The Node Beginner Book
If you're wanting to learn Node.js and know absolutely nothing about it, I think this is a great place to start. Actually, I think is an even better place to start ('Step 3' is to read this book!).The title is no joke: this is absolutely for beginners. In fact, while it's assumed that you know some JavaScript, I would argue that anyone who's actually been using JavaScript for a while in any sort of modern front-end capacity will find the concepts ofIf you're wanting to learn Node.js and know absolutely nothing about it, I think this is a great place to start. Actually, I think is an even better place to start ('Step 3' is to read this book!).The title is no joke: this is absolutely for beginners. In fact, while it's assumed that you know some JavaScript, I would argue that anyone who's actually been using JavaScript for a while in any sort of modern front-end capacity will find the concepts of first-class functions (functions you can pass around like any other data) and asynchronous (or 'non-blocking') development to be kind of old-hat. So I think someone who's really quite a JavaScript beginner will be fine with this too.I love the building-block approach Kiessling used in the creation of a single, simple website application.
It starts with the simplest possible HTTP server (return a 200 status and some text/plain content - if I had a dollar for every time I've built that server.) and in a series of logical additions, we learn about asynchronous event-handler-driven development, URL routing, and handling POST data and file uploads! It's fast-paced and incredibly fun to watch it come together.The progression throughout the book follows the natural thought processes of a JavaScript beginner.
So much so, in fact, that I half suspect Kiessling may have simply transcribed and annotated his own first attempt to create a Node.js application. (As you follow along, you try things, delete them and try something else, etc.) He straddles the line nicely between a simplistic and naive 'tutorial' style and a more mature and correct (and complex) style with proper separation of concerns.I was able to follow along to the letter with current versions of Node.js and Formidable (as of this writing) until I came to the final example. Formidable seems to have changed slightly since the book was written (it seems that the files.upload property is no longer used.).
I know how frustrating such a problem can be for a complete beginner, so here's my answer addressing the problem. Hopefully that helps somebody. The author should write poetry instead of technical books. Too much text compared to the amount of information about node.
The author promised a full application at the end of the book, but instead of giving at least one example of some kind of test for his code, he explains what a router or request handler is for. Good to know other books about node, because from them I know mocha, should, and assertions.
No one example in this book. That reminds me to all this shitty 'write your blog in 5 The author should write poetry instead of technical books. Too much text compared to the amount of information about node. The author promised a full application at the end of the book, but instead of giving at least one example of some kind of test for his code, he explains what a router or request handler is for. Good to know other books about node, because from them I know mocha, should, and assertions. No one example in this book.
That reminds me to all this shitty 'write your blog in 5 minutes' rails tutorials around the web. This is a solid couple of hour crash course for generic Node.js concepts. The author did an alright job showing how blocking works, how to think about callbacks in general, and some of the features. The book reminds me some of Learn X the Hard Way without enough exercises.I'd recommend this book if you have absolutely no experience with Node.js. If you have a general grasp on blocking, callbacks, npm, require, and exports then you might be able to skip this. While the book doesn't go into any This is a solid couple of hour crash course for generic Node.js concepts.
Node Js Beginner's Guide
The author did an alright job showing how blocking works, how to think about callbacks in general, and some of the features. The book reminds me some of Learn X the Hard Way without enough exercises.I'd recommend this book if you have absolutely no experience with Node.js. If you have a general grasp on blocking, callbacks, npm, require, and exports then you might be able to skip this. While the book doesn't go into any great detail on any of those subjects, if you don't feel comfortable with any of them then this might be a good refresher at the least.This isn't a book I'll reference often (if at all) but it is something I'd recommend to someone that's never touched node.js before. The author has done a good job of keeping the book and examples up to date (everything still works in v0.10.22).