No-Nonsense Frontend Engineering Roadmap

Codebagel
6 May 202415:08

Summary

TLDRThis video script offers an in-depth guide to frontend engineering, emphasizing its creative and complex nature beyond basic coding. It introduces the fundamental languages: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and explains their roles in building interactive and visually appealing web interfaces. The script delves into responsive design, CSS and JavaScript frameworks, API integration, and the importance of asynchronous programming. It also covers testing, debugging, and the necessity of mastering TypeScript for career advancement. The guide is designed to equip viewers with the knowledge needed to excel as frontend engineers and encourages continuous learning in this ever-evolving field.

Takeaways

  • 🌐 Frontend engineering is the creative aspect of coding that focuses on user experience, interface design, and visual appeal, and it's more complex than just basic web elements like centering divs.
  • 🔍 Frontend engineers design the user interface for software, such as the layout, graphics, and animations on platforms like YouTube, and face challenges like responsive design and state management.
  • 🎨 The three fundamental languages for frontend engineering are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, each serving a distinct purpose: HTML for structure, CSS for styling, and JavaScript for interactivity.
  • 📱 Responsive design is crucial for creating web pages that adapt to various screen sizes and devices, often achieved through percentage-based widths, flexible grids, and media queries.
  • 🤖 CSS frameworks like Bootstrap, Foundation, and Tailwind CSS provide pre-written stylesheets with reusable components and utilities to simplify the development of responsive web interfaces.
  • 🛠 JavaScript frameworks such as React, Vue, and Angular offer reusable components and handle complex functionalities like routing, state management, and form validation.
  • 🔗 API integration is essential for frontend pages to interact with data provided by backend systems, allowing for dynamic content updates based on user interactions.
  • 🚀 Asynchronous JavaScript enables non-blocking operations, which is vital for smooth and quick API integration and handling multiple functions concurrently.
  • 🐛 Debugging frontend code involves using browser developer tools to edit the DOM, monitor network requests, and understand the structure and content of web pages.
  • 📝 Frontend testing includes unit testing for individual components, integration testing for component interactions, and end-to-end testing for full application workflows.
  • 🚀 Beyond the basics, frontend engineers can advance their skills by learning TypeScript, exploring progressive web app development, and mastering modern CSS techniques.

Q & A

  • What is the role of frontend engineering in software development?

    -Frontend engineering is responsible for building the interface that users interact with in any software. It focuses on user experience, interface design, and making things visually appealing. Frontend engineers ensure that the software is responsive to different devices and manages the state of the application.

  • Is frontend engineering simpler than backend engineering?

    -No, frontend engineering is not simpler than backend engineering. It is a complex field with many interesting and complicated challenges, such as responsive design and state management, which require advanced skills and knowledge.

  • What are the three fundamental languages a frontend engineer needs to know?

    -A frontend engineer needs to know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML forms the structure of web pages, CSS is used for styling and layout, and JavaScript adds interactivity and dynamic behavior to web pages.

  • How does HTML contribute to web development?

    -HTML (HyperText Markup Language) forms the structure of web pages by defining elements such as headings, paragraphs, lists, images, and links. It is fundamental for creating accessible and well-structured content.

  • What is the purpose of CSS in frontend engineering?

    -CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is used for styling and layout, transforming HTML elements into visually appealing components. It is critical for creating responsive designs and consistent user interfaces across devices.

  • Why is JavaScript important for frontend engineering?

    -JavaScript is important because it adds interactivity and dynamic behavior to web pages. It is used to create interactive user interfaces and responsive web applications, handling common coding concepts such as variables, data types, functions, loops, and more.

  • What is a CSS framework and how does it help in frontend development?

    -A CSS framework is a pre-written CSS stylesheet that provides a collection of reusable components, grids, and styles. It streamlines the development of responsive web interfaces by offering grid systems, responsive utilities, and component libraries, making the design process more efficient.

  • How do JavaScript frameworks differ from CSS frameworks?

    -JavaScript frameworks are collections of components, modules, and utilities that focus on specific tasks or functionalities within web development, unlike CSS frameworks which provide styles and layouts. JavaScript frameworks handle complex functionalities such as routing, state management, and form validation.

  • What is API integration and why is it important for frontend engineering?

    -API integration allows the frontend to interact with data, which is the primary resource on the internet. Frontend engineers use APIs to display data to users and enable functionalities such as the subscribe button on YouTube, making the user experience dynamic and interactive.

  • Why is asynchronous JavaScript important for API integration?

    -Asynchronous JavaScript allows API integration to work quickly and smoothly by enabling JavaScript to perform tasks concurrently without blocking other operations. This is crucial when dealing with APIs that run numerous functions at once, ensuring a fast and responsive user experience.

  • What is the role of the Document Object Model (DOM) in frontend engineering?

    -The DOM (Document Object Model) is a programming interface that represents the structure and content of a web page as a hierarchical tree of objects. It allows JavaScript to access, manipulate, and interact with HTML elements dynamically, which is essential for debugging and enabling dynamic content updates and interactivity in web applications.

  • What are the different types of tests used in frontend engineering?

    -There are three types of tests used in frontend engineering: Unit Testing, which focuses on individual components or functions; Integration Testing, which verifies the interaction between different components/modules; and End-to-End (E2E) Testing, which evaluates the entire application from the user's perspective, simulating real user interactions.

  • Why is TypeScript recommended after mastering JavaScript in frontend engineering?

    -TypeScript is recommended after mastering JavaScript because it is JavaScript with static typing. This adds a layer of type safety and can make the code more maintainable and robust, which is a useful upgrade for frontend engineers.

  • What are some next steps for a frontend engineer after covering the basics mentioned in the script?

    -After covering the basics, a frontend engineer can explore more JavaScript frameworks and libraries, learn about progressive web app development, modern CSS techniques, and other advanced topics. The field of frontend engineering is vast, allowing for continuous learning and specialization.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Frontend Engineering

Frontend engineering is the creative aspect of coding that focuses on user experience, interface design, and visual appeal. It encompasses more than basic HTML/CSS tasks and includes complex challenges like responsive design and state management. The video aims to guide viewers on the essential skills needed to become a frontend engineer, contrasting frontend with backend roles and suggesting resources for further learning.

05:04

🛠️ Fundamentals of Frontend Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript

For beginners, mastering HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is crucial for frontend engineering. HTML provides the structural foundation of web pages, CSS is responsible for styling and layout, and JavaScript adds interactivity. The video likens these to a house's structure, interior design, and smart home devices, respectively. It also mentions a free coding fundamentals course and a discounted frontend engineering course for further learning.

10:08

📱 Responsive Design and CSS Frameworks

Responsive design ensures web pages adapt to various devices and screen sizes. Techniques include percentage-based widths and media queries. CSS frameworks like Bootstrap, Foundation, and Tailwind CSS simplify development by providing reusable components, grid systems, and responsive utilities, making it easier to create adaptive and visually appealing interfaces.

🔌 JavaScript Frameworks for Enhanced Interactivity

JavaScript frameworks such as React, Vue, and Angular offer pre-built components and utilities that facilitate complex functionalities like routing, state management, and form validation. They are essential for creating interactive and dynamic web applications. The video suggests starting with one of these frameworks and becoming proficient in it, with a personal recommendation for React due to its widespread use and community support.

🔄 API Integration for Data Interaction

Frontend engineers display data to users through APIs, which connect the frontend to backend services. The video uses the example of a subscribe button on YouTube to illustrate how user actions trigger API calls, leading to real-time updates on the page. Asynchronous JavaScript is key to achieving smooth and quick API integration, allowing for non-blocking operations.

🐛 Testing & Debugging in Frontend Development

Debugging is an integral part of frontend development, where issues are identified and resolved. Browser developer tools allow for live DOM editing and network monitoring, which are crucial for understanding and fixing bugs. The video also covers the importance of writing tests, including unit, integration, and end-to-end testing, to ensure code quality and maintainability.

🚀 TypeScript and the Future of Frontend Engineering

After mastering the basics, frontend engineers can explore TypeScript, an upgrade to JavaScript with static typing. There are also numerous other frameworks, libraries, and areas like progressive web app development and advanced CSS techniques to delve into. The video concludes by emphasizing the vastness of the frontend engineering field and encourages viewers to continue learning and growing in their careers.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Frontend Engineering

Frontend Engineering is the aspect of software development that focuses on creating the user interface and experience for websites and applications. It is integral to the video's theme as it represents the primary subject being discussed. The script explains that frontend engineering encompasses more than just basic coding tasks, such as centering divs or creating buttons; it involves complex challenges like responsive design and state management, which are crucial for ensuring a seamless user experience across various devices.

💡User Experience (UX)

User Experience, often abbreviated as UX, refers to how a person feels when interacting with a system, which in the context of this video, is the frontend of a website or application. The video emphasizes the importance of UX in frontend engineering, highlighting that a good frontend engineer must consider how users interact with the interface and ensure that it is visually appealing and easy to use.

💡Responsive Design

Responsive design is a key concept in frontend engineering that involves creating web pages that adapt to different screen sizes and devices. The video uses the example of YouTube, which must function on phones, computers, and TVs, to illustrate the necessity of responsive design. It is a fundamental aspect of frontend development to ensure that websites and applications are accessible and functional on any device.

💡State Management

State management in frontend engineering refers to the way applications handle and maintain the state of data throughout the user's interaction with the application. The script mentions state management in the context of a user pausing a video on YouTube and being able to resume from the same point later. Effective state management is crucial for creating a smooth and consistent user experience.

💡HTML

HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is the standard markup language used to create the structure of web pages. It is one of the three core languages discussed in the video that frontend engineers need to master. HTML defines elements such as headings, paragraphs, and images, and is foundational for creating accessible and well-structured content.

💡CSS

CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is used for styling and layout in web development. It transforms HTML elements into visually appealing components and is critical for creating responsive designs and consistent user interfaces across different devices. The video script highlights CSS as a fundamental tool for frontend engineers to make websites look good and function well on all screens.

💡JavaScript

JavaScript, often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that adds interactivity and dynamic behavior to web pages. It is the third core language that frontend engineers must know, as it allows for the creation of interactive user interfaces and responsive web applications. The video script uses JavaScript to illustrate how frontend engineers can bring designs to life and engage users effectively.

💡CSS Frameworks

CSS frameworks are pre-written CSS stylesheets that provide a collection of reusable components, grids, and styles to streamline the development of responsive web interfaces. The video mentions popular frameworks like Bootstrap, Foundation, and Tailwind CSS, which help frontend engineers create adaptive and visually appealing web interfaces more efficiently.

💡JavaScript Frameworks

JavaScript frameworks are collections of components, modules, and utilities that focus on specific tasks or functionalities within web development. They simplify common tasks and improve code organization. The video script discusses popular frontend frameworks such as React, Vue, and Angular, emphasizing their role in providing reusable functionality and handling complex aspects like routing, state management, and form validation.

💡API Integration

API, or Application Programming Interface, integration is the process of allowing the frontend of a website or application to interact with the backend, where data is managed. The video script explains that frontend engineers are responsible for displaying data to users through APIs, using the subscribe button on YouTube as an example of how frontend and backend interact seamlessly.

💡Asynchronous JavaScript

Asynchronous JavaScript refers to the ability of JavaScript to perform tasks concurrently without blocking other operations. This is crucial for API integration to work quickly and smoothly, allowing for a better user experience. The video script provides an example to illustrate how asynchronous programming can significantly reduce the runtime of multiple functions, which is essential for handling numerous API calls efficiently.

💡DOM

The Document Object Model, or DOM, is a programming interface that represents the structure and content of a web page as a hierarchical tree of objects. It allows JavaScript to access, manipulate, and interact with HTML elements dynamically. The video script mentions the DOM in the context of debugging, emphasizing its usefulness for developers to understand and modify their web applications directly in the browser.

💡Testing & Debugging

Testing and debugging are essential processes in frontend engineering to ensure that web applications function correctly and are maintained over time. The video script discusses different types of tests, such as unit testing, integration testing, and end-to-end testing, which are crucial for verifying the functionality and interaction of different components within a web application.

💡TypeScript

TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript that adds static typing to the language. It is mentioned in the video script as a recommended next step for frontend engineers who have mastered JavaScript. TypeScript provides advantages such as better code completion, less runtime errors, and improved maintainability, making it a useful upgrade for frontend development.

Highlights

Frontend engineering is the creative side of coding that focuses on user experience, interface design, and visual appeal.

Frontend engineering is complex and often misunderstood as easier than backend engineering.

Responsive design is a key challenge for frontend engineers, ensuring software adapts to various devices.

State management is another challenge, such as ensuring users can resume videos on platforms like YouTube.

HTML forms the structure of web pages, defining elements like headings, paragraphs, and images.

CSS is used for styling and layout, critical for creating responsive designs and consistent UIs.

JavaScript adds interactivity and dynamic behavior to web pages, using concepts like variables and functions.

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript work together like the structure, interior design, and smart home devices of a house.

CourseCareers offers a free coding fundamentals course and a discounted frontend engineering course.

Responsive design uses percentage-based widths and media queries to adapt to different screen sizes.

CSS frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS streamline the development of responsive web interfaces.

JavaScript frameworks such as React, Vue, and Angular simplify tasks and improve code organization.

API integration allows frontend pages to interact with data provided by backend systems.

Asynchronous JavaScript enables API integration to work quickly without blocking other operations.

Debugging in the browser using developer tools is a unique feature of frontend engineering.

The DOM is a programming interface that allows dynamic interaction with web page elements.

Testing is crucial for maintaining code and includes unit, integration, and end-to-end testing.

TypeScript is a recommended next step after mastering JavaScript, offering static typing.

Frontend engineering offers a vast array of topics to learn and explore throughout one's career.

Transcripts

play00:00

Frontend engineering: It's the creative side of  coding that brings websites and apps to life,  

play00:06

focusing on user experience, interface  design, and making things visually appealing.

play00:12

It’s a lot more than just centering divs and  creating buttons though. That’s why in this video,  

play00:17

I’m going to walk you through this  clear-cut guide to everything you  

play00:20

ACTUALLY need to learn to get  hired as a frontend engineer.

play00:24

Feel free to skip over sections you already know  by clicking the timestamps in the description!

play00:29

Also if you’re more interested  in backend engineering,  

play00:32

check out last week’s backend engineering roadmap!

play00:34

### 1. What is Frontend Engineering?

play00:37

Frontend engineering builds the interface  that users interact with for any software.  

play00:42

Let’s use YouTube as a simple example. When  you open YouTube, the frontend engineering  

play00:47

work is everything you can see. The layout  of the page, the rendering of graphics,  

play00:52

and the animation of the subscribe button are  all things that frontend engineers design.

play00:57

Frontend engineering is incredibly  complex - a common misconception is that  

play01:02

frontend engineering is easier than backend  engineering. This is definitely NOT true,  

play01:07

and frontend engineering has many  interesting and complicated challenges.

play01:11

One challenge is responsive design. YouTube  can be run on so many different devices,  

play01:17

from phones to computers to TVs -  frontend engineers need to ensure  

play01:21

that the software is responsive  to the device it is being used on.

play01:25

Another challenge is state management.  When you pause a video on YouTube,  

play01:29

you can come back to it later and it will pick up  right where you left off. Managing one video for  

play01:34

one user may seem trivial - but managing multiple  videos for billions of users is very complex.

play01:42

Ultimately, if you’re someone who  is more visually-driven and enjoys  

play01:45

creating the things users interact with, then  frontend engineering is definitely for you.

play01:52

### 2. HTML, CSS, JavaScript

play01:52

If you’ve never coded before, or have no  frontend coding experience, you’ll need to  

play01:57

start by learning the fundamentals. Unlike backend  engineering, where there are tons of choices,  

play02:02

frontend engineering has 3 specific coding  languages you need to know, which are HTML,  

play02:08

CSS, and JavaScript. And before anyone comments  it, yes I know that *technically* HTML and CSS  

play02:15

aren’t coding languages, but come on -  everyone calls them coding languages.

play02:19

1. **HTML (HyperText Markup Language):** The first language is HTML. HTML forms the  

play02:24

structure of web pages by defining elements  such as headings, paragraphs, lists, images,  

play02:30

and links. Understanding HTML semantics, tags,  and document structure is fundamental for creating  

play02:36

accessible and well-structured content. 2. **CSS (Cascading Style Sheets):** 

play02:39

The second language you need to know is  CSS. CSS is used for styling and layout,  

play02:44

transforming HTML elements into visually  appealing components. Knowing how to work in  

play02:49

CSS is critical for creating responsive designs  and consistent user interfaces across devices.- 

play02:55

3. **JavaScript (JS):** Last, but definitely not least,  

play02:57

is JavaScript. JavaScript adds interactivity  and dynamic behavior to web pages. This  

play03:03

is where common coding concepts such as  variables, data types, functions, loops,  

play03:09

and more are used to create interactive user  interfaces and responsive web applications.

play03:16

The three languages work together to make up the  frontend. Using a house analogy makes this easy  

play03:21

to understand. HTML is like the structure  of the house, CSS is the interior design,  

play03:28

and JavaScript is like the smart home  devices that control temperature, lighting,  

play03:31

etc. Mastering HTML for structure, CSS for  styling, and JavaScript for interactivity  

play03:38

allows frontend engineers to bring designs  to life and engage users effectively.

play03:43

All this may feel overwhelming and like a lot  is being thrown at you all at once. Fortunately,  

play03:48

CourseCareers, the sponsor of this video,  offers a 100% FREE coding fundamentals  

play03:53

course you can take to learn the basics of  coding, and a complete frontend engineering  

play04:00

course that teaches you absolutely everything  you need to know about frontend engineering.  

play04:04

No matter your skill-level, you  can use these courses - in fact,  

play04:08

they had a carpenter become a full time engineer  in just 4 months by following their courses. Start  

play04:13

the coding fundamentals course today  fro free, and by using my link in the  

play04:16

description you can purchase the frontend  engineering course with a discount of $50!

play04:22

Now that we’ve touched on the coding fundamentals,  

play04:25

let’s start diving in to some of the  challenges frontend engineers solve daily.

play04:29

### 3. Responsive Design and CSS Frameworks

play04:31

Responsive design is a common frontend  engineering task, and is the art of creating  

play04:36

web pages that adapt and respond gracefully  to different screen sizes and devices.

play04:41

What makes design responsive though?

play04:43

One tactic is to use percentage-based  widths and flexible grid systems to  

play04:48

create a structure that adapts to  various screen sizes. For example,  

play04:51

if we want a title to take up half the screen,  rather than hardcoding a width value like 700  

play04:57

pixels, we will set it to 50%, meaning it  will take up 50% of any screen it is on.

play05:04

Another tactic is using media queries,  which apply specific styles based on  

play05:08

device characteristics such as screen  width, resolution, and orientation.

play05:13

Man, writing all this CSS sure  sounds tedious, doesn’t it?

play05:18

Luckily, we have something called CSS frameworks!

play05:21

CSS frameworks are pre-written CSS stylesheets  that provide a collection of reusable components,  

play05:27

grids, and styles to streamline the development of  responsive web interfaces. Popular CSS frameworks  

play05:33

include Bootstrap, Foundation, and Tailwind  CSS. These frameworks offer things like:

play05:39

- Grid Systems: Ready-made grid systems (e.g.,  12-column grid in Bootstrap) for creating  

play05:41

responsive layouts with ease. - Responsive  

play05:41

Utilities: Classes and utilities (e.g.,  Bootstrap's responsive classes like col-sm-6  

play05:42

for small screens) for controlling visibility,  spacing, and responsiveness of elements. 

play05:42

- Component Libraries: Pre-styled components  (e.g., buttons, navigation bars, cards) that  

play05:45

can be customized and used to build  consistent and responsive UI elements.

play05:50

By incorporating responsive design principles  and leveraging CSS frameworks, frontend  

play05:54

developers can create visually appealing,  user-friendly, and adaptive web interfaces  

play05:59

that deliver a consistent experience across a  wide range of devices and screen resolutions.

play06:06

### 4. JavaScript Frameworks

play06:07

Not to be confused with CSS frameworks, javascript  frameworks are JavaScript-based collections of  

play06:12

components, modules, and utilities that focus  on specific tasks or functionalities within  

play06:17

web development. These libraries simplify  common tasks, improve code organization,  

play06:23

and promote code reusability. The most  popular frontend frameworks are React,  

play06:31

Vue, and Angular, but there are so  many that it can be hard to keep track.

play06:37

Just like how CSS frameworks provide reusable UI,  

play06:40

JavaScript frameworks provide  reusable functionality for things.

play06:44

Think of the subscribe button on YouTube.

play06:46

While CSS frameworks may allow you to  create the design of the subscribe button,  

play06:50

it doesn’t actually do anything until it  is hooked up to JavaScript. In a JavaScript  

play06:54

framework like React for example, you could create  a SubscribeButton as a working component that you  

play07:00

can reuse anywhere on the website, rather than  having to recreate the functionality every time.

play07:06

JavaScript frameworks handle far more than  just reusable components though. They handle  

play07:11

complex things like routing and navigation,  state management, form validation, and more.

play07:21

Each JavaScript framework could  have hundreds of hours of tutorials,  

play07:25

so it’s hard to dive in-depth to any of  them in this video. My recommendation is  

play07:30

that if you’re at this stage of learning, you  should pick one of the main three frameworks,  

play07:34

and become very familiar with it. My personal pick  is React, because it’s the most used, which means  

play07:40

you will have the largest bank of online resources  if you get stuck or need questions answered.

play07:44

This is definitely the largest learning block  for a frontend engineer, so if you’re here,  

play07:49

don’t worry - learning the ever-changing  JavaScript frameworks is a lifelong journey  

play07:53

that all frontend engineers  constantly have to deal with.

play07:59

### 5. API Integration

play07:59

Now that we feel confident about building  and adding functionality to software pages,  

play08:03

we need to allow them to interact with the  primary resource on the internet - data!

play08:09

Before you watch this, I recommend going  to the backend engineering roadmap from  

play08:12

last week and going to the 3 minute mark to  watch the API section. It’s only 1 minute  

play08:18

long and will provide you a LOT of context  for working with APIs on the frontend.

play08:23

Anyways, on the frontend, we display stuff  to users. More specifically, we display data  

play08:29

to users. When you click on my YouTube channel,  you see data like my subscriber count, my videos,  

play08:35

and more - the data is handled by the backend,  and is provided to the frontend through an API,  

play08:41

where frontend engineers decide how  it should be displayed to users.

play08:45

Let’s say you’re not subscribed yet - hit  subscribe right now. This isn’t just me  

play08:50

shamelessly trying to get you to subscribe -  it’s actually a way for you to see frontend  

play08:54

API integration in action. When you hit  subscribe, the frontend detects a user input,  

play09:00

and makes a call to the backend subscribe  API. This API likely includes logic that  

play09:05

does things like increase my subscriber  count by 1, and add Codebagel to your  

play09:10

list of subscribed YouTubers. Your page then  automatically updates to show this new change.

play09:15

Now as you saw, all these updates happened  pretty quickly. It may not look like it,  

play09:20

but in reality, there are probably  hundreds of functions running behind  

play09:24

the scene here - so how do  updates happen so quickly?

play09:29

### 6. Asynchronous JavaScript

play09:30

Writing JavaScript asyncronously is what allows  API integration to work quickly and smoothly.

play09:38

JavaScript, as a language, is  what we call single-threaded,  

play09:41

meaning it executes one piece of code  at a time in a sequential manner.

play09:45

Most of your development experience up  until now is with synchronous programming,  

play09:49

which is where code executes sequentially and  each operation blocks this thread until it  

play09:54

completes. Asynchronous programming  allows JavaScript to perform tasks  

play09:59

concurrently without blocking other operations.

play10:02

***DISCLAIMER:** Technically speaking, JavaScript  asynchronous programming isn’t exactly concurrent,  

play10:07

but for simplicity’s sake we’re going  to treat it as such for this video*

play10:11

Here’s a simple example. Let’s say we have  10 functions, each taking 1 second to run.  

play10:17

If we run these synchronously, the total  runtime is 10 seconds, as each has to finish  

play10:23

before the next one can begin. If we run these  asynchronously, the total runtime is 1 second,  

play10:29

because they all execute concurrently.

play10:32

Asynchronous JavaScript will level your frontend  coding up, and becomes especially useful when you  

play10:37

start working with APIs that run hundreds  or even thousands of functions at a time.

play10:44

### 7. Testing & Debugging

play10:44

Once you’ve built a page structure, styled  it, added functionality with JavaScript,  

play10:49

and integrated with a backend API, you now  have a working frontend. But what happens if  

play10:55

you go to make changes, and everything  suddenly breaks? How do you fix this?

play11:01

This is where debugging comes into the  picture. Now similar to backend engineering,  

play11:06

you can debug by using log and print  statements, but one additional feature of  

play11:10

frontend engineering is that you can debug  in the browser by using developer tools.

play11:15

One of the major features of develop tools is the  ability to edit the DOM. This is a fundamental  

play11:21

frontend engineering concept I waited until  now to mention because I feel it is easier to  

play11:26

comprehend once you have a grasp of the frontend  engineering concepts we have already covered.

play11:30

The DOM, or, Document Object Model, is a  programming interface that represents the  

play11:36

structure and content of a web page as a  hierarchical tree of objects. It allows  

play11:41

JavaScript to access, manipulate, and interact  with HTML elements on the web page dynamically,  

play11:47

enabling dynamic content updates and  interactivity in web applications.

play11:52

The DOM is incredibly useful for debugging, as  it provides developers a more understandable  

play11:57

representation of their web applications.  Using developer tools, developers can view  

play12:02

the DOM and edit HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code  directly in the browser's inspector, enabling  

play12:08

real-time changes and experimentation with the  layout, styling, and behavior of web elements.

play12:14

Developer tools also allow you to monitor the  network to track network requests, responses,  

play12:19

headers, payloads, and performance  metrics. This helps developers  

play12:24

analyze API calls, asset loading times, caching  behavior, and identify any network related bugs.

play12:29

Getting familiar with developer tools will  allow you to debug much more effectively,  

play12:33

so even if it’s boring, this is a must-do.

play12:37

After you’ve debugged, you need to  write reusable tests for your code.  

play12:41

For the frontend, there are three kinds of tests.

play12:44

- **Unit Testing:** Unit testing focuses on  testing individual components or functions in  

play12:48

isolation. For YouTube, a unit test example could  be testing the functionality of a video playback  

play12:54

component. Jest, React Testing Library, and  Enzyme are examples of unit testing frameworks. 

play12:55

- **Integration Testing:** Integration testing  verifies the interaction and integration between  

play12:58

different components/modules within the YouTube  application, ensuring seamless functionality  

play13:02

across interconnected parts. An integration test  could focus on testing the interaction between  

play13:07

the video player component and the comments  section component in the YouTube interface.  

play13:11

React Testing Library, Cypress, and Selenium  are examples of integration testing frameworks. 

play13:12

- **End-to-End (E2E) Testing:** E2E testing  evaluates the entire flow and functionality  

play13:16

of the YouTube application from the user's  perspective, simulating real user interactions  

play13:21

and scenarios. An E2E test scenario could involve  testing the user journey of searching for a video,  

play13:27

playing it, interacting with related videos,  subscribing to a channel, and leaving a  

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comment. Cypress, Selenium WebDriver, and  Puppeteer are examples of E2E testing frameworks.

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Writing tests can be boring because it feels  like you’re not actually building anything,  

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but it’s essential for making sure  your code is maintained long-term,  

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and that random changes won’t  break the entire application.

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### 8. TypeScript and Beyond!

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Truthfully, this roadmap just barely  scratches the surface of frontend engineering.

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Frontend engineering has so many different things  

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to learn that most people spend an  entire career picking up new things.

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So, after you’ve covered  this roadmap, what’s next?

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I’d definitely recommend learning TypeScript  once you’ve mastered JavaScript. TypeScript is  

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JavaScript, but with static typing,  which makes it a useful upgrade.

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After this, you have more JavaScript  frameworks and libraries to learn,  

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you can explore progressive web app development,  learn more about modern CSS techniques, the list  

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goes on and on. This is where learning gets fun  - you get to choose your own adventure! As long  

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as you follow this roadmap and learn the basics,  the world of frontend engineering is your oyster.

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Thanks so much for watching this  video! If you liked this video,  

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and want to see more content like  it, make sure you subscribe and hit  

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the notification bell! And if you’ve  decided frontend engineering isn’t  

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for you, check out this video on backend  engineering. See you all in the next video!

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Frontend EngineeringWeb DesignUser ExperienceInterface DesignHTMLCSSJavaScriptResponsive DesignCoding LanguagesAPI Integration