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Node.js the Right Way: Practical, Server-Side JavaScript That Scales
Get to the forefront of server-side JavaScript programming by writing compact, robust, fast, networked Node applications that scale. Ready to take JavaScript beyond the browser, explore dynamic languages features and embrace evented programming? Explore the fun, growing repository of Node modules provided by npm. Work with multiple protocols, load-balanced RESTful web services, express, 0MQ, Redis, CouchDB, and more. Develop production-grade Node applications fast.
JavaScript is the backbone of the modern web, powering nearly every web app's user interface. Node.js is JavaScript for the server. This book shows you how to develop small, fast, low-profile, useful, networked applications. You'll write asynchronous, non-blocking code using Node's style and patterns. You'll cluster and load balance your services with Node core features and third-party tools. You'll work with many protocols, creating RESTful web services, TCP socket clients and servers, and more.
This short book packs a hefty dose of Node.js. You'll test your code's functionality and performance under load. You'll learn important aspects of Node development--from its architecture and core, to its ecosystem of third-party modules. You'll discover how Node pairs a server-side event loop with a JavaScript runtime to produce screaming fast, non-blocking concurrency. Through a series of practical programming domains, you'll use the latest available ECMAScript Harmony features and harness key Node classes such as EventEmitter and Stream. Throughout the book, you'll develop real programs that are small, fast, low-profile, and useful.
Get ready to join a smart community that's rapidly advancing the state of the art in web development.
What You
Latest stable release of Node.js, this book was written with 0.12.x in mind. The 0MQ (ZeroMQ) library, version 3.2 or higher.
JavaScript is the backbone of the modern web, powering nearly every web app's user interface. Node.js is JavaScript for the server. This book shows you how to develop small, fast, low-profile, useful, networked applications. You'll write asynchronous, non-blocking code using Node's style and patterns. You'll cluster and load balance your services with Node core features and third-party tools. You'll work with many protocols, creating RESTful web services, TCP socket clients and servers, and more.
This short book packs a hefty dose of Node.js. You'll test your code's functionality and performance under load. You'll learn important aspects of Node development--from its architecture and core, to its ecosystem of third-party modules. You'll discover how Node pairs a server-side event loop with a JavaScript runtime to produce screaming fast, non-blocking concurrency. Through a series of practical programming domains, you'll use the latest available ECMAScript Harmony features and harness key Node classes such as EventEmitter and Stream. Throughout the book, you'll develop real programs that are small, fast, low-profile, and useful.
Get ready to join a smart community that's rapidly advancing the state of the art in web development.
What You
Latest stable release of Node.js, this book was written with 0.12.x in mind. The 0MQ (ZeroMQ) library, version 3.2 or higher.
148 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2013
54 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 4, 2015
Sufficient for a start.
You'll learn what Node is, what it excels in & how to start programming using Node.
Sadly, I didn't find some practical info I was looking for (subtitle says: 'practical' :>), for instance:
* how does Node handle overload of queued callbacks (what are the limitations)
* what about Node monitoring & health-checking (nodemon is not the answer ofc)
What did I like?
* code samples are very clear & illustrating
* chapter about promises & generators was brief, but very interesting
* the idea of Node function callbacks was well described (better than in other sources)
To summarize: good for a beginner.
You'll learn what Node is, what it excels in & how to start programming using Node.
Sadly, I didn't find some practical info I was looking for (subtitle says: 'practical' :>), for instance:
* how does Node handle overload of queued callbacks (what are the limitations)
* what about Node monitoring & health-checking (nodemon is not the answer ofc)
What did I like?
* code samples are very clear & illustrating
* chapter about promises & generators was brief, but very interesting
* the idea of Node function callbacks was well described (better than in other sources)
To summarize: good for a beginner.
June 27, 2017
Node.js the Right Way is a fantastic little book. It’s a small book (but then it’s Pragmatic exPress) and it doesn’t go into anything in much detail, but then that’s what makes it fantastic. It gives a useful and practical overview of writing Node.js server side applications and explains many of the tools and JavaScript patterns which will be useful to Node.js programmers.
It starts off with examples of manipulating the local file system using Node.js. This struck me a little odd as the only thing I tend to use the local file system for is reading configuration files. If I need to write a file I tend to put it in Amazon S3. However, this is genius and looking at how to manipulate the filesystem gives some useful insights into Node.js programming.
The book then goes on to look at networking with sockets, something which is often neglected in a world where we expect everything to be RESTful. There’s then a tour through scalable messaging, including clustering, how to access databases and how to write web services, including JavaScript promises and generators!
The final chapter covers writing a web application with a single page front end and authentication. This is the only place the book falls down. Too much is covered in two short a chapter. It’s still quite useful though.
This is not a book for a novice JavaScript or even a novice Node.js developer, but for once a little knowledge is not a dangerous thing and Node.js the Right Way will help increase that knowledge. It even led me to believe JavaScript might actually be the future.
It starts off with examples of manipulating the local file system using Node.js. This struck me a little odd as the only thing I tend to use the local file system for is reading configuration files. If I need to write a file I tend to put it in Amazon S3. However, this is genius and looking at how to manipulate the filesystem gives some useful insights into Node.js programming.
The book then goes on to look at networking with sockets, something which is often neglected in a world where we expect everything to be RESTful. There’s then a tour through scalable messaging, including clustering, how to access databases and how to write web services, including JavaScript promises and generators!
The final chapter covers writing a web application with a single page front end and authentication. This is the only place the book falls down. Too much is covered in two short a chapter. It’s still quite useful though.
This is not a book for a novice JavaScript or even a novice Node.js developer, but for once a little knowledge is not a dangerous thing and Node.js the Right Way will help increase that knowledge. It even led me to believe JavaScript might actually be the future.
November 8, 2015
Oh man, this book is fantastic for someone in need of a lighting-fast introduction to modern web and server-side programming with Node and JavaScript. It starts gradually but becomes super dense towards the last 3 chapters. It introduces a lot of modern practices, such as coding with promises and generators, and lots of useful libraries for Node and Js (ZMQ, Express, Bower etc.) It also touches briefly on code design topics, such as modules and MVC. Found it very useful!
October 2, 2017
Very practical book that offers both insight into the most popular features of node, but also gives you a chance to exercise with the challenges that are provided in every chapter.
The only chapter that felt a little to focused and I would have liked to cover more ground is the last chapter, but all in all it is a great book both for beginners and intermediate node users.
The only chapter that felt a little to focused and I would have liked to cover more ground is the last chapter, but all in all it is a great book both for beginners and intermediate node users.
March 31, 2018
OK book, however it is a bit dated now, some of the code do not work anymore out of the box. Also, the last chapters seem a bit rushed, and the way the book shows where new code should go (from the code examples) is unclear.
March 3, 2020
A good book for beginers who want to learn Nodejs and server side.
Want to read
May 14, 2020good
July 9, 2014
This one is tough. It does a GREAT job of explaining node-isms, but unfortunately I have to deduct an otherwise 5 star rating because of one pretty big problem.... the author writes the book on the new ECMAscript standard, but does so using pretty poor practices for the new features, and the points where the features are introduced, they are done so poorly, or incorrectly.
For example, the author uses the 'let' assignment keyword inside a non-iterative, non-closing function, and then goes on to describe the 'let' keyword as:
"let declares a variable, but a variable declared with let can be assigned a value more than once."
And no other explanation to go with it. For an inexperienced js programmer (likely a high % of the readers of this book), this will lead to problems, since the exact same definition could be used with the 'var' keyword.
I know the author had a difficult decision to use/not use the new features without spending time outside the scope of the book, but I do feel the way the features are used here could lead some beginners into problems down the line.
If you are new to Javascript, read a good beginning js fundamentals book first (Javascript Ninja, You don't know js, Javascript the Good Parts... to name a few), or at least the first few chapters of one of those, before coming to this book to avoid this potential pitfall.
All in all, the best beginner node.js book I've read/reviewed thus far. Looking forward to a 2nd edition!
For example, the author uses the 'let' assignment keyword inside a non-iterative, non-closing function, and then goes on to describe the 'let' keyword as:
"let declares a variable, but a variable declared with let can be assigned a value more than once."
And no other explanation to go with it. For an inexperienced js programmer (likely a high % of the readers of this book), this will lead to problems, since the exact same definition could be used with the 'var' keyword.
I know the author had a difficult decision to use/not use the new features without spending time outside the scope of the book, but I do feel the way the features are used here could lead some beginners into problems down the line.
If you are new to Javascript, read a good beginning js fundamentals book first (Javascript Ninja, You don't know js, Javascript the Good Parts... to name a few), or at least the first few chapters of one of those, before coming to this book to avoid this potential pitfall.
All in all, the best beginner node.js book I've read/reviewed thus far. Looking forward to a 2nd edition!
March 31, 2015
This is a well written, densely packed introduction book to NodeJS.
Note that you should be pretty comfortable with Javascript prior to taking this book. There is no fluff in this book. It is written from developer to developers, there are no repeats and the topics can be challenging.
Beyond basics of NodeJS you'll touch on many projects in the NodeJS ecosystem (for example CouchDB or ExpressJS) while creating a simple application.
If you persevere, by the end of the book, you'll have nice overview of the NodeJS and well on your way to use it and mentioned modules in your own projects. You will definitively need to research each of mentioned project more, but you'll have a really solid base of how everything works together.
Note that you should be pretty comfortable with Javascript prior to taking this book. There is no fluff in this book. It is written from developer to developers, there are no repeats and the topics can be challenging.
Beyond basics of NodeJS you'll touch on many projects in the NodeJS ecosystem (for example CouchDB or ExpressJS) while creating a simple application.
If you persevere, by the end of the book, you'll have nice overview of the NodeJS and well on your way to use it and mentioned modules in your own projects. You will definitively need to research each of mentioned project more, but you'll have a really solid base of how everything works together.
February 11, 2016
Just like in the obscure JavaScript world, where there are a myriad of ways of doing anything, this book offers a certain way of getting to know the Node.js environment. It's strongly opinionated and never goes in much detail about anything.
Therefore, I personally find that this book should be read only by an already seasoned software developer who wants to know what all this hype about Node is. That's because it lacks (maybe in propose, for the sake of brevity and conciseness) many important software development principles and good practices.
Finally, after finishing the book, I still not think I'm capable of developing a Node.js app "the right way". This book was a great introduction, but it's just that. I'll read another book trying to find more detail and in-depth explanations.
Therefore, I personally find that this book should be read only by an already seasoned software developer who wants to know what all this hype about Node is. That's because it lacks (maybe in propose, for the sake of brevity and conciseness) many important software development principles and good practices.
Finally, after finishing the book, I still not think I'm capable of developing a Node.js app "the right way". This book was a great introduction, but it's just that. I'll read another book trying to find more detail and in-depth explanations.
July 14, 2016
A good book to get an introduction to Node.JS.
Not being a Javascripter myself and coming from a different world, NodeJS and in general JS frameworks have not been something I did use myself. Not judging the technology, I was using using NodeJS for a small micro-service prototype, and did want to get a fast introduction.
The book covers the purpose, and explains architectural design and server-client communication clearly and concise. After reading the book you will know how to develop yourself a small backend application, and will get some basic notions of patterns and general JScript/NodeJS ecosystem.
Contras: if you try to escalate into some advanced techniques you will not find them in this book, is just for introductory purposes.
Not being a Javascripter myself and coming from a different world, NodeJS and in general JS frameworks have not been something I did use myself. Not judging the technology, I was using using NodeJS for a small micro-service prototype, and did want to get a fast introduction.
The book covers the purpose, and explains architectural design and server-client communication clearly and concise. After reading the book you will know how to develop yourself a small backend application, and will get some basic notions of patterns and general JScript/NodeJS ecosystem.
Contras: if you try to escalate into some advanced techniques you will not find them in this book, is just for introductory purposes.
August 16, 2016
Good Node.js course.
The author guides us through the implementation of different use cases and teaches node.js concepts, tools, patterns -even javascript particularities- on the way.
Instead of following a one week class, you can really buy this book and implement the examples in parralel of the reading ; you will surely save a pretty nice amount of money and there are chances you also get a better learning.
I only give a 4 stars rate because I got bored at some moments: there were for sure ways to add a bit of fun to the reading.
It is also a bit sad that it hasn't been updated since the release of ES6.
The author guides us through the implementation of different use cases and teaches node.js concepts, tools, patterns -even javascript particularities- on the way.
Instead of following a one week class, you can really buy this book and implement the examples in parralel of the reading ; you will surely save a pretty nice amount of money and there are chances you also get a better learning.
I only give a 4 stars rate because I got bored at some moments: there were for sure ways to add a bit of fun to the reading.
It is also a bit sad that it hasn't been updated since the release of ES6.
December 25, 2013
This books offers a great overview of the capabilities of Node.js. Starting with core concepts of the platform the book builds upon itself until you are handling modern single page web applications using Node.js as the glue between browsers, databases, file systems, and anything else you might need to access. Along the way it teaches good architecture, common Node.js coding patterns, and how to leverage the rich ecosystem around Node.js. While no topic is covered in extensive detail, if you've been wanting to try Node.js and get beyond simple Hello World examples, this is a great read.
December 22, 2013
This book starts were many other books covering Node.js stop. The author successfully captured a broad spectrum of open-source modules from the Node.js community for building RESTful web applications, in a concise way. I definitely recommend this book to anyone programming server-side JavaScript. The only downside is that this book will soon be (partially) out of date due to thriving Node.js community that is moving and expanding at a very high pace. So, read it as soon as possible.
February 2, 2015
A good explanation of Node.js. It starts not with another explanation of how to build a fast web application but instead shows how you can use Node.js to watch your file system. This approach is great to show what Node.js can do beyond the web. Some chapters could have delivered a bit more details and a deeper explanation on why those things work the way they do. What I missed was a more practical advice on how to test a Node.js application.
September 28, 2015
Good intro to Node.js
I would have liked a bit more depth and focus on best practices, particularly given the title includes "the Right Way". Otherwise it's a pretty comprehensive overview of Node for for the uninitiated. If you've been working with Node for a while already and are familiar with concepts like http handlers, promises, and npm packages, it's probably not worth your time.
I would have liked a bit more depth and focus on best practices, particularly given the title includes "the Right Way". Otherwise it's a pretty comprehensive overview of Node for for the uninitiated. If you've been working with Node for a while already and are familiar with concepts like http handlers, promises, and npm packages, it's probably not worth your time.
October 19, 2016
tl;dr
1. Нищо, което да не може да се прочете в официалната документация.
2. Главата за опашките е интересна, примерите с код са слаби и объркващи.
Това е интро книжка, заглавието подвежда – има само една глава, която засяга оптимизации и това е тази за ZeroMQ и различните възможности, които предоставя. Останалата част е сбор от не много практични примери, дълги парчета код (JS се чете ужасно на книга) и препратки към други технологии като CouchDB и Redis.
1. Нищо, което да не може да се прочете в официалната документация.
2. Главата за опашките е интересна, примерите с код са слаби и объркващи.
Това е интро книжка, заглавието подвежда – има само една глава, която засяга оптимизации и това е тази за ZeroMQ и различните възможности, които предоставя. Останалата част е сбор от не много практични примери, дълги парчета код (JS се чете ужасно на книга) и препратки към други технологии като CouchDB и Redis.
March 15, 2014
Concise, clear and demonstrative. I appreciated the fact that the author doesn't attempt to lead the reader to memorize every detail of each module or technique, but rather introduces them as tools which can be applied to specific problems, leading the user to learn by doing (something which I prefer, once I have a basic conceptual underpinning from reading).
April 22, 2015
Interesting book. It does exactly what it says it will do: get you up and running very quickly on Node.js. But it is hard to take the lessons and apply them elsewhere. I don't know that I'd recommend this book to someone who wasn't already very familiar with JavaScript, coding, and software development.
January 4, 2017
Very dense book, it was written by a developer for developers. You will learn about event loop, threading, promises, couchdb, express, npm and more !
Despite the book being quite old now (the author is working on a up to date version though) the book remains quite valid and the author provides a lot of good practices.
Despite the book being quite old now (the author is working on a up to date version though) the book remains quite valid and the author provides a lot of good practices.
December 27, 2015
Useful! Having used Node.js for a couple years now, I learned about a bunch of different modules and ways to set up a server. Will definitely use this as a reference when trying to figure out how to organize new projects.
June 3, 2015
This was a good primer on Node js. Nothing flashy, but it gives you the basics in an easy to digest manner. It's a good book for getting to know what Node is about at a high level. Not a comprehensive guide to node, but a good start if your not sure how far you want to go with it.
November 8, 2015
A good overview of node.js. I found a few important concepts but it is a basic (and also semi-outdated already) way to learn node. For a 100 page book it was good enough and worth the few hours reading.
January 25, 2016
Obviously it's impossible to cover everything in a huge ecosystem with one book.
I was a little bummed not to see some more coverage of testing as a first class responsibility, but everything else was well constructed.
I was a little bummed not to see some more coverage of testing as a first class responsibility, but everything else was well constructed.
December 13, 2013
Very good introduction for node.js novices. Js experience needed, anyway.
Would be a 5* with a little more material on the most advanced chapters.
Would be a 5* with a little more material on the most advanced chapters.
April 9, 2014
This was a straight way to learn Node.js. Simple explained with real examples and using real tools.
August 25, 2016
Nice explanations, quickly got to useful stuff... most of it was a bit too beginner for me (probably because I ran off and did a bunch of project work instead)
June 11, 2016
Nice little introduction
August 11, 2016
Very interesting book, showing the Node from different angle.
The only thing is the last chapter which is the most difficult and not so deeply explained.
The only thing is the last chapter which is the most difficult and not so deeply explained.
November 16, 2014
Good book to start with. Covers quite a few topics for such small volume. Even if you don't "believe" in Node.js it is still worth a read as part of "know your enemy" strategy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews