Skill Set for Node.js
Programming Fundamentals: JavaScript (ES6+), asynchronous programming, event-driven design.
Server-side Development: Building REST APIs, handling HTTP requests/responses.
Package Management: Using npm/yarn effectively.
Database Integration: SQL (MySQL/PostgreSQL) and NoSQL (MongoDB).
Authentication & Security: JWT, OAuth, input validation, encryption.
Deployment & Scaling: Process management, clustering, containerization (Docker), cloud hosting.
Testing & Debugging: Unit tests, integration tests, debugging tools.
Performance Optimization: Event loop management, caching, load balancing.
Knowledge, Understanding, and Usage Levels (Subject-wise)
Core JavaScript for Node.js
Knowledge: Variables, functions, closures, promises, async/await.
Understand: Event loop, callback patterns, scope, modules (ESM vs CommonJS).
Usage: Writing asynchronous, non-blocking server code.
Important Topics: ES6+ features, Callbacks, Promises, Async/Await, Modules & Imports.
Node.js Basics
Knowledge: Node.js runtime, REPL, process, global objects.
Understand: Single-threaded event loop, non-blocking I/O.
Usage: Running scripts, reading/writing files, creating simple servers.
Important Topics: Node.js architecture, fs module, EventEmitter, Streams & Buffers.
HTTP & Web Servers
Knowledge: HTTP methods, request/response cycle.
Understand: Routing, middleware, handling sessions.
Usage: Building APIs and serving static files.
Important Topics: http/https modules, Express.js, Middleware, Error handling.
Package Management (npm & yarn)
Knowledge: package.json, dependencies, scripts.
Understand: Semantic versioning, devDependencies vs dependencies.
Usage: Installing, updating, managing libraries.
Important Topics: npm commands, Global vs local packages, Versioning.
Databases with Node.js
Knowledge: SQL vs NoSQL, ORM/ODM libraries.
Understand: CRUD operations, query building, schema design.
Usage: Connecting Node.js apps to databases.
Important Topics: MongoDB with Mongoose, MySQL/PostgreSQL with Sequelize/Prisma, Transactions.
Authentication & Security
Knowledge: Sessions, JWT, OAuth2.
Understand: Password hashing, input sanitization, preventing attacks.
Usage: Securing APIs and applications.
Important Topics: bcrypt, Helmet.js, CORS, CSRF & XSS prevention.
Testing & Debugging
Knowledge: Mocha, Jest, Chai, Supertest.
Understand: Unit testing, integration testing, mocking.
Usage: Writing and running tests, debugging applications.
Important Topics: TDD, Debugging with VSCode, Logging (Winston, Morgan).
Performance & Scalability
Knowledge: Clustering, load balancing, caching.
Understand: Event loop delays, memory management.
Usage: Optimizing apps for high concurrency.
Important Topics: Node.js cluster module, Redis caching, PM2, Profiling tools.
Deployment & DevOps
Knowledge: Hosting environments, CI/CD pipelines.
Understand: Containerization, serverless, environment configs.
Usage: Deploying Node.js apps to cloud platforms.
Important Topics: Docker, Kubernetes basics, Environment variables, Cloud hosting (AWS, GCP, Heroku, Vercel) Node.js is more than just a server-side runtime it’s a complete ecosystem that powers scalable, high-performance applications. By mastering its core concepts, database integration, authentication, testing, and deployment strategies, you can grow from a beginner to a professional Node.js developer. This journey equips you with the skills needed to build everything from simple scripts to enterprise-grade, real-time applications that can scale globally.
