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Foundation Resources (Optional)

Why Foundation Matters

Section titled “Why Foundation Matters”

Before diving into web development with NodeJS and React, it is crucial to understand the fundamentals of computer science. Many developers skip this step and struggle later when facing complex problems that require deeper understanding of how computers work.

CS50: Introduction to Computer Science

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We highly recommend spending time watching Harvard’s CS50 course. This is one of the best introductory computer science courses available, taught by Professor David Malan.

Full Course Video

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What You Will Learn

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CS50 covers essential computer science concepts including:

  • Computational Thinking - How to think like a programmer and break down problems
  • Binary and Data Representation - How computers store and process information
  • Algorithms - Searching, sorting, and problem-solving techniques
  • Memory Management - Understanding how programs use computer memory
  • Data Structures - Arrays, linked lists, hash tables, trees, and more
  • Programming Fundamentals - Variables, loops, conditions, functions

Why This Matters for Web Development

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Understanding these fundamentals will help you:

  1. Debug effectively - When you understand how memory and data structures work, debugging becomes easier
  2. Write efficient code - Knowing algorithms helps you choose the right approach for performance
  3. Learn new technologies faster - Strong fundamentals make picking up new frameworks much easier
  4. Ace technical interviews - Most interviews test these core concepts

JavaScript from Novice to Ninja

Section titled “JavaScript from Novice to Ninja”

Since our entire stack is JavaScript-based (NodeJS, React), having a strong foundation in JavaScript is critical. We recommend reading JavaScript from Novice to Ninja.

What You Will Learn

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This book covers essential JavaScript concepts that new developers often miss:

  • Closures - Understanding scope and closure patterns
  • Prototypes - How JavaScript inheritance works
  • IIFE (Immediately Invoked Function Expressions) - Module patterns
  • Exception Handling - try/catch and error management
  • DOM Manipulation - How JavaScript interacts with web pages
  • Currying and Functional Patterns - Advanced function techniques
  • Developer Tools - Using browser DevTools effectively

Why This Matters

Section titled “Why This Matters”

Without these fundamentals, you will:

  • Struggle to understand how React hooks work (closures)
  • Get confused by this keyword behavior
  • Have difficulty debugging async code
  • Miss important optimization patterns

Take time to read this book. It will save you hours of confusion later.

How to Learn Effectively

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Books for Foundation Knowledge

Section titled “Books for Foundation Knowledge”

For finding ebooks, you can use Anna’s Archive - a search engine for books and papers.

Recommended books:

  • JavaScript from Novice to Ninja (mentioned above)
  • Functional Programming in Scala (the “Red Book”)
  • You Don’t Know JS (book series)
  • Clean Code by Robert C. Martin

Staying Up-to-Date

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For updated knowledge and keeping up with the latest trends, use these resources:

ResourceBest For
daily.devDaily developer news feed
YouTube ChannelsTutorials and deep dives (see below)
MediumTechnical articles and tutorials
SubstackDeveloper newsletters
Official DocumentationLatest API references and guides

Recommended YouTube Channels:

Additional Resources

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