Node.js in Practice

Alex Young and Marc Harter

Manning – paperback

I have had a long-term, love-ignore relationship with Node.js. I have taken Node classes, read Node books, and tinkered with Node programming both on Windows and Linux machines. Sometimes I have loved working with Node.js. Other times, I have ignored it for months at a stretch while I rush around trying out other choices and development distractions: Clojure, Erlang, Grails, Hadoop, and Ember.js, for example — the list goes on and on.

Node.js in Practice is aimed at intermediate Node.js programmers and even advanced Node.js programmers. There is some awareness that beginners also may be reading this book. So the authors start by explaining Node from the standpoint of “what it is, how it works, and why it’s something you can’t live without.” Then they quickly recommend that Node newcomers should stop for now and read another good, but more basic, how-to book first: Node.js in Action.

In Node.js in Practice, the learning curve can start getting steep fairly quickly, especially for those of us who have worked somewhat superficially with Node in web projects that also involve other software (such as the MEAN stack: MongoDB, Express and AngularJS, plus Node). Fortunately, the authors, Alex Young and Marc Harter, take a very focused, three-part approach that keeps Node.js centered in the spotlight and promotes deeper understanding.

Part One focuses on “Node’s core fundamentals” and “what’s possible using only Node’s core modules (no third-party modules).” Part Two moves into “real-world development recipes” and shows how to “master four highly applicable skills—testing, web development, debugging, and running Node in production.” Some third-party modules also are introduced. Part Three, meanwhile, emphasizes “creating your own Node modules in a straightforward manner that ties in all kinds of ways to use npm commands for packaging, running, testing, benchmarking, and sharing modules. It also includes helpful tips on versioning projects effectively.”

The book offers “115 techniques…each module covering a specific Node.js topic or task, and each divided into practical Problem/Solution/Discussion sections.” I really like this approach, and the illustrated discussions that accompany each short code example are especially helpful.

For me, it has been a pleasure to upgrade to the latest version of Node.js and reconnect with it using this new book. Despite my previous experience with Node.js, I see a lot to learn! My thanks to Manning for providing a review copy of Node.js in Practice.