David Neal
All Posts by David Neal
Build and Deploy Secure Serverless Functions with Netlify
Serverless computing, sometimes referred to as “functions as a service” (FaaS), is an on-demand approach to providing backend application services. The serverless architecture is an excellent solution for many use cases where an application needs backend services occasionally, periodically (e.g., once a day), or dynamically scaled to meet demand. In this tutorial, you will learn to build serverless functions with the JavaScript language, deploy them to Netlify, and secure them using Okta. Netlify is a...
Build a Weight Tracker App with Node.js and PostgreSQL
Did you make any resolutions this year? One resolution I seem to make every year is to lose weight and exercise. Sometimes I even stick to it. A good way I have found to keep on track with any resolution is to record progress. There’s something about visualizing progress that helps me stay motivated. In this tutorial, you are going to create a modern Node.js application to keep track of weight measurements. We’ll use technologies...
Stop Writing Server-Based Web Apps
The World-Wide Web, as we know it, started around 1993 by serving static HTML files with links to other HTML files. It didn’t take long for developers to find ways of making websites more “dynamic” using technologies like Common Gateway Interface (CGI), Perl, and Python. Since the ’90s, I have built web applications using a variety of languages, platforms, and frameworks. I’ve written application frameworks, content management systems, a blog engine, and a social media...
The Best Testing Tools for Node.js
Testing is an essential discipline for any non-trivial software project. With a dynamic language like JavaScript, testing is an absolute necessity. This post is on the best tools currently available for Node.js, but here’s a quick look at some of the many benefits of testing. Find bugs! Guard against future bug regressions. Document the expected functionality or behavior of software. Improve the design, quality, and maintainability of software. Refactor code with confidence. In this post,...
What's New for Node.js in 2020
In 2019, Node.js turned 10 years old, and the number of packages available on npm crossed one million. Downloads for Node.js itself continues to rise, growing 40% year over year. Another significant milestone is Node.js recently joined the OpenJS Foundation, which promises to improve project health and sustainability, as well as improve collaboration with the JavaScript community at large. As you can see, a lot has happened in a relatively short amount of time! Every...
An Illustrated Guide to OAuth and OpenID Connect
In the “stone age” days of the Internet, sharing information between services was easy. You simply gave your username and password for one service to another so they could login to your account and grab whatever information they wanted! Yikes! You should never be required to share your username and password, your credentials, to another service. There’s no guarantee that an organization will keep your credentials safe, or guarantee their service won’t access more of...
Secure and Scalable: An Introduction to JAMStack
If you’re a web developer, chances are you have heard the term “JAMstack.” Curiously, JAMstack isn’t a solution to prevent clogged printers, something to eat on toast, or a way to make music. However, by the time you finish reading this tutorial, you’ll understand JAMstack and its benefits, and learn one approach to implementing JAMstack for yourself. Let’s get ready to JAM. The “JAM” in JAMstack stands for JavaScript, APIs, and Markup. JAMstack’s pattern of...
How to Have the Best Meetings in Your Life
If I could sum up the amount of time I’ve wasted in meetings over the span of my career, it would be staggering! I’ve been in countless frustrating meetings where rabbits were chased down endless roads with no hope of return, dead horses were beaten beyond recognition, or the loudest person bullied the entire discussion with their personal agenda. Chances are you’ve had your share of exasperating meetings, too. Years ago I was introduced to...
Is GitHub Package Registry the npm Killer?
GitHub recently announced a new feature, GitHub Package Registry, currently in beta. It’s designed to allow GitHub users to publish and distribute packages of their software directly on GitHub instead of relying on an external system. At a glance, GitHub Package Registry has the following features and benefits. Supports multiple package clients: npm, Maven, NuGet, RubyGems, and Docker images Supports public and private packages Supports pre-release packages Can use webhooks and GitHub Actions to customize...
Build a Command Line Application with Node.js
Command line applications (CLI) are often the core tools for automating tasks, such as deploying production applications, running tests, building reports, migrating data, DevOps, and the list goes on and on. If you find yourself doing the same things over and over again, chances are you can automate those steps with a script and save yourself a lot of time! Node.js is a great solution for writing CLI apps. Node.js itself has built-in libraries for...
Add Authentication and Personalization to VuePress
There are several advantages to using a static site generator such as VuePress. With VuePress, you can focus on writing content using markdown, and the VuePress application generates static HTML files. VuePress also turns your content into a single-page application (SPA), so transitions between pages seem instant and seamless. The generated static files can be cached and distributed across a content delivery network (CDN) for even more performance. For the reader, VuePress creates a great...
Top 10 Visual Studio Code Extensions for Node.js
I am amazed at the adoption of Visual Studio Code by developers from all platforms and languages. According to the 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, VS Code is dominating. The primary reasons I use VS Code are its great support for debugging JavaScript and Node.js code, and how easy it is to customize with free extensions available in Visual Studio Marketplace. However, there are thousands of extensions available! How do you know which ones are...
Build a Secure Node.js App with SQL Server
I am a long-time relational database nerd, specifically SQL Server. At times in my career, I’ve focused on database design, deployments, migrations, administration, query optimization, and carefully crafting stored procedures, triggers, and views. I’ve written applications on top of SQL Server using Visual Basic, “Classic” ASP, ASP.NET, and, in recent years, Node.js. Yes, it’s true. You can build Node.js applications with SQL Server! In this tutorial, you will learn the basics of creating a Node.js...
If It Ain't TypeScript It Ain't Sexy
A few years ago I got “Jeep fever.” I began daydreaming about owning a Jeep, driving around with the top down, and going on trips into the mountains. That’s when it happened. Everywhere I went, I saw Jeeps. I passed countless Jeeps on the road. There were Jeeps in every parking lot. Practically everyone had a Jeep but me. Where did all these Jeeps come from?! Logically, I had to assume there was relatively the...
What's New in JavaScript for 2019
For the last several years, JavaScript has been evolving on a steady cadence with new language features. If you’re curious to see what’s in store for the next version of JavaScript, this post is for you! Before we talk about the latest features, it’s important to understand how new ideas become part of the JavaScript language. The Process for New JavaScript Language Features In a nutshell, the language specification that drives JavaScript is called ECMAScript....
Learn JavaScript in 2019
There’s never been a better time to be a programmer. Technology isn’t slowing down. Neither will the demand for innovative solutions to solve new challenges or take advantage of new opportunities. The key differentiation in the marketplace is often the one with the better technology. And companies are willing to pay big bucks for it. Not only are there new challenges and opportunities, but there are also better systems today to support programmers. Languages, code...
Use TypeScript to Build a Node API with Express
Like it or not, JavaScript has been helping developers power the Internet since 1995. In that time, JavaScript usage has grown from small user experience enhancements to complex full-stack applications using Node.js on the server and one of many frameworks on the client such as Angular, React, or Vue. Today, building JavaScript applications at scale remains a challenge. More and more teams are turning to TypeScript to supplement their JavaScript projects. Node.js server applications can...
Hey, Okta! Where's the Bacon?
I am so excited to announce I have joined Okta’s developer relations team as a Senior Developer Advocate! My focus is on all the JavaScripts: Node.js, Vue, React, and a bazillion other things! My Origin Story My first taste of programming was BASIC on the TRS-80. In the 90’s, I wrote a lot of DOS and Windows applications using Pascal and Visual Basic. Around 1998, I made the jump to building Web applications using “classic”...