8 Skills Needed To Become A Hirable NodeJs Developer In 2022

With over one billion downloads and powering a minimum of 20mn websites out there, Node.js is one of the most popular web development frameworks today. In the US alone, there are over 6 million active websites developed on Node.js. With JavaScriptbringing in a sense of ease of use to developers, the presence of super-resourceful async loop functionalities, and a massive community of developers contributing to the evolution of the framework, there is no doubt Node.js is one of the most prominent frameworks a developer could work on today.

Its specialty also lies in the fact that Node.js can be used not only by small and medium-sized businesses but by large organizations thanks to its enterprise web development capabilities. For the uninitiated, some of the biggest market players like BMW, General Electric, Amazon, Apple, Sony, Wells Fargo, and more have their websites and programs developed on Node.js.

However, there seems to be a slight disconnect between the framework’s popularity and the availability of employable Node.js developers. While companies are looking to hire Node.js web developers, there is a lack of supply of the right talent in the web development spectrum.

Read more about how to hire JavaScript developer.

When we decided to understand what is causing the gap, we realized there were more reasons than what meets the eye.

Read: How to install Node.js on Linux/Ubuntu

So, we’ve compiled a set of skills an aspiring Node.js developer needs to master to become a recruitable and solid Node.js developer down their career path. Let’s explore in detail what the skills you need to develop are.

Essential Skills A Node.js Developer Needs To Have

In-depth Knowledge Of Front-end Tech

Now, as a Node.js developer, you could argue that your role mostly revolves around working with backend tech. However, when the question is about becoming employable (considering the current competition), it only makes sense to have a thorough understanding of the front-end as well.

Depending on projects and companies, you might be asked to work with client-side technologies such as HTML, CSS, and more to refine the user experience. Having hands-on experience with the front-end will only make you more valuable to your team. So, if you aspire to become irreplaceable in the market, have a flair for developing front-end as well. To get started, consider technologies like Vue or React.

Read: Best Nodejs Frameworks for Web Apps

Experience In Working With Git And GitHub

Every Node.js developer should have experience working with Git and GitHub. Often, you would be required to work collaboratively with other team members. Or, when you are working on complex projects, you would need a hosting platform that allows you to store your source code, make changes to it, share it for collaboration and do more. Git and GitHub are platforms that make this possible.

When you upload your code on GitHub, you can invite team members or other stakeholders to review your code and make changes to it. The best part about these platforms is that every change or modification is backed by a tracking system called version control. This tells you who made what change and when.

This will enable you to roll back to previous iterations, give feedback on developers’ works and more. As long as you’re working as an individual contributor or a freelance Node.js developer, it’s fine. However, when you eye for corporate companies and larger organizations to work as part of a team, exposure to Git and GitHub are fundamentals.

Read: How to install Git on Ubuntu 18.04

Knowledge Of All Node.js Frameworks

One of the major reasons why Node.js is so popular is because of its array of frameworks, libraries, tools and IDEs. Specifically, there are plenty of Nodejs frameworks and as an aspiring Node.js developer, you need to have a working knowledge of some of the best Node.js frameworks out there. From the more basic frameworks such as Hapi, Koa.js, and Total.js to the more complex ones on MVC frameworks such as StrongLoop, Sinatra and Rails, have a grasp of them and stand out from your competition.

Command On Asynchronous Programming

Asynchronous programming is all about the power to execute multiple functions simultaneously. Shattering the conventions, Node.js drastically reduces the wait time of developers in function execution. However, this is still a fairly new practice that everyone is getting used to.

Read: Why Choose Node.js for Real-Time Application Development

So, initially, you need to show your comprehension of asynchronous programming and its associated workarounds. Unless you get to a point where you feel completely comfortable with this functionality, you would ironically end up spending more time on your project with the very feature that was designed to cut down on development time.

Usage Of Authentication And Authorization

The programs that Node.js powers are not just popular because of their functionalities and aesthetic UI or UX. They are because of the airtight security the development framework offers. That’s why you need to understand the fundamentals (and advanced modules) of user authentication and authorization in your project.

Read: How to Choose a Programming Language to Learn

Your web or mobile app interacts with various environments such as servers, databases, systems, and more. Every such interaction should be secure to eliminate breaches of data and its confidentiality. So, master the security aspects of Node.js and you will find yourself indispensable already.

Familiar With Agile Methodology

An agile environment is all about the rapid implementation of ideas, development, and roll-out of fixes and patches. In simple words, agile translates to the ability to adapt to dynamic changes.

Outside the space of web development, knowledge of agile methodology is your ticket to becoming the most preferred developer in your team or business. Agile methodology is increasingly becoming prominent in software development and employers have started looking out for developers who possess agile skills as much as they do technical skills.

When you possess this skill, recruiters would save incredible time in training their recruits on this methodology and wait until they mold themselves to the agile environment. It’s a win-win for everyone and your opportunity to outsmart your competition.

Read: Top 7 Laravel Security Practices Every Developer Should Know

Managing Database And Creation Of Schemes

As a Node.js developer, you are bound to work on complex solutions, where you will need additional databases to store layers of data generated for processing. As the complexity of your product increases, the way data interacts also becomes equally complicated. In such instances, you need to know to manage databases and tailor database schemes to meet the demands of your project.

Apart from this, you should also have a thorough (and working) knowledge of integrating multiple databases, maintain the security of databases while merging and be familiar with relational and NoSQL databases such as MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB and Orchestrate respectively.

Proficiency Using RESTful APIs And Communications

To further save development time, there exist several pre-existing projects or tools that can be simply integrated with your project. Done through APIs, this is an ideal way to speed up your development time. However, the knowledge of how to integrate both requires smartness which only comes with extensive experience working on it.

So, work on how you could integrate multiple systems with the help of basic and RESTful APIs and make way for a wholesome development experience. At times, your project could also demand you to develop custom APIs to make integrations possible and seamless.

Read: A brief guide to testing APIs and the tools involved

Wrapping Up

So, these were the eight skills you need to develop to become a solid Node.js developer. Get familiar with them, consistently work on them and keep getting better at them. As you build a strong portfolio to showcase your understanding of each aspect we have discussed, you will become more credible in the eyes of recruiters.

Good luck!

 


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