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tomblomfield · 3 months ago

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Vibecoding a production app

TL;DR I built and launched a recipe app with about 20 hours of work - recipeninja.ai

Background: I'm a startup founder turned investor. I taught myself (bad) PHP in 2000, and picked up Ruby on Rails in 2011. I'd guess 2015 was the last time I wrote a line of Ruby professionally. I've built small side projects over the years, but nothing with any significant usage. So it's fair to say I'm a little rusty, and I never really bothered to learn front end code or design.

In my day job at Y Combinator, I'm around founders who are building amazing stuff with AI every day and I kept hearing about the advances in tools like Lovable, Cursor and Windsurf. I love building stuff and I've always got a list of little apps I want to build if I had more free time.

About a month ago, I started playing with Lovable to build a word game based on Articulate (it's similar to Heads Up or Taboo). I got a working version, but I quickly ran into limitations - I found it very complicated to add a supabase backend, and it kept re-writing large parts of my app logic when I only wanted to make cosmetic changes. It felt like a toy - not ready to build real applications yet.

But I kept hearing great things about tools like Windsurf. A couple of weeks ago, I looked again at my list of app ideas to build and saw "Recipe App". I've wanted to build a hands-free recipe app for years. I love to cook, but the problem with most recipe websites is that they're optimized for SEO, not for humans. So you have pages and pages of descriptive crap to scroll through before you actually get to the recipe. I've used the recipe app Paprika to store my recipes in one place, but honestly it feels like it was built in 2009. The UI isn't great for actually cooking. My hands are covered in food and I don't really want to touch my phone or computer when I'm following a recipe.

So I set out to build what would become RecipeNinja.ai

For this project, I decided to use Windsurf. I wanted a Rails 8 API backend and React front-end app and Windsurf set this up for me in no time. Setting up homebrew on a new laptop, installing npm and making sure I'm on the right version of Ruby is always a pain. Windsurf did this for me step-by-step. I needed to set up SSH keys so I could push to GitHub and Heroku. Windsurf did this for me as well, in about 20% of the time it would have taken me to Google all of the relevant commands.

I was impressed that it started using the Rails conventions straight out of the box. For database migrations, it used the Rails command-line tool, which then generated the correct file names and used all the correct Rails conventions. I didn't prompt this specifically - it just knew how to do it. It one-shotted pretty complex changes across the React front end and Rails backend to work seamlessly together.

To start with, the main piece of functionality was to generate a complete step-by-step recipe from a simple input ("Lasagne"), generate an image of the finished dish, and then allow the user to progress through the recipe step-by-step with voice narration of each step. I used OpenAI for the LLM and ElevenLabs for voice. "Grandpa Spuds Oxley" gave it a friendly southern accent.

Recipe summary:

And the recipe step-by-step view:

I was pretty astonished that Windsurf managed to integrate both the OpenAI and Elevenlabs APIs without me doing very much at all. After we had a couple of problems with the open AI Ruby library, it quickly fell back to a raw ruby HTTP client implementation, but I honestly didn't care. As long as it worked, I didn't really mind if it used 20 lines of code or two lines of code. And Windsurf was pretty good about enforcing reasonable security practices. I wanted to call Elevenlabs directly from the front end while I was still prototyping stuff, and Windsurf objected very strongly, telling me that I was risking exposing my private API credentials to the Internet. I promised I'd fix it before I deployed to production and it finally acquiesced.

I decided I wanted to add "Advanced Import" functionality where you could take a picture of a recipe (this could be a handwritten note or a picture from a favourite a recipe book) and RecipeNinja would import the recipe. This took a handful of minutes.

Pretty quickly, a pattern emerged; I would prompt for a feature. It would read relevant files and make changes for two or three minutes, and then I would test the backend and front end together. I could quickly see from the JavaScript console or the Rails logs if there was an error, and I would just copy paste this error straight back into Windsurf with little or no explanation. 80% of the time, Windsurf would correct the mistake and the site would work. Pretty quickly, I didn't even look at the code it generated at all. I just accepted all changes and then checked if it worked in the front end.

After a couple of hours of work on the recipe generation, I decided to add the concept of "Users" and include Google Auth as a login option. This would require extensive changes across the front end and backend - a database migration, a new model, new controller and entirely new UI. Windsurf one-shotted the code. It didn't actually work straight away because I had to configure Google Auth to add `localhost` as a valid origin domain, but Windsurf talked me through the changes I needed to make on the Google Auth website. I took a screenshot of the Google Auth config page and pasted it back into Windsurf and it caught an error I had made. I could login to my app immediately after I made this config change. Pretty mindblowing. You can now see who's created each recipe, keep a list of your own recipes, and toggle each recipe to public or private visibility. When I needed to set up Heroku to host my app online, Windsurf generated a bunch of terminal commands to configure my Heroku apps correctly. It went slightly off track at one point because it was using old Heroku APIs, so I pointed it to the Heroku docs page and it fixed it up correctly.

I always dreaded adding custom domains to my projects - I hate dealing with Registrars and configuring DNS to point at the right nameservers. But Windsurf told me how to configure my GoDaddy domain name DNS to work with Heroku, telling me exactly what buttons to press and what values to paste into the DNS config page. I pointed it at the Heroku docs again and Windsurf used the Heroku command line tool to add the "Custom Domain" add-ons I needed and fetch the right Heroku nameservers. I took a screenshot of the GoDaddy DNS settings and it confirmed it was right.

I can see very soon that tools like Cursor & Windsurf will integrate something like Browser Use so that an AI agent will do all this browser-based configuration work with zero user input.

I'm also impressed that Windsurf will sometimes start up a Rails server and use curl commands to check that an API is working correctly, or start my React project and load up a web preview and check the front end works. This functionality didn't always seem to work consistently, and so I fell back to testing it manually myself most of the time.

When I was happy with the code, it wrote git commits for me and pushed code to Heroku from the in-built command line terminal. Pretty cool!

I do have a few niggles still. Sometimes it's a little over-eager - it will make more changes than I want, without checking with me that I'm happy or the code works. For example, it might try to commit code and deploy to production, and I need to press "Stop" and actually test the app myself. When I asked it to add analytics, it went overboard and added 100 different analytics events in pretty insignificant places. When it got trigger-happy like this, I reverted the changes and gave it more precise commands to follow one by one.

The one thing I haven't got working yet is automated testing that's executed by the agent before it decides a task is complete; there's probably a way to do it with custom rules (I have spent zero time investigating this). It feels like I should be able to have an integration test suite that is run automatically after every code change, and then any test failures should be rectified automatically by the AI before it says it's finished.

Also, the AI should be able to tail my Rails logs to look for errors. It should spot things like database queries and automatically optimize my Active Record queries to make my app perform better. At the moment I'm copy-pasting in excerpts of the Rails logs, and then Windsurf quickly figures out that I've got an N+1 query problem and fixes it. Pretty cool.

Refactoring is also kind of painful. I've ended up with several files that are 700-900 lines long and contain duplicate functionality. For example, list recipes by tag and list recipes by user are basically the same.

Recipes by user:

This should really be identical to list recipes by tag, but Windsurf has implemented them separately.

Recipes by tag:

If I ask Windsurf to refactor these two pages, it randomly changes stuff like renaming analytics events, rewriting user-facing alerts, and changing random little UX stuff, when I really want to keep the functionality exactly the same and only move duplicate code into shared modules. Instead, to successfully refactor, I had to ask Windsurf to list out ideas for refactoring, then prompt it specifically to refactor these things one by one, touching nothing else. That worked a little better, but it still wasn't perfect

Sometimes, adding minor functionality to the Rails API will often change the entire API response, rather just adding a couple of fields. Eg It will occasionally change Index Recipes to nest responses in an object { "recipes": [ ] }, versus just returning an array, which breaks the frontend. And then another minor change will revert it. This is where adding tests to identify and prevent these kinds of API changes would be really useful. When I ask Windsurf to fix these API changes, it will instead change the front end to accept the new API json format and also leave the old implementation in for "backwards compatibility". This ends up with a tangled mess of code that isn't really necessary. But I'm vibecoding so I didn't bother to fix it.

Then there was some changes that just didn't work at all. Trying to implement Posthog analytics in the front end seemed to break my entire app multiple times. I tried to add user voice commands ("Go to the next step"), but this conflicted with the eleven labs voice recordings. Having really good git discipline makes vibe coding much easier and less stressful. If something doesn't work after 10 minutes, I can just git reset head --hard. I've not lost very much time, and it frees me up to try more ambitious prompts to see what the AI can do. Less technical users who aren't familiar with git have lost months of work when the AI goes off on a vision quest and the inbuilt revert functionality doesn't work properly. It seems like adding more native support for version control could be a massive win for these AI coding tools.

Another complaint I've heard is that the AI coding tools don't write "production" code that can scale. So I decided to put this to the test by asking Windsurf for some tips on how to make the application more performant. It identified I was downloading 3 MB image files for each recipe, and suggested a Rails feature for adding lower resolution image variants automatically. Two minutes later, I had thumbnail and midsize variants that decrease the loading time of each page by 80%. Similarly, it identified inefficient N+1 active record queries and rewrote them to be more efficient. There are a ton more performance features that come built into Rails - caching would be the next thing I'd probably add if usage really ballooned.

Before going to production, I kept my promise to move my Elevenlabs API keys to the backend. Almost as an afterthought, I asked asked Windsurf to cache the voice responses so that I'd only make an Elevenlabs API call once for each recipe step; after that, the audio file was stored in S3 using Rails ActiveStorage and served without costing me more credits. Two minutes later, it was done. Awesome.

At the end of a vibecoding session, I'd write a list of 10 or 15 new ideas for functionality that I wanted to add the next time I came back to the project. In the past, these lists would've built up over time and never gotten done. Each task might've taken me five minutes to an hour to complete manually. With Windsurf, I was astonished how quickly I could work through these lists. Changes took one or two minutes each, and within 30 minutes I'd completed my entire to do list from the day before. It was astonishing how productive I felt. I can create the features faster than I can come up with ideas.

Before launching, I wanted to improve the design, so I took a quick look at a couple of recipe sites. They were much more visual than my site, and so I simply told Windsurf to make my design more visual, emphasizing photos of food. Its first try was great. I showed it to a couple of friends and they suggested I should add recipe categories - "Thai" or "Mexican" or "Pizza" for example. They showed me the DoorDash app, so I took a screenshot of it and pasted it into Windsurf. My prompt was "Give me a carousel of food icons that look like this". Again, this worked in one shot. I think my version actually looks better than Doordash 🤷‍♂️

Doordash:

My carousel:

I also saw I was getting a console error from missing Favicon. I always struggle to make Favicon for previous sites because I could never figure out where they were supposed to go or what file format they needed. I got OpenAI to generate me a little recipe ninja icon with a transparent background and I saved it into my project directory. I asked Windsurf what file format I need and it listed out nine different sizes and file formats. Seems annoying. I wondered if Windsurf could just do it all for me. It quickly wrote a series of Bash commands to create a temporary folder, resize the image and create the nine variants I needed. It put them into the right directory and then cleaned up the temporary directory. I laughed in amazement. I've never been good at bash scripting and I didn't know if it was even possible to do what I was asking via the command line. I guess it is possible.

After launching and posting on Twitter, a few hundred users visited the site and generated about 1000 recipes. I was pretty happy! Unfortunately, the next day I woke up and saw that I had a $700 OpenAI bill. Someone had been abusing the site and costing me a lot of OpenAI credits by creating a single recipe over and over again - "Pasta with Shallots and Pineapple". They did this 12,000 times. Obviously, I had not put any rate limiting in.

Still, I was determined not to write any code. I explained the problem and asked Windsurf to come up with solutions. Seconds later, I had 15 pretty good suggestions. I implemented several (but not all) of the ideas in about 10 minutes and the abuse stopped dead in its tracks. I won't tell you which ones I chose in case Mr Shallots and Pineapple is reading. The app's security is not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it for the scale I'm at. If I continue to grow and get more abuse, I'll implement more robust measures.

Overall, I am astonished how productive Windsurf has made me in the last two weeks. I'm not a good designer or frontend developer, and I'm a very rusty rails dev. I got this project into production 5 to 10 times faster than it would've taken me manually, and the level of polish on the front end is much higher than I could've achieved on my own. Over and over again, I would ask for a change and be astonished at the speed and quality with which Windsurf implemented it. I just sat laughing as the computer wrote code.

The next thing I want to change is making the recipe generation process much more immediate and responsive. Right now, it takes about 20 seconds to generate a recipe and for a new user it feels like maybe the app just isn't doing anything.

Instead, I'm experimenting with using Websockets to show a streaming response as the recipe is created. This gives the user immediate feedback that something is happening. It would also make editing the recipe really fun - you could ask it to "add nuts" to the recipe, and see as the recipe dynamically updates 2-3 seconds later. You could also say "Increase the quantities to cook for 8 people" or "Change from imperial to metric measurements".

I have a basic implementation working, but there are still some rough edges. I might actually go and read the code this time to figure out what it's doing!

I also want to add a full voice agent interface so that you don't have to touch the screen at all. Halfway through cooking a recipe, you might ask "I don't have cilantro - what could I use instead?" or say "Set a timer for 30 minutes". That would be my dream recipe app!

Tools like Windsurf or Cursor aren't yet as useful for non-technical users - they're extremely powerful and there are still too many ways to blow your own face off. I have a fairly good idea of the architecture that I want Windsurf to implement, and I could quickly spot when it was going off track or choosing a solution that was inappropriately complicated for the feature I was building. At the moment, a technical background is a massive advantage for using Windsurf. As a rusty developer, it made me feel like I had superpowers.

But I believe within a couple of months, when things like log tailing and automated testing and native version control get implemented, it will be an extremely powerful tool for even non-technical people to write production-quality apps. The AI will be able to make complex changes and then verify those changes are actually working. At the moment, it feels like it's making a best guess at what will work and then leaving the user to test it. Implementing better feedback loops will enable a truly agentic, recursive, self-healing development flow. It doesn't feel like it needs any breakthrough in technology to enable this. It's just about adding a few tool calls to the existing LLMs. My mind races as I try to think through the implications for professional software developers.

Meanwhile, the LLMs aren't going to sit still. They're getting better at a frightening rate. I spoke to several very capable software engineers who are Y Combinator founders in the last week. About a quarter of them told me that 95% of their code is written by AI. In six or twelve months, I just don't think software engineering is going exist in the same way as it does today. The cost of creating high-quality, custom software is quickly trending towards zero.

You can try the site yourself at recipeninja.ai

Here's a complete list of functionality. Of course, Windsurf just generated this list for me 🫠

RecipeNinja: Comprehensive Functionality Overview

Core Concept: the app appears to be a cooking assistant application that provides voice-guided recipe instructions, allowing users to cook hands-free while following step-by-step recipe guidance.

Backend (Rails API) Functionality

User Authentication & Authorization

Google OAuth integration for user authentication

User account management with secure authentication flows

Authorization system ensuring users can only access their own private recipes or public recipes

Recipe Management

Recipe Model Features:

Unique public IDs (format: "r_" + 14 random alphanumeric characters) for security

User ownership (user_id field with NOT NULL constraint)

Public/private visibility toggle (default: private)

Comprehensive recipe data storage (title, ingredients, steps, cooking time, etc.)

Image attachment capability using Active Storage with S3 storage in production

Recipe Tagging System:

Many-to-many relationship between recipes and tags

Tag model with unique name attribute

RecipeTag join model for the relationship

Helper methods for adding/removing tags from recipes

Recipe API Endpoints:

CRUD operations for recipes

Pagination support with metadata (current_page, per_page, total_pages, total_count)

Default sorting by newest first (created_at DESC)

Filtering recipes by tags

Different serializers for list view (RecipeSummarySerializer) and detail view (RecipeSerializer)

Voice Generation

Voice Recording System:

VoiceRecording model linked to recipes

Integration with Eleven Labs API for text-to-speech conversion

Caching of voice recordings in S3 to reduce API calls

Unique identifiers combining recipe_id, step_id, and voice_id

Force regeneration option for refreshing recordings

Audio Processing:

Using streamio-ffmpeg gem for audio file analysis

Active Storage integration for audio file management

S3 storage for audio files in production

Recipe Import & Generation

RecipeImporter Service:

OpenAI integration for recipe generation

Conversion of text recipes into structured format

Parsing and normalization of recipe data

Import from photos functionality

Frontend (React) Functionality

User Interface Components

Recipe Selection & Browsing:

Recipe listing with pagination

Real-time updates with 10-second polling mechanism

Tag filtering functionality

Recipe cards showing summary information (without images)

"View Details" and "Start Cooking" buttons for each recipe

Recipe Detail View:

Complete recipe information display

Recipe image display

Tag display with clickable tags

Option to start cooking from this view

Cooking Experience:

Step-by-step recipe navigation

Voice guidance for each step

Keyboard shortcuts for hands-free control:

Arrow keys for step navigation

Space for play/pause audio

Escape to return to recipe selection

URL-based step tracking (e.g., /recipe/r_xlxG4bcTLs9jbM/classic-lasagna/steps/1)

State Management & Data Flow

Recipe Service:

API integration for fetching recipes

Support for pagination parameters

Tag-based filtering

Caching mechanisms for recipe data

Image URL handling for detailed views

Authentication Flow:

Google OAuth integration using environment variables

User session management

Authorization header management for API requests

Progressive Web App Features

PWA capabilities for installation on devices

Responsive design for various screen sizes

Favicon and app icon support

Deployment Architecture

Two-App Structure:

cook-voice-api: Rails backend on Heroku

cook-voice-wizard: React frontend/PWA on Heroku

Backend Infrastructure:

Ruby 3.2.2

PostgreSQL database (Heroku PostgreSQL addon)

Amazon S3 for file storage

Environment variables for configuration

Frontend Infrastructure:

React application

Environment variable configuration

Static buildpack on Heroku

SPA routing configuration

Security Measures:

HTTPS enforcement

Rails credentials system

Environment variables for sensitive information

Public ID system to mask database IDs

This comprehensive overview covers the major functionality of the Cook Voice application based on the available information. The application appears to be a sophisticated cooking assistant that combines recipe management with voice guidance to create a hands-free cooking experience.

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eddyprince321 · 9 months ago

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Best of Web Development Courses: A Comprehensive Guide

Web development is a vital skill in today’s digital world. Whether you're aspiring to become a professional web developer or looking to enhance your skills, selecting the right web development course is crucial. With countless options available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. This article provides a guide to the best web development courses available, helping you navigate through the top choices and find the one that suits your needs.

Why Take a Web Development Course?

Web development encompasses everything from creating basic websites to complex applications. The demand for skilled web developers is consistently high as businesses transition to digital platforms. By taking a web development course, you can:

Enhance your coding skills: Learn programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more.

Gain practical experience: Hands-on projects help you build a portfolio to showcase your skills.

Stay updated with industry trends: Modern courses keep you informed on the latest technologies and best practices.

Open career opportunities: Web development is a versatile field with various career paths such as front-end, back-end, or full-stack development.

Now, let’s dive into the top 10 web development courses that will give you the edge you need.

Top 10 Web Development Courses

The Web Developer Bootcamp – UdemyOverview: This course, created by Colt Steele, is one of the most popular web development bootcamps available. It covers everything from HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to more advanced topics like Node.js and Express.Why it stands out:

Over 63 hours of content.

Project-based learning with real-world applications.

Affordable pricing with regular discounts.

Ideal for: Beginners looking to get an in-depth introduction to web development.

Full-Stack Web Development with React – Coursera (offered by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)Overview: This course focuses on the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node). It's offered through Coursera by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which gives it a reputable edge.Why it stands out:

Covers both front-end (React) and back-end development.

Offers a certificate from a prestigious institution.

Focuses on responsive web design.

Ideal for: Learners who want to focus on full-stack web development.

The Odin ProjectOverview: The Odin Project is a free, open-source curriculum that takes you through the entire web development process. It focuses on Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, and offers plenty of hands-on projects.Why it stands out:

Completely free with a community of learners.

Comprehensive learning paths from beginner to advanced.

Emphasizes practical projects.

Ideal for: Self-motivated learners looking for a free, community-driven option.

CS50’s Web Programming with Python and JavaScript – edX (Harvard University)Overview: CS50 is Harvard’s famous computer science course, and this specific track focuses on web programming. You’ll learn about Python, Django, JavaScript, and SQL through this rigorous program.Why it stands out:

Offered by Harvard University.

Covers complex web development topics such as Django and security.

Highly challenging, suitable for intermediate to advanced learners.

Ideal for: Developers with some background looking to dive deeper into web programming.

Complete Web Development Bootcamp – Udemy (Dr. Angela Yu)Overview: Dr. Angela Yu’s bootcamp is highly rated on Udemy for its engaging teaching style and comprehensive approach. You’ll learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, React, and even a little bit of web design.Why it stands out:

Over 55 hours of content.

Fun and engaging style with a focus on building projects.

Regularly updated to reflect the latest technologies.

Ideal for: Beginners who want to build a solid foundation in web development.

Responsive Web Design – freeCodeCampOverview: FreeCodeCamp is known for offering free, self-paced coding lessons, and its Responsive Web Design certification is one of the most popular. You’ll learn HTML5, CSS3, and responsive design principles.Why it stands out:

Free and self-paced.

300 hours of content including hands-on projects.

Community support and real-world project building.

Ideal for: Those looking for a free, structured way to learn responsive web design.

Zero to Mastery Complete Web Developer – Udemy (Andrei Neagoie)Overview: Andrei Neagoie’s course takes a hands-on approach to web development, covering everything from HTML and CSS to advanced topics like React and Node.js.Why it stands out:

Covers both front-end and back-end development.

Real-world projects like building a chat application.

Regularly updated to reflect industry changes.

Ideal for: Beginners to intermediate learners looking for comprehensive training.

Modern React with Redux – Udemy (Stephen Grider)Overview: React is one of the most in-demand front-end technologies today, and Stephen Grider’s course is perfect for those looking to specialize in it. This course covers React and Redux, focusing on building dynamic web applications.Why it stands out:

Specialized focus on React and Redux.

Project-based learning.

Great for intermediate learners.

Ideal for: Developers looking to specialize in React.

Learn Web Development – Mozilla Developer NetworkOverview: MDN’s web development course is a comprehensive, free resource that covers all aspects of web development. It’s created by the Mozilla Developer Network, known for its high-quality documentation.Why it stands out:

Free and constantly updated.

Covers the basics to advanced topics.

Reliable and well-documented resources.

Ideal for: Learners who prefer self-paced study with extensive documentation.

JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for Web Developers – Coursera (Johns Hopkins University)

Overview: This course, offered through Coursera by Johns Hopkins University, focuses on the fundamentals of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, which are essential building blocks for any web developer.

Why it stands out:

Covers core web technologies.

Earn a certificate from a well-known university.

Focus on building real-world projects.

Ideal for: Beginners looking to get certified in web development fundamentals.

What to Look for in a Web Development Course

When choosing the best web development course for your needs, consider the following:

Skill Level: Are you a beginner or do you have some coding experience? Courses like The Odin Project and freeCodeCamp are great for beginners, while more advanced developers might prefer CS50’s Web Programming or Modern React with Redux.

Specialization: Do you want to focus on front-end (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), back-end (Node.js, Django), or full-stack development? Choose a course based on your career goals.

Project-Based Learning: A good web development course should include hands-on projects to help you apply what you've learned. The more projects, the better your portfolio will look to potential employers.

Certification: If you’re looking for recognition, consider courses that offer certificates from reputable institutions, like those from Coursera or edX.

Price: While some courses are free, others may require a one-time fee or subscription. Many platforms like Udemy offer discounts, so be sure to check regularly.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're just starting your journey in web development or looking to advance your skills, there’s a course out there for you. The best web development courses offer a blend of hands-on projects, updated content, and engaging instruction. As you consider the top 10 web development courses, think about your current skill level, your career aspirations, and your learning preferences. With the right course, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a proficient web developer.

Remember, learning web development is a marathon, not a sprint. Choose a course that fits your pace, stay consistent, and you'll see significant improvement in no time!

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nividawebsolutions · 2 years ago

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Top 20 Backend Development Tools In 2023

Backend development plays a crucial role in the operation and performance optimisation of web and mobile applications, serving as their foundational framework. In the context of the dynamic technological environment, it is imperative for developers to remain abreast of the most recent and effective backend development technologies. In the year 2023, a plethora of advanced tools have surfaced, leading to a significant transformation in the approach to backend development. Reach out to Nivida Web Solutions - a noted Web development company in Vadodara and let's craft a website that sets you apart.

This analysis aims to examine the leading 20 backend development tools projected for the year 2023, which possess the potential to optimise operational effectiveness, raise work output, and achieve exceptional outcomes.

1. Node.js:

Node.js continues to be a prominent contender in the realm of backend development, offering a resilient framework for constructing scalable, server-side applications through the utilisation of JavaScript. The asynchronous and event-driven nature of the system renders it highly suitable for real-time applications and microservices.

2. Express.js:

Express.js is a Node.js framework that offers a basic and flexible approach to backend development. It achieves this by providing streamlined routing, efficient handling of HTTP requests, and effective management of middleware. The software possesses a high degree of extensibility, allowing developers to create tailored solutions.

3. Django:

Django, a renowned Python framework, is widely recognised for its exceptional performance, robust security measures, and remarkable scalability. The framework adheres to the "batteries-included" principle, providing a wide range of pre-installed functionalities and libraries that enhance the speed and efficiency of the development process.

4. Flask:

Flask, an additional Python framework, is characterised by its lightweight nature and user-friendly interface. The framework offers fundamental capabilities for backend development and enables developers to incorporate additional functionalities as required, thus rendering it very adaptable.

5. Spring Boot:

Spring Boot, which is built on the Java programming language, streamlines the process of creating applications that are ready for deployment by employing a convention-over-configuration methodology. The platform provides a variety of functionalities to construct resilient and scalable backend systems. Embark on a digital journey with Nivida Web Solutions - the most distinguished Web development company in Gujarat. Let's create a stunning, functional website tailored to your business!

6. Ruby on Rails:

Ruby on Rails, also referred to as Rails, is renowned for its high level of efficiency and user-friendly nature. The framework employs the Ruby programming language and places a strong emphasis on convention over configuration, facilitating expedited development processes.

7. ASP.NET Core:

ASP.NET Core is a highly adaptable and efficient cross-platform framework that facilitates the development of backend solutions through the utilisation of the C# programming language. The product provides exceptional performance, robust security measures, and effortless compatibility with many systems.

8. Laravel:

Laravel, a framework developed using the PHP programming language, is well-acknowledged for its sophisticated syntax and user-centric functionalities. The utilisation of this technology streamlines intricate operations such as authentication, caching, and routing, hence facilitating an expedited development procedure.

9. NestJS:

NestJS is a Node.js framework that adheres to the architectural patterns established by Angular, hence exhibiting a progressive nature. The software possesses a high degree of modularity, hence facilitating the scalability and maintenance of applications. NestJS places a strong emphasis on the principles of maintainability and testability.

10. RubyMine:

RubyMine is an influential integrated development environment (IDE) designed specifically for the purpose of facilitating Ruby on Rails development. The software provides advanced code assistance, navigation, and debugging functionalities, hence augmenting the efficiency of Ruby developers. Looking for a standout web presence? Let Nivida Web Solutions - the most popular Web development company in India craft a website that impresses. Reach out now and let's get started!

11. PyCharm:

PyCharm, an integrated development environment (IDE) designed specifically for the Python programming language, is extensively utilised in the realm of backend development. The software offers intelligent code completion, comprehensive code analysis, and integrated tools to facilitate fast development and debugging processes.

12. IntelliJ IDEA:

IntelliJ IDEA, a widely utilised integrated development environment (IDE), provides comprehensive support for multiple programming languages, encompassing Java, Kotlin, and many more. The software is renowned for its advanced coding assistance and efficient capabilities, which greatly assist backend developers in producing code of superior quality.

13. Visual Studio Code (VSCode):

VSCode is a code editor that is known for its lightweight nature and open-source nature. Due to its extensive extension library and high level of customizability, this platform is widely favoured by backend developers due to its versatile nature.

14. Postman

Postman is an efficient and powerful application programming interface (API) testing tool that streamlines the process of doing backend testing and facilitating communication among developers. This tool facilitates the efficient design, testing, and documentation of APIs, hence assuring a smooth integration process. Every click counts in the digital world. Partner with Nivida Web Solutions - one of the top Web development companies in Vadodara to create a user-friendly, engaging website. Choose Nivida Web Solutions to boost your online impact!

15. Swagger:

Swagger, currently recognised as the OpenAPI Specification, serves to enable the process of designing, documenting, and evaluating APIs. The standardised structure of API description facilitates the seamless and uncomplicated integration process.

16. MongoDB:

MongoDB, a widely adopted NoSQL database, has notable advantages in terms of scalability, flexibility, and superior performance. Due to its capacity to effectively manage substantial quantities of data and accommodate various data models, it is extensively employed in the realm of backend development.

17. PostgreSQL:

PostgreSQL, an open-source relational database management system, is widely recognised for its robustness, adaptability, and comprehensive SQL capabilities. This option is highly recommended for projects that necessitate a resilient backend data repository.

18. Redis:

Redis is an essential component for caching and real-time analytics due to its ability to store data structures in memory. The indispensability of this technology lies in its high performance and its capability to effectively manage data structures, hence facilitating the optimisation of backend processes.

19. Kafka:

Apache Kafka is a distributed streaming platform that handles real-time data processing. It's commonly used for building scalable, fault-tolerant backend systems that require high-throughput data ingestion and processing. Dive into the digital era with a website that wows! Collaborate with Nivida Web Solutions - one of the leading Web development companies in Gujarat and boost your online presence.

20. Docker:

Docker is a containerization technology that facilitates the streamlined deployment and scalability of programs. The utilisation of containers enables backend developers to encapsulate their programmes and associated dependencies, hence ensuring uniformity and adaptability across diverse contexts.

Final Thoughts:

It is of utmost importance for developers to be updated on the most recent backend development technologies in order to effectively offer applications that are efficient, scalable, and safe. The compendium of the foremost 20 backend development tools projected for the year 2023 encompasses an extensive array of functions, adeptly accommodating the multifarious requirements of backend development endeavours. These technologies provide developers with the ability to enhance their backend development endeavours and provide users with outstanding experiences, whether through the creation of real-time applications, database management, or performance optimisation. Your website is your digital storefront. Make it appealing! Contact Nivida Web Solutions - one of the most renowned Web development companies in India and design a website that captivates your audience. Get started now!

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jcmarchi · 1 year ago

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Entrepreneur creates career pathways with MIT OpenCourseWare

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/entrepreneur-creates-career-pathways-with-mit-opencourseware/

Entrepreneur creates career pathways with MIT OpenCourseWare

When June Odongo interviewed early-career electrical engineer Cynthia Wacheke for a software engineering position at her company, Wacheke lacked knowledge of computer science theory but showed potential in complex problem-solving.

Determined to give Wacheke a shot, Odongo turned to MIT OpenCourseWare to create a six-month “bridging course” modeled after the classes she once took as a computer science student. Part of MIT Open Learning, OpenCourseWare offers free, online, open educational resources from more than 2,500 courses that span the MIT undergraduate and graduate curriculum.

“Wacheke had the potential and interest to do the work that needed to be done, so the way to solve this was for me to literally create a path for her to get that work done,” says Odongo, founder and CEO of Senga Technologies.

Developers, Odongo says, are not easy to find. The OpenCourseWare educational resources provided a way to close that gap. “We put Wacheke through the course last year, and she is so impressive,” Odongo says. “Right now, she is doing our first machine learning models. It’s insane how good of a team member she is. She has done so much in such a short time.”

Making high-quality candidates job-ready

Wacheke, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Nairobi, started her professional career as a hardware engineer. She discovered a passion for software while working on a dashboard design project, and decided to pivot from hardware to software engineering. That’s when she discovered Senga Technologies, a logistics software and services company in Kenya catering to businesses that ship in Africa.

Odongo founded Senga with the goal of simplifying and easing the supply chain and logistics experience, from the movement of goods to software tools. Senga’s ultimate goal, Odongo says, is to have most of their services driven by software. That means employees — and candidates — need to be able to think through complex problems using computer science theory.

“A lot of people are focused on programming, but we care less about programming and more about problem-solving,” says Odongo, who received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and an MBA from Harvard Business School. “We actually apply the things people learn in computer science programs.”

Wacheke started the bridging course in June 2022 and was given six months to complete the curriculum on the MIT OpenCourseWare website. She took nine courses, including: Introduction to Algorithms; Mathematics for Computer Science; Design and Analysis of Algorithms; Elements of Software Construction; Automata, Computability, and Complexity; Database Systems; Principles of Autonomy and Decision Making; Introduction to Machine Learning; and Networks.

“The bridging course helped me learn how to think through things,” Wacheke says. “It’s one thing to know how to do something, but it’s another to design that thing from scratch and implement it.”

During the bridging course, Wacheke was paired with a software engineer at Senga, who mentored her and answered questions along the way. She learned Ruby on Rails, a server-side web application framework under the MIT License. Wacheke also completed other projects to complement the theory she was learning. She created a new website that included an integration to channel external requests to Slack, a cross-platform team communication tool used by the company’s employees.

Continuous learning for team members

The bridging course concluded with a presentation to Senga employees, during which Wacheke explained how the company could use graph theory for decision-making. “If you want to get from point A to B, there are algorithms you can use to find the shortest path,” Wacheke says. “Since we’re a logistics company, I thought we could use this when we’re deciding which routes our trucks take.”

The presentation, which is the final requirement for the bridging course, is also a professional development opportunity for Senga employees. “This process is helpful for our team members, particularly those who have been out of school for a while,” Odongo says. “The candidates present what they’ve learned in relation to Senga. It’s a way of doing continuous learning for the existing team members.”

After successfully completing the bridging course in November 2022, Wacheke transitioned to a full-time software engineer role. She is currently developing a “machine” that can interpret and categorize hundreds of documents, including delivery notes, cash flows, and receipts.

“The goal is to enable our customers to simply feed those documents into our machine, and then we can more accurately read and convert them to digital formats to drive automation,” Odongo says. “The machine will also enable someone to ask a document a question, such as ‘What did I deliver to retailer X on date Y?’ or ‘What is the total price of the goods delivered?’”

The bridging course, which was initially custom-designed for Wacheke, is now a permanent program at Senga. A second team member completed the course in October 2023 and has joined the software team full time.

“Developers are not easy to find, and you also want high-quality developers,” Odongo says. “At least when we do this, we know that the person has gone through what we need.”

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