Indie Software-Technology

The React Handbook by Flavio Copes

Flavio Copes, an expert on JavaScript, maintains a blog and manages courses that introduce folks to the myriad uses of this long-time staple of a computer language. React is a technology by which JS is used to create more responsive websites for users. These websites operate more quickly and do not wait as often for servers to respond.

In this book, Copes first covers the advances in JavaScript over the past few years. Those who think that they have this language mastered need to think again. Modern JavaScript differs from classical JS in more ways than just style: Semicolons are gone, callback hell is avoided, and promises drive the asynchronous processing.

By leveraging client-side processing, React takes advantage of many of these properties and in turn creates websites that respond more quickly. Copes introduces us to both beginning and advanced uses of React. Then he summarizes a bunch of helper tools to propel our journey onward. Seemingly everything is covered – from server-side help to JavaScript compilation, from unit testing to database mocking. This thorough overview is replete with an abundance of code examples. It will get advanced users going in no time and can teach even the newest beginner.

There seems to be a JavaScript renaissance going on, and Copes is situated with his eyes focused on the center. Instead of users learning several different languages for different aspects of development, by using Copes’ tutorials and numerous tools, programmers can now create all they need through just one language. Presumably, the slower speed of JS is offset by ever-advancing computer speed (by Moore’s law) and by financial gains due to lower programmer time.

This work does a solid job in introducing the reader to all of this. Flavio makes me feel inspired to master JavaScript more in-depth and maybe even take one of his online courses. There seems to be a growing giant in the room with JavaScript technology. The potential is there, and the time is now. Will more folks jump on board? Flavio inspires us to make the leap and shows us how.

The React Handbook
By Flavio Copes
Copyright (c) 2019
Independently Published
eBook
Page Count: 221
Genre: Computer Science, JavaScript
www.reacthandbook.com
www.flaviocopes.com