Node.js Developer Roadmap

Node.js runtime, module system, async I/O, HTTP servers, databases, authentication, deployment, and production patterns. Referenced from roadmap.sh/nodejs.

Phase 1 Phase 1: Node.js Core

Runtime, module system, event loop, file system, HTTP

Milestone Introduction to Node.js: Package and Dependency Management

Principles, mechanisms, and tools for managing external code packages and software dependencies.

Milestone Error Handling: Interpreting Error Messages

Skill in reading and understanding error messages provided by programs or the operating system to identify the cause of issues.

Milestone Error Handling: Logical Errors

Recognize errors in program logic that cause it to run incorrectly, despite not causing syntax or runtime errors.

Milestone Error Handling: Syntax Errors

Recognize errors that violate the syntax rules of a programming language, typically detected by the compiler or interpreter before execution.

Milestone Async Programming: Asynchronous Programming

Introducing asynchronous programming techniques such as callbacks, promises, or async/await to handle time-consuming tasks without blocking the main thread.

Milestone Async Programming: Promises

The learner will be able to use promises to manage asynchronous operations and handle success or failure.

Milestone Async Programming: Async/Await

The learner will be able to use async/await syntax to write asynchronous code in a synchronous style.

📚 Prerequisites: ASYNC_PROMISES

Milestone Async Programming: Callbacks

The learner will be able to use callbacks to handle asynchronous operations.

Milestone Working with Files: Routers and Switches

Distinguish the functions of a router (routing between networks) and a switch (connecting devices within the same network).

Milestone Working with Files: The 4-Layer Internet Model

Describe the 4 layers of the TCP/IP model (the practical model of the Internet) and its correspondence to the OSI model.

Milestone Working with Files: Cognitive Load

The total amount of mental effort and short-term memory a user must expend to process information, make decisions, and perform actions on an interface. Reducing cognitive load optimizes interaction flows and improves task completion efficiency without causing mental fatigue.

Phase 2 Phase 2: Server & APIs

HTTP servers, REST APIs, authentication, databases

Milestone Command Line Apps: Graphics Rendering Pipeline

Understanding the main stages in the graphics rendering pipeline, from 3D models to the final pixels on screen.

Milestone Command Line Apps: Digital Identity Management

Understanding the concept of digital identity and how to manage personal and professional image on online platforms.

📚 Prerequisites: DIGITAL_FOOTPRINT

Milestone Command Line Apps: Digital Footprint

Understanding that all online activities leave a 'digital footprint' that can persist and affect privacy and reputation.

Milestone Building & Consuming APIs: Client-Server Architectural Principles

Understand the principles of REST (Representational State Transfer) architecture in API design, such as statelessness and client-server.

📚 Prerequisites: HTTP_METHODS

Milestone Building & Consuming APIs: API Integration

Understand the technique of calling external APIs to fetch data or use functionality from another service in your application.

📚 Prerequisites: REST_PRINCIPLES

Milestone Building & Consuming APIs: Application-Layer Request Methods

Distinguishing basic HTTP methods such as GET for requesting data and POST for sending data to the server.

Milestone Monitor Changes (Dev): TinyMLOps Fleet Lifecycle Management

Process for lifecycle management, performance monitoring, and automated model updates for machine learning on millions of embedded edge devices.

Milestone Monitor Changes (Dev): Wearable Real-Time Physiological Signal Monitoring

Algorithms for real-time processing and analysis of physiological metrics (ECG, SpO2) from wearable medical devices.

Milestone Template Engines: Prompt Engineering

Designing effective prompts for large language models: system prompts, few-shot examples, chain-of-thought, tuning temperature/top-p, prompt templates, and prompt quality evaluation.

Milestone Working with Databases: Relational Database Models

The learner will be able to describe the data model and characteristics of relational databases.

Milestone Working with Databases: Relational Data Retrieval

Use the SELECT statement syntax to query and retrieve data from one or more columns in a table.

📚 Prerequisites: RELATIONAL_DB_MODELS

Milestone Testing: Unit Testing

Understand and write unit tests to verify the correctness of each function or method independently.

Milestone Testing: Code Quality and Style Enforcement

Automated analysis tools enforcing coding standards, style guidelines, and bug detection.

Phase 3 Phase 3: Production

Testing, deployment, performance, monitoring

Milestone Debugging: Using Breakpoints

Use breakpoints in an IDE to pause the program and inspect variable states.

Milestone Common Built-in Modules: Common IoT Security Threats

Recognizing security threats specific to IoT devices, such as firmware attacks, weak default passwords, and insecure protocols.

Milestone Common Built-in Modules: Copyright Law

The learner will be able to distinguish between exclusive rights granted by copyright and limitations such as fair use and public domain.

Milestone Common Built-in Modules: Creative Commons Licensing

The learner will be able to describe the different Creative Commons license terms and their implications for sharing and reuse.

📚 Prerequisites: COPYRIGHT_LAW