I just started learning Node/Express coming from a Ruby on Rails background…
I’ve watched/read atleast 30+ tutorials in the past month, and almost every single one of them is different. Why? I’ve seen YOMEN Generator (so many files for a beginner, too confusing), putting routes and the whole backend into 1 folder… using completely different node modules, different JavaScript Syntax to create a server/routes/ect. Is there a correct way to build a node/express app? I’m just getting so frustrated because it seems like I can’t follow along without getting completely confused to which way a certain tutorial is being built…
Maybe i’m just venting, but it’s much needed lately… sorry…
Like i’m just so confused mostly for the back-end (server-side) (Node/Express).
Should I literally just put my models/controllers into 1 file? since, i’ve been reading SPA (Single Page Applications), I just don’t know how to organize my projects. I don’t really want to just scaffold (YOMEN), because there is way too many modules/code I don’t understand and that is even way more confusing than trying to create my own project.
That being said, is this forum for specific questions I can ask? Not like StackOverFlow where I can only ask 1 question per week and I get bashed if they’re slightly off-topic or opinionated…
Learning to program, self-taught, is so frustrating sometimes. But without money, it’s all I can do…
IMHO scaffolding is better for RAD but might add to the learning curve unnecessarily if it’s something you end up not using. Don’t get me wrong, good to know, but you need to weigh cost in time vs. usefulness.
This is the JavaScript category, so it’s better to focus on that here. But if you look around and read some of the topics (longer ones in particular) you’ll see how discussion can meander and morph as it progresses.
Have you done any “hello world” type tutorials and did the code work for you?
It’s good to study up but I think most learn best by getting their hands into the code once they have an understanding of the basics.
I feel much the same way with node and angular js set-up – especially yeoman. It is one thing to know JavaScript and I know it very well it is another completely to understand all the components of a node and angular set-up. There are a lot of people that believe it is “simpler” but I disagree. Not only do you have node, express, mongo but also grunt, angular, sass and the list goes on of technologies. Which is essentially what you end up with any website/app but having it all automated from the beginning without knowledge of all these technologies definitely makes php and good ole fashion html/css seem like a cake walk. Though as a website grows including all these technologies makes more and sense so it is is smart to include them right from the get go although as you pointed out it makes things seemingly more complex – much more complex imo in comparison to “older” set-ups. I enjoy reading how node is so easy to use, it is for simple “hello world” type apps but applying all those technologies to any real world requirements seems to me like a daunting pain in the arse. Not to mention finding hosting, continuous integration set-up with build scripts for all that grunt, sass, etc deploy time magic/compiling it just seems so damn complex when comparing it to the mainstream technologies of five or ten years ago. The whole mean thing I do buy into as a replacement for lamp but it is without doubt more complex I think and much of that is as you point out the lack of normalization and robust frameworks for higher level tasks.
As stated before, coming from a Ruby on Rails background you can compare NPM Modules to Ruby Gems (libraries that have functions that you can execute). The hard part is learning those module’s functions to use them correctly.
When you scaffold with Ruby on Rails, there are MUCH LESS files and I feel it’s easier to understand.
Well… Ruby is “SUPPOSED” to be easier to understand (isn’t that what it’s known for? haha)
I do like MEAN stack mainly because it’s all JavaScript. And MongoDB is just so sexy looking
I’ll keep reading up on the core modules functions (fs, eventemitters, callbacks, express), and hopefully start understanding how to “correctly” put a working application together…
