Lesson 4 • Middleware Design and Execution

Explains middleware signature, next(), and execution order. Middleware is the primary mechanism for cross-cutting concerns in Express.

Lesson 5 • Express.js Architecture and Setup

Covers Express installation, application object, and request lifecycle. Understanding the lifecycle is prerequisite to writing correct middleware.

Lesson 1 • Relational Database Fundamentals

Reviews tables, relationships, normalization, and SQL basics. This context is required before introducing any ORM abstraction layer.

Lesson 2 • Query Optimization and Connection Pooling

Covers query analysis, index strategies, and connection pool configuration. Optimized queries and pooling are critical for production throughput.

Lesson 3 • Database Migrations and Seeding

Creates versioned migration files and seed scripts for reproducible environments. Migrations are essential for team-based and production workflows.

Lesson 4 • Document Database with MongoDB

Introduces collections, documents, and ODM schema definition. Contrasts document modeling with relational modeling for informed design choices.

Lesson 1 • JSON Web Tokens and Refresh Tokens

Generates, signs, and verifies JWTs, and implements refresh token rotation. Covers the full token lifecycle for stateless API authentication.

Lesson 2 • Password Hashing and Secure Storage

Applies adaptive hashing algorithms and salting to user passwords. Secure password storage is the first line of defense against credential breaches.

Lesson 3 • Authentication Fundamentals

Distinguishes authentication from authorization and covers session vs. token models. Establishes vocabulary and concepts used throughout this chapter.

Lesson 4 • API Security Hardening

Applies rate limiting, CORS policy, security headers, and input sanitization. These controls mitigate injection, enumeration, and abuse attacks.

Lesson 1 • Testing Fundamentals and Strategy

Introduces the testing pyramid, test types, and coverage goals. A clear strategy prevents over-testing low-value paths and under-testing critical ones.

Lesson 2 • Debugging Node.js Applications

Uses the built-in inspector, breakpoints, and logging strategies to diagnose bugs. Systematic debugging reduces mean time to resolution in production.

Lesson 3 • Unit Testing with Mocks and Stubs

Writes isolated unit tests using mocking libraries to replace dependencies. Isolation ensures tests are fast and failures point to a single cause.

Lesson 4 • Integration Testing HTTP Endpoints

Tests full request/response cycles against a running Express app and test database. Integration tests catch contract bugs that unit tests miss.

Lesson 1 • Environment Configuration and Secrets Management

Manages environment-specific config and secrets without hardcoding values. Proper config management is a prerequisite for safe multi-environment deployments.

Lesson 2 • CI/CD Pipeline Setup

Automates test, build, and deploy stages in a continuous delivery pipeline. CI/CD reduces deployment risk and enables frequent, reliable releases.

Lesson 3 • Structured Logging and Distributed Tracing

Implements structured JSON logging and trace context propagation. Structured logs and traces are essential for diagnosing issues in distributed systems.

Lesson 4 • Containerizing Node.js with Docker

Writes a Dockerfile, builds an image, and runs the app in a container. Containers ensure environment parity from development through production.

Lesson 5 • Health Checks, Metrics, and Alerting

Exposes health check endpoints, emits application metrics, and configures alerts. Proactive monitoring catches degradation before users are impacted.