Core Topics

• ES6+ features: let/const, arrow functions, destructuring, spread/rest, optional chaining
• Asynchronous JavaScript: callbacks, Promises, async/await, error handling
• JavaScript modules: ES Modules vs CommonJS, import/export patterns
• TypeScript fundamentals: type annotations, interfaces, generics, union types
• TypeScript with Node.js: ts-node, tsconfig.json, strict mode
• Git branching, rebasing, and PR workflow for team collaboration

Tools & Tech

Learning Outcomes

• Write modern async JavaScript and typed TypeScript code that is linted, module-structured, and version-controlled — the baseline for all MERN work.

Core Topics

• React mental model: declarative UI, virtual DOM, and reconciliation
• Functional components, JSX, and props with TypeScript typing
• Core hooks: useState, useEffect, useRef, useCallback, useMemo
• React Router v6: nested routes, dynamic segments, protected routes, Outlet
• Component composition patterns: render props, compound components
• Code splitting with React.lazy and Suspense for performance
• Error boundaries and React DevTools profiler for debugging

Tools & Tech

Learning Outcomes

• Build a multi-page React TypeScript application with proper routing, lazy loading, and performant hook-based state management.

Core Topics

• Global state vs server state vs local state — choosing the right tool
• Redux Toolkit: slices, reducers, createAsyncThunk, RTK Query
• Zustand: lightweight stores, selectors, middleware (devtools, persist)
• React Query: useQuery, useMutation, query invalidation, optimistic updates
• When to use Redux Toolkit vs Zustand vs React Query
• Performance optimisation: memoisation, selector patterns, avoiding re-renders

Tools & Tech

Learning Outcomes

• Choose and implement an appropriate state management strategy for a React application — from lightweight Zustand stores to complex Redux Toolkit slices.

Core Topics

• Node.js runtime: event loop, non-blocking I/O, streams, worker threads overview
• Express app structure: routers, controllers, services, middleware layers
• RESTful API design: resource naming, HTTP verbs, status codes, HATEOAS concepts
• Request validation with express-validator and Zod
• Error handling middleware and custom AppError classes
• Rate limiting, CORS policy, helmet for security headers
• Logging with Morgan and Winston for production observability

Tools & Tech

Learning Outcomes

• Build a structured, layered Express REST API with validation, error handling, security headers, and logging — ready for production use.

Core Topics

• MongoDB document model: collections, BSON, embedded vs referenced documents
• Mongoose schemas: types, validators, virtuals, and middleware hooks
• Population: populating references across collections
• MongoDB aggregation pipeline: $match, $group, $lookup, $project
• Indexing strategies for query performance
• MongoDB Atlas: cloud cluster setup, connection string, network access
• Transactions in MongoDB and when to use them

Tools & Tech

Learning Outcomes

• Design a normalised-enough MongoDB schema with Mongoose, write aggregation pipelines for analytics, and connect to Atlas for a production-grade database layer.

Core Topics

• JWT structure: header, payload, signature, and token lifecycle
• Registration, login, and logout flow with bcryptjs password hashing
• Access tokens and refresh token rotation strategy
• Protected routes middleware: token verification and user injection
• WebSocket protocol vs HTTP: when to use real-time
• Socket.io: rooms, namespaces, broadcasting, and disconnection handling
• Building a real-time chat module using Socket.io and React

Tools & Tech

Learning Outcomes

• Implement a complete JWT auth system with refresh token rotation and add Socket.io real-time messaging to a Node.js/Express application.

Core Topics

• Jest configuration for TypeScript: test suites, describe, it, expect matchers
• Supertest for API endpoint integration testing with MongoDB test database
• React Testing Library: render, screen queries, userEvent, and async testing
• Mocking: jest.mock for modules, MSW for API mocking in frontend tests
• GitHub Actions CI: lint + test + build on pull requests
• Deploying React to Vercel: environment variables and preview deployments
• Deploying Node.js/Express to Railway: health checks and zero-downtime strategy
• Capstone submission: live frontend + backend URL, GitHub repo, README

Tools & Tech

Learning Outcomes

• Write a test suite covering API routes and React components, set up a CI pipeline, and deploy a MERN application to live public URLs on Vercel and Railway.