Work

The Complete Tutorial on the Top 5 Ways to Query your Relational Database in JavaScript - Part 1

April 28, 2020

If you’re developing web applications, you’re almost certainly going to be constantly interacting with a database. And when it comes time to select thewayyou’ll interact, the choices can be overwhelming. In this article, we’re going to look in detail at 5 different ways to interact with your database using JavaScript, and we’ll talk about the pros and cons of each. We’ll start with the lowest-level choice — SQL Commands — then move through to higher-level abstractions.

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5 Best Practices for Designing RESTful APIs

April 13, 2020

RESTful APIs are everywhere, powering more of the modern world than any other API architecture. REST accounts for up to 80% of API saccording to this study by ProgrammableWeb. How those APIs are built and structured can make or break a company in today’s ultra-competitive world. Poorly-designed APIs can be difficult to use, can fail when they are needed most, and are valuable targets for hackers looking for sensitive data. On the other hand, a well-designed API that utilizes best practices makes development a breeze, attracts new customers, and creates confidence among users that can boost retention rates.

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Moving Away From AWS and Onto Heroku

April 11, 2020

In the fall of 2018, I decided it was time to put my application design and development knowledge to use in order to provide a modernized solution for my mother-in-law’s small business. Her business is designed to help find living accommodations for those relocating to the southeast part of the United States. Since the weather is warm there throughout the entire year, her clientele typically are seeking a nice climate for their retirement years.

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We Just Had Our First Virtual Reality Status Meeting. Here's How It Went.

March 19, 2020

Just about everyone who can is working from home now. And while we’re lucky to work in an industry that already works from home regularly and easily, there are still some aspects of being in an office that are difficult to replace. One of them is the stand-up meeting.

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Comparing the top 3 Javascript testing frameworks

March 18, 2020

Every developer knows that writing tests is important, but when it comes to JavaScript testing, there are many frameworks to choose from. So, the next time you start a project, how do you know which framework to choose?

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Comparing Container Pipelines

March 17, 2020

Containers brought a monumental shift to DevOps by allowing teams to ship code faster than ever before. However, we still have to go through the process of building, packaging, and deploying those containers. That’s why we use container pipelines.

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5 Web Dev Tools To Improve Your Productivity

March 5, 2020

Time is always a scarce resource for developers. From aggressive deadlines, to multiple projects, to unexpected requirements, our time is constantly in demand. That’s why we’re always on the lookout for tools and processes that help us boost productivity. In this article, we’ll look at five web development tools that might just give you that extra boost in productivity you need.

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Why Is Software Development So Hard?

March 3, 2020

Complicated code bases. Bare-bones specifications. Tight deadlines. If these sound familiar, you’re not alone. Software development is a difficult field to work in, despite being one of the fastest growing in the United States. Developers burn out quickly and often. In fact, one survey shows burnout rates of nearly 60% among tech workers.

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My Top 10 JavaScript Articles from 2019

February 28, 2020

JavaScript has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a clunky, exclusively front-end scripting language. We saw some big developments in the JavaScript landscape during 2019, including the widespread adoption of React hooks and functional programming concepts, steady conversion to TypeScript, and continued domination of React in the front-end framework ecosystem.

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Zero Downtime Deployments: Best Practices for CI/CD on Heroku

February 28, 2020

Avoiding downtime while reducing the risk of exposing users to breaking changes when deploying applications is a major challenge. I’ll be pulling from my experience as a software engineering instructor and active user of Heroku to show you how to minimize deployment risk, and achieve zero downtime deployments.

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