Web Application Development: Basic Concepts

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/web-app

Introduction

### Course Review: Web Application Development: Basic Concepts #### Overview As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the demand for proficient web developers is at an all-time high. Enter "Web Application Development: Basic Concepts," an introductory course offered on Coursera, which lays a strong foundation for anyone aspiring to become a full-stack web developer. This course is the first segment of a broader Specialization track centered around Web Application Architectures. From learning basic terminology to grasping fundamental concepts, this course equips learners with the knowledge required to embark on the journey of creating modern web applications. #### Course Content and Structure The course is intelligently structured into five comprehensive modules, each focusing on key components involved in web application development. 1. **Web Applications in Context:** This module serves as a critical primer that sets the stage for the entire specialization. It begins with a historical perspective on computing and the evolution of web applications, establishing a vital understanding of how we arrived at today’s technologies. The course highlights modern software practices, tools, design patterns, and introduces the n-tier architecture design pattern, essential for constructing web applications. Notably, you will also learn how to set up your software development environment—a must for practical learning. 2. **Web Applications Frameworks:** In this section, you’ll delve into the significance of web application frameworks and their evolution over time. The core focus here is to balance programmer productivity with program efficiency. The module discusses the model-view-controller (MVC) design pattern, integral to many frameworks, and emphasizes the importance of agile programming principles. Additionally, it introduces Git, one of the most widely used version control systems, guiding participants on how to use it in conjunction with a Ruby on Rails application. 3. **Managing Data:** Data management is pivotal for any successful web application, ensuring that users receive information that is both useful and accessible. This module offers insights into data modeling concepts, relationships among data entities, and techniques to link web applications with backend databases seamlessly. Understanding how to maintain data consistency throughout the web stack is a crucial takeaway from this module. 4. **Middleware:** Middleware serves as the unsung hero of web applications, providing an abstraction layer that simplifies development. This module explains middleware's function in hiding low-level systems details from developers, allowing them to focus on functionality. Understanding how HTTP protocols work alongside middleware is essential in building robust applications. 5. **The User Interface:** The final module encapsulates the user experience aspect of web development. Covering CSS, JavaScript, and Ajax, learners will discover how to enhance the visual appeal and interactivity of web applications. This part fosters an essential skill set for creating appealing and user-friendly interfaces. #### Learning Experience The course is designed for learners of all backgrounds, making it accessible to beginners while still offering valuable insights for those with some prior knowledge of web development. The combination of video lectures, interactive quizzes, and practical assignments fosters an engaging learning experience. Additionally, the encouragement of collaboration through platforms like Git enhances connectivity among learners, simulating a real-world development environment. #### Recommendation "Web Application Development: Basic Concepts" is an excellent starting point for anyone serious about breaking into the world of web development. With its well-rounded curriculum covering essential concepts and practical tools, this course not only equips you with knowledge but also provides the skills to jumpstart your career. The course offers a seamless blend of theory and application, ensuring you walk away with a solid understanding of the foundational aspects of modern web applications. Moreover, the skills you'll gain here will prepare you for more advanced courses in the Specialization track, leading to mastery as a full-stack developer. If you’re ready to start your web development journey, this course on Coursera comes highly recommended. Embrace the opportunity to learn from industry experts and transform your aspirations into reality!

Syllabus

Welcome

This module sets the context for what we will study in this specialization by first providing a historical perspective on computing and web applications. Next we provide an overview of how the Internet works, and then we discuss how web applications have evolved over the past few decades. After that we’ll discuss some of the elements of modern software practice, including the typical tools that software engineers now use and the agile development practices they follow. The notion of software design patterns will introduced, and the n-tier architecture design pattern, fundamental to modern web application design, is then presented. Will also discuss a few current topics related to web application development. Finally, we will show you how to set up the software development environment you will use throughout the remainder of the courses in this.

In this module you will learn about web application frameworks. We will start by talking about the evolution of software and programming languages, and then talk about software application frameworks. The fundamental trade-off we will consider is programmer productivity versus program efficiency. Next you will learn about web application frameworks, as well as the model-view-controller design pattern that is the backbone for many of these frameworks. We will also consider how these frameworks support the agile programming principles associated with modern software practice. This will include a discussion of distributed version control systems and you will learn how to use the popular Git system. We will also demonstrate how to use Git with a Ruby on Rails application. We will use Git to submit all of the programming applications in this specialization.

A successful web application provides information t o users that is (1) useful, and also (2) easy to access and understand. This information is often collected from users, as well as from other information sources, and must be stored in a manner that allows it to be manipulated by the web application. The typical app roach is to store this data in a relational database. In this module you will learn some basic concepts associated with modeling the data in a web application, including h ow to specify the relationships between various data entities. We will also investigate ho w to hook a web application up to a back- end data store, along with good design techniques t hat will make it easier to use the data in your web applications by maintaining consistency th roughout the entire web stack.

Middleware is an abstraction layer that hides details about hardware devices and other lower-level software services from an application. Middleware services implement common low-level functions, such as communication with the operating system, application servers, database servers, etc., so that application developers do not need to concern themselves with these details, and can instead focus on the application functionality they are trying to provide. In a web application, these services generally make use of the HTTP protocol, and in a web application framework, the MVC design pattern can be thought of as being implemented over the middleware.

In our final module we will discuss the User Interface. We will touch on CSS and JavaScript, and how these are used to add style to layout and design of HTML documents. We will also learn about Ajax and how it improves user requests.