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Learn Node.js with online courses and programs

Sharpen the development skills you need to advance your career. Learn Node.js online with courses delivered through edX.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment used to build the back-end of applications. It's known as a "JavaScript everywhere" paradigm, unifying around a single programming language, in which dynamic web content is produced before being sent to clients.Footnote 1 Node.js projects produce dynamic web applications within a JavaScript runtime environment and allow Full Stack Node.js developers to use command-line tools. 

The lightning pace of web and app development requires developers to reduce latency while retaining maximum scalability. This is not an easy task. Before Node.js, creating web servers required each request to spawn a new thread of execution or fork a new process. This can create a lot of overhead that a developer must continue to maintain. Node.js streamlines the process by running a single-threaded event loop. Each connection triggers a JavaScript callback function that can handle requests and spawn threads from a pool, if necessary. These functions require less computing power.Footnote 2

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What is covered in a Node.js tutorial?

A Node.js online course can help learners move beyond basic HTML and better understand how to develop and deploy dynamic web applications. In an introductory Node.js class, you can learn basic functions and gain hands-on experience developing applications. A course can include lessons on how to:

  • Create server-side applications using the Node.js JavaScript runtime

  • Extend Node.js applications with third-party packages, like Express

  • Use npm to manage Node.js packages

  • Write asynchronous callback functions and promises to complete asynchronous operations

More advanced Node.js training can cover how to carry out back-end development using SQL and SQLite, deploy a web app using Azure, and gain advanced JavaScript skills. 

Node.js developer jobs

Having a range of technical skills can be an asset, and professionals who work in this space can build their skill sets by pursuing a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, or enrolling in boot camps related to specific disciplines. 

A strong command of Node.js can be essential for a developer tasked to build and maintain all server-side network components, develop applications, and design customer-facing UI and back-end services. Whether you work in GitHub or you've got your eye on Windows or Linux applications, Node.js can be a useful tool. 

How to become a Node.js developer online

To become a Full Stack Node.js developer, you’ll need to have a strong command of both front-facing and back-end technologies and frameworks that apply in cloud computing and web development, as well as advanced skills in Node.js itself. 

A bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field can be valuable, as the curriculum associated with these degrees can teach coding fundamentals and may help individuals learn Node.js or similar tools. Other individuals in this field may choose to pursue specialized learning through a coding boot camp. Beginners may find it beneficial to take a coding course that introduces them to JavaScript, and other major programming languages, before moving on to a more advanced course in cloud computing and web development. After gaining proficiency in the platform, learners may consider earning a Node.js certification.Footnote 3

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