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intermediate 12 hours 65 lessons 16 modules

Node.js Fundamentals

Master backend development with Node.js — from the event loop and core modules to Express, databases, caching, TypeScript, and Docker.

By Avinash Jha

Module 1 Introduction to Node.js

Understand what Node.js is, why it exists, how to install it, and how to run your first program.

📄 What is Node.js? 10 min 📄 Why Node.js? Use Cases 10 min 📄 Installing Node.js 10 min 📄 The REPL and Running Scripts 10 min 📄 The Module System (CommonJS vs ESM) 15 min

Module 2 The Event Loop and I/O

Learn how Node.js stays fast with a single thread: async vs sync, the event loop phases, and non-blocking I/O.

📄 Synchronous vs Asynchronous 10 min 📄 The Event Loop Explained 15 min 📄 Blocking vs Non-blocking I/O 10 min 📄 Timers, nextTick and setImmediate 15 min

Module 3 Core Modules

Explore the built-in modules that ship with Node.js: http, fs, path, os, and the EventEmitter.

📄 The http Module 15 min 📄 The File System (fs) Module 15 min 📄 The path Module 10 min 📄 The Operating System (os) Module 10 min 📄 Events and EventEmitter 15 min

Module 4 Streams and Streaming

Process data piece by piece with streams: readable, writable, pipes, and real-world streaming.

📄 What are Streams? 10 min 📄 Readable and Writable Streams 15 min 📄 Pipes and Chaining 10 min 📄 Streaming in Practice 15 min

Module 5 NPM and Package Management

Manage dependencies with npm: package.json, versioning, scripts, and publishing your own packages.

📄 Introduction to npm 10 min 📄 Understanding package.json 15 min 📄 Dependencies and Semantic Versioning 15 min 📄 npm Scripts 10 min 📄 Publishing Packages 10 min

Module 6 Express.js

Build web servers with Express: routing, middleware, the MVC pattern, and rendering HTML with EJS templates.

📄 Introduction to Express 15 min 📄 Routing 15 min 📄 What is Middleware? 15 min 📄 MVC in Express 20 min 📄 EJS Templates and Serving HTML Pages 15 min

Module 7 REST APIs, SSE and Webhooks

Design RESTful APIs and add real-time communication with Server-Sent Events and webhooks.

📄 What is REST? 15 min 📄 Building CRUD Endpoints 20 min 📄 Server-Sent Events (SSE) 15 min 📄 Webhooks 15 min

Module 8 Databases with Node.js

Connect Node.js to relational and NoSQL databases: SQLite, MySQL, and MongoDB.

📄 SQLite and Node.js 15 min 📄 MySQL and Node.js 20 min 📄 MongoDB and Node.js 20 min

Module 9 Authentication, Security and File Uploads

Secure your applications with authentication and best practices, and handle file uploads and storage.

📄 Authentication and Security 20 min 📄 JSON Web Tokens (JWT) 15 min 📄 File Uploads and Storage 15 min

Module 10 Caching

Speed up your apps with caching: in-memory caches and distributed caching with Redis.

📄 In-Memory Caching 15 min 📄 Caching with Redis 20 min

Module 11 TypeScript with Node.js

Add type safety to your backend: set up a TypeScript project and build Node.js apps with TypeScript.

📄 Setting Up a TypeScript Project 20 min 📄 Building with TypeScript and Node.js 20 min

Module 12 Docker and Deployment

Containerize your Node.js apps: Docker basics, Docker Compose, and dockerizing a real project.

📄 Introduction to Docker 15 min 📄 Docker and Docker Compose 20 min 📄 Dockerize a Node Project 20 min

Module 13 Design Patterns

Write maintainable backend code with proven design patterns: creational, structural, behavioral, and Node.js-specific patterns.

📄 What are Design Patterns? 10 min 📄 Creational Patterns (Singleton, Factory) 20 min 📄 Structural Patterns (Adapter, Proxy, Decorator) 20 min 📄 Behavioral Patterns (Observer, Strategy) 20 min 📄 Node.js Patterns (Middleware, DI, Repository) 20 min

Module 14 Load Balancing and Scaling (Nginx)

Scale Node.js apps to handle real traffic: horizontal scaling, reverse proxies, load balancing with Nginx, and clustering.

📄 Scaling: Horizontal vs Vertical 15 min 📄 Introduction to Load Balancing 15 min 📄 Nginx as a Reverse Proxy 20 min 📄 Load Balancing with Nginx 20 min 📄 Clustering and PM2 15 min

Module 15 Authentication Concepts

Understand the building blocks of identity and access: encryption vs hashing, sessions vs tokens, JWT, OAuth2, and SSO.

📄 Encryption vs Hashing 15 min 📄 Sessions vs Tokens 15 min 📄 JWT Deep Dive 20 min 📄 OAuth2 and OpenID Connect 20 min 📄 Single Sign-On (SSO) 15 min

Module 16 API Optimization Techniques

Make APIs fast and resilient: pagination, caching, rate limiting, compression, and database query optimization.

📄 Pagination, Filtering and Projection 15 min 📄 API Caching Strategies 20 min 📄 Rate Limiting and Throttling 15 min 📄 Compression and Payload Optimization 15 min 📄 Database and Query Optimization 20 min