The Complete Roadmap to Learn Full Stack Web Development Using The MERN Stack

Remember, the core to become a full stack MERN developer is to have sound technical knowledge of underling languages like HTML/CSS and Javacsript.

There after, we can proceed to individual platforms/libraries based on the choosen stack.

A full-stack MERN developer should be prolific in different fields of development like

1. Frontend(React)
2. Backend(Node/Express)
3. Database Management(MongoDB)
4. Version Control(Git)
5. Operating Systems(linux/Mac/Windows)

Sometimes it is hard to push yourself to learn all the components required to be a full-stack developer at once. Instead, we can follow another approach where we master either frontend or backend and have a working knowledge of others. Slowly we can improve on the other parts, based on the use cases inside the application.

A step by step approach to learning diferent technologies in MERN stack could synchronize the different pieces by interlinking them and making the entire learning process smooth and less time consuming. If you have been wondering why you should learn MERN stack then read this.

The order for learning MERN stack is as follow:

1. Node.js
2. MongoDB Database
3. Express
4. React

Node.js

Node.js is the platform for the application layer(logic layer).This will not be visible to the clients. This is where client applications(React) will make requests for data or webpages.

Every MERN stack developer should have a basic understanding of Node.js concepts like

• what is Node ?
• HTTP Protocol
• Node.js Architecture
• Different libraries used by Node
• How is node different from browser ?
• what is call stack and event-loop ?
• create a basic http server in node
• working with core node modules and globals
• working with FileSystem in Node.js
• Package managers & external modules

MongoDB

MongoDB database is used to store application data. It is designed for fast performance and it can scale with demand.

Concepts to learn in mongoDB are

• SQL Vs NoSQL
• MongoDB database structure
• Working with Mongo Shell
• CRUD operations in mongoDB
• Ad-hoc query
• Indexing
• Aggregations
• Import/Export data from JSON/CSV formats

ExpressJS

Express is fast, light weight framework build on top of Node.js that provides a robust set of features to develop web and mobile applications.

In MERN stack, Express will be used as backend API server which interacts with mongoDB database to serve data to client(React) application.

Concepts to learn in Express are

• Basic server in Express
• Middlewares in Express
• Handling Routes
• Mongoose ORM
• Designing Database Models
• Error Handling & Writing Tests
• CRUD in Express with Mongoose
• What is API & API Conventions
• JWT based Authentication
• API Versioning, Authentication & Authorization

React

React is an open-source frontend library developed using Javascript for creating small, reusable user interfaces on the browser.

React native, a modified version of react can be used to create mobile applications.

Concepts to master in React are

• Class and function based components
• State and props
• Lifecycle hooks
• Fetching data from APIs
• Controlled & Uncontrolled Components
• Routing in React
• Context API & React hooks

Needless to say, all of the above concepts have been covered in our AltCampus course in detail along with plenty of practice materials, feedback videos and projects to make the learning faster and easier.