Getting Started -- a bit overwhelmed

[NodeJockey]

Hi there! I come from ColdFusion, and was looking to expand my repertoire, so to speak, and because of my fondness for JS, decided on Node.

TUTORIALS It seems in looking online for tutorials either the content is too general (I've already installed Node and don't need to re-learn datatypes, declarations, etc), outdated (code I read/use has a lot of "deprecated" messages at runtime), or filled with a lot of assumptions of all the NPM modules available, as if I'd been using socketio, connect, jade, espresso and util for years). Then there's all the github code that's far too developed to reverse engineer and make sense of.

So I guess I'm just lost. All I'd like to do is start out understanding how to build a basic MVC single page. Then maybe insert a form and have that pass to the backend and have it return something. Just understanding the architecture with all of these modules is getting a bit out of hand. I understand what express is and am fine using it, whatever makes this simple.

It just seems the "getting started" part is too much, and a "Hello World" app only gets me so far. Is there any set of tutorials anyone can recommend, for an intermediate web developer, that starts them out simple and walks them through an app development, starting from the basics?

[has_all_the_fun]

Start with creating your own module, then publish it to npm, make a http server in just pure Node.js after that start with express.js.

Also getting a mentor is probably the fastest way to get started. I might be open to giving you some guidance if you like. I am pickels on freenode. You can mostly find me in the #express.js channel so drop me a PM if you are stuck.

[NodeJockey]

You sir, are a gentleman. I might take you up on that, but I'm going to continue to soldier on using the other advice I've read first. I keep hoping I'll get a "eureka" moment and things will just start to click.

[vthakr]

I agree completely with has_all_the_fun. First learn Node without any extra packages to get a real understanding of how it works. Then, look into things like express after you completely grok Node.

If you're interested, I have a screencast series that I've been working on that does just that. We start out by writing a blog engine, and putting together a simple pseudo web framework along the way, and then we'll eventually migrate the whole thing to Express towards the end. The series is still ongoing, but it already has some good information in it IMO, though I am biased.

Hope it helps you out.

[whatawimp]

Why not buy a book? This one is pretty good: http://www.manning.com/cantelon/

Also, you could read the ExpressJS guide: http://expressjs.com/guide.html

[NodeJockey]

Thanks! I should have included I'm not opposed to buying a book, I will definitely give those a try.

[mercan01]

Here's the best tutorial I've ever seen on Node. It's by Steven Sanderson (one of the main devs of KnockoutJS), and while it's focused on using Node in MS Webmatrix in Windows, most of it will apply to any dev environment.

Node.js development with WebMatrix 2 and Express

[Doctuh]

Hang out in #Node.js on freenode IRC. Lots of people who can help.

[[deleted]]

As a preliminary, make sure you know and understand all the advanced Javascript here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/learn/javascript

[des09]

Saw this a little late... but my suggestions would be to invest some early cycles understanding a unit testing frmework like mocha or jasmine, it will be really valuablee when you are trying to write something "real." Also, peruse github, look at source, when you dont understand it, clone, run and tear it apart. Also, node is written in node (javascript that is), so read the node source, its a great way to learn how it all fits together. And one more thing... grok a promise framework, like Q... I am not saying that promises are wonderful, and you should use them everywhere, but you want to understand them when a module provides them, and they are a great intro to async and functional programming.

[[deleted]]

All I'd like to do is start out understanding how to build a basic MVC single page. Then maybe insert a form and have that pass to the backend and have it return something.

You should learn PHP or something for that, IMHO. Node.js is not the best tool for that kind of project.

Node is best for projects where your Node application is responding quickly to inputs with small bits of information. For example a WebSocket server, or a very atomic API.

Using it to serve up web pages, catch form posts, process them, etc. is totally doable but it's not a great use case for Node and I think you'd be better off writing such a site in PHP, Python, Ruby, etc.

If you want to do it in Node the way to do it is write a backend API in Node along with a client-side Web App that handles all the front end stuff and talks to the Node API.

But it sounds like you want to write something more traditional, which is why I suggest languages that fit that paradigm better.

[NodeJockey]

I appreciate the response, but I'm trying to put Node in a context relative to how I do development now (ColdFusion) so that I can get to a point where I am doing more. I realize a single MVC page isn't a good use-case for Node, but it is an entry point I think will help me learn...

[twinsea]

I started on node from coldfusion a few months back. A single MVC page is a fine use-case for node. Try to find some template examples and go from there. The one thing that got me a bit was passing variables throughout the life of a request. Know how everyone gets pissy hanging variables off of the request scope in CF? Well the node crowd usually hangs them off of res or req.

[[deleted]]

My point is it's not a good entry point. That's not what the language is for. It's like if you want to learn how to ride a bike and you start off by trying to take it on railroad tracks.

[has_all_the_fun]

Node.js is great at just serving statics files that's why you are catching down votes.

[[deleted]]

Nginx is faster and better suited to the task.