Module 1: Intro & Set Up

Remember to npm install when working with a cloned repo for the first time
mLab for Mongo DB hosting, MongoDB Compass for querying database
Environmental variables (typically xxx.env files in repo root) - where you store sensitive information like API secrets, tokens and passcodes.
.env files should not be tracked by git, add it to .gitignore
Be sure to install the dotenv package from npm, require/import it and configure the appropriate path. Typically:

import dotenv from 'dotenv';

dotenv.config(); // if the environmental variable file is simply '.env'
// or
dotenv.config({ path: 'variables.env' }); // if the environmental variable file is 'variables.env'

Module 2 => Module 15

Starting from module 4 I started following a self-documenting git-based learning format which I mentioned here and kind of explained here. Bar those, the headings and bullets which follow contain most of my handwritten notes while traversing the course

On Routing

The request object: req.query, req.params, req.body
The response object: res.send(), res.json(), res.render(), res.redirect()

On Templating

Pug (formerlly known as Jade) was the templating engine used. – It is indentation based. I.e:

  div.wrapper
    div.inner
      h2#title A Snippet
      img(src="fine-boy.png" alt="A fine boy")
      p This is a snippet
      button Click Me!

translates to:

<div class="wrapper">
  <div class="inner">
    <h2 id="title">A Snippet</h2>
    <img src="fine-boy.png" alt="A fine boy" />
    <p>This is a snippet</p>
    <button>Click Me!</button>
  </div>
</div>

in ‘normal’ HTML.

Javascript code can be written in pug by prefixing the lines with a hypen (-)

On the MVC Pattern

M => Model - Code written which is stored or accesses the DB. OR Stuff that interacts with fetching data from the database.
V => View - UI Templates
C => Controller - Code which gets data and puts it into a template. OR Traffic cop sitting in the middle saying “Hey Model, give me some data”.
Each controller should be handling a specific function

On Middlewares

Middleware functions run after the request, but before the response.
Again, remember =>
- req: data comes in
- res: data goes out
A middleware can be something like:

const uselessMiddleware = (req, res, next) => {
  req.remark = 'Attach this to request object';
  next(); // passes execution to the next middleware if available.
};

Global middlewares are attached on app.use(). They run before the execution even gets to the routes
Some global middlewares used during this course =>
- express-validator
- body-parser
- passport
- connect-flash
- session
- cookie-parser

On the rest

See my follow-along repo’s commit history

Live Demo

A live version of the app built can be accessed here:

now.sh
heroku deployment
digital ocean deployment – wiil most certainly be going down soon; $5/mo is not cheap for me right now for a demo site.