Node.js isn’t a language, framework, or library. It’s an open-source JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, which lives in the programming intersection of all three. While often used for backend operations, it can be used with such frontend JavaScript frameworks as Angular, React, and Vue. It’s also wildly popular. Amazon, Netflix, Reddit, and PayPal, to name a few major corporate users, all work with it. StackOverflow developers love it more than any other developer toolkit. But one thing it’s not is easy to learn.
That’s why The Linux Foundation and OpenJS Foundation have released a free online training course, Introduction to Node.js. This edX platform-based class is designed for both frontend or backend developers who want to learn Node.js’s fundamentals and its most common use cases. Topics covered include how to rapidly build command-line tools, mock RESTful JSON APIs, and prototype real-time services. You will also discover and use various ecosystem and Node core libraries, and how to use Node.js.
There are other Node.js classes out there. For example, Microsoft offers a set of free Node.js training videos. But most of these take a bit of a figure-it-out-on-your-own approach. The free course provides structure for those who want to get started with this popular technology with an organized, self-paced online course.
This is not just a lecture class. You’ll be immersed in a full-stack development experience. It also brings context to Node.js, as it works on the web while providing a pragmatic foundation in building real-world Node.js applications. At the same time, the general principles and key understandings introduced by this course can prepare you for further study toward the OpenJS Node.js Application Developer (JSNAD) and OpenJS Node.js Services Developer (JSNSD) certifications.
Introduction to Node.js was developed by David Mark Clements, a principal architect, technical author, public speaker, and OSS creator specializing in Node.js and browser JavaScript. David has been writing JavaScript since 1996 and has been working with, speaking, and writing about Node.js since Node 0.4 (2011). Clements is the author of the first three editions of Node Cookbook. He’s also the chief developer behind such open-source projects as Pino, a fast Node.js JSON logger, and 0x, a powerful Node.js profiling tool. He’s also the technical lead and primary author of the JSNAD and JSNSD certification exams and the Node.js Application Development (LFW211) and Node.js Services Development (LFW212) courses.
Introduction to Node.js enrollment is now open. Auditing the course through edX is free for seven weeks. Or, you can opt for a paid verified certificate of completion, which provides ongoing access. Frankly, you won’t find a better way to pick up Node.js, and if you’re working at all in the front or back-end of web development, you need to learn Node.js.
