Top 5 Python backend frameworks you must know

As we all know, Python is a language that makes coding a fun part of life. You might have read that Python is an absolute beginner-friendly language. Second cool feature is that it is completely an Open-Source language. I love to read code of some open source projects. If you want to know how such a wonderful language is built, go to GitHub and read the code.

In this article, we will discuss the most widely used Python backend libraries. So, without further ado, let us get started.

Fun Fact 1: Python is an ocean of libraries.

Yes, Python has excellent libraries that you can use in your software development journey. Python has a great community that constantly develops libraries and makes changes to them. Libraries with a specific focus are also available like nltk for natural language processing, scikit-learn for machine learning applications, or Django for backend applications.

Let’s discuss the top 5 Python frameworks to go for.

Fun Fact 2: Being open-source is awesome. Python libraries listed in this article are completely open-source. It means you can go through their code on GitHub to understand how these libraries are built!

  • Django

Django is truly the best Python library for development. It’s written purely in Python and it’s fast and secure. You can create web applications within a matter of a few hours. It’s fully loaded with all the required tools to create websites. 

Django follows the Model View Template Architecture. Django is based on the DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) Principle. It’s always better to follow modular design patterns to develop scalable applications.

The Django framework officially supports four databases, namely PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and Oracle. YouTube, DropBox, Instagram, and Pinterest all these tech giants rely on Django. Django is mainly known to reuse lots of common code and design patterns. 

Django has also improved with each release with new functionalities and bug fixes. 

GitHub : https://github.com/django/django

Django GitHub page has earned 66.4k stars till now and has 2,272 contributors. Read the official document of Django here.

  • Scrapy

Scrapy is a free and open-source web crawling framework written in Python. It was originally designed to perform web scraping but can also be used for extracting the data using APIs. 

Scrapy can handle bigger tasks with ease when it comes to downloading webpages or scraping groups of URLs within a minute. Scrapy supports concurrency as it is asynchronous so it can load multiple websites in parallel. It supports different data formats such as CSV, JSON, and XML.

GitHub :  https://github.com/scrapy/scrapy

An open-source project with 44.6k stars and is used by 31.2k+ users. Check out the Scrapy homepage for more information.

  • Flask

Flask is a lightweight web application framework written in Python that provides different tools that make creating web apps easier. Flask is known as the WGI framework which stands for Web Server Gateway Interface. This is a way for web servers to pass requests to web applications or frameworks. Flask has strong community support from collaborators and learners. And it is open-source as well.

Can you imagine that you can build a website using a single Python file? It is as simple as that! You just need to learn how to use their tools to make web apps quickly.

GitHub:  https://github.com/pallets/flask

A cool open-source library with 60.6k stars and strong support of 1.2M+ users, 681+ contributors trying to make it more usable. To explore their documentation, click here.

 

  • Web2Py

Web2Py is a scalable, open-source, and full-stack Python framework. Web2Py comes with its own web-based IDE. Other things include a separate debugger, and one-click deployment. It has the ability to run on different platforms, i.e it’s a cross-platform framework. 

It also provides us with data security that prevents vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting, injection flaws, and malicious file execution on devices. Web2Py has its own Error Tracking System. It gives us Role Based Access Control.

GitHub:  https://github.com/web2py/web2py

Visit this link to check out Web2Py documentation. 

  • CherryPy

CherryPy is an open-source minimalist web framework that makes Python web applications no different than building any other object-oriented program. CherryPy can handle sessions, cookies, file uploads, statics, or any other typical web app feature. It also supports cross-platform functionality. 

CherryPy can run multiple HTTP web servers at a time. It consists of tools for authentication, sessions, caching, and encoding. It has built-in support for coverage and testing. 

GitHub: https://github.com/cherrypy/cherrypy

Follow this link to get started with CherryPy.

So these are some powerful and widely used Python Frameworks by Web Developers to make their life easy. 

Fun Fact 3: Wanna be an open-source contributor by helping the community? Yes, you can!

As I mentioned, all these libraries are open-source. You can read the code and if you want to contribute to the above libraries, make sure to join their communication channels and go through their READ MEs. Happy learning!

 

4 key steps to become a Google-certified Android developer

As the world’s most used mobile operating system, Android has created an ecosystem for developers to find excellent opportunities. Learning Android app development is a skill that puts you on the path to a fulfilling career. But, with millions of developers already offering services, how do you assert your expertise and knowledge?

Becoming a Google-certified Android developer is an easy way to stand out. Google manages Android and openly supports the community of talented developers by offering them recognition. By clearing the Google Android Assistance Developer exam, you can quickly boost your career as a certified android developer.

This article covers a complete guide to becoming a Google-certified Android developer.

1. Are you skilled enough? 

Android development is a vast domain, and to become a Google developer, you must be familiar with several concepts. Begin by referring to the syllabus to know the competency areas and individual competencies against which you will be tested. The entire syllabus is divided into five sections: Android core, user interface, data management, debugging, and testing.

You need to upskill if you are unsure about understanding any of these Android development segments. You get a single attempt for the exam, which is why it is essential to prepare. If you fail, you will have to reapply and pay the fee again. Some important concepts that you must be familiar with are the Android file system, data management, Android core syntax, and debugging. Go through the listed topics, learn, and become comfortable as you will have to implement it in code during the exam.

2. Apply for the certification exam

Visit the Google Developer official certification page to sign up for the Associate Android Developer program certification. Once you click the signup button, you will be redirected to a new page where you will be asked to select either Kotlin or Java exam signup. Choose the appropriate option, and then you will see the official certification exam instructions. In the end, there will be a ‘Purchase The Exam’ button. Next, you will be asked to upload your ID proof and continue with the fee payment of $149 or 6500 INR. 

Developers can provide a passport or driving license as valid ID proof in India. If your ID proof is valid and you have paid the fee, you have successfully applied for the Google Associate Android Developer exam.

3. Attempt the exam

Once you complete step 2 successfully, you will see a button to start the exam. When you click on that button, you will be given a project that you will import into Android Studio on your machine. Along with the project, you will be given instructions on what you need to do. Before taking the exam, you must install a custom plugin called the Google Developer’s Certification plugin in Android Studio. The plugin monitors your exam and automatically submits the project after 8 hours.

Usually, you will be asked to add new features to the project, debug, test the application or fix some bugs. You have an 8 hours deadline within which you have to complete the given tasks and submit your project. You must practice coding to be up to speed and complete the assigned tasks within the allotted time.

4. Appear for the online interview

After submitting the project, you will be notified to appear for an online interview if you qualify. It is called an exit interview that lasts for 30 minutes. During the online interview, your concepts of programming and Android, in general, are evaluated. You will also be asked questions regarding the project you submitted. After the exit interview, you will be notified via email for another round of interviews if you qualify for the project and exit interview rounds. If you are eligible for the final interview round, you become a Google Certified Associate Android Developer.

Why become a Google Certified Associate Android Developer? 

The certification provides many benefits to developers that they cannot enjoy otherwise. Here are some advantages of being a Google-certified developer:

  • You get a Google verifiable badge that you can use in your resume, social media profiles, and GitHub.
  • You increase your chances of getting hired as an Android developer and are offered above-average pay for your skills.
  • You stand apart from Android developers with no certification as you have authenticity from Google. Freelancers can easily land better-paying gigs as a certified developer.
  • If you are lucky, as a Google Certified Android Developer, you can get a chance to participate in official summits for Android developers on an all-expenses-paid trip.

Conclusion

A Google Developers Certification gives a significant distinction to your Android developer resume. It’s a testament to your skills and expertise and an indicator of your ability to solve challenges within provided guidelines.

Talent500 is always looking for Google-certified Android developers to join our elite talent pool. We connect you to the highest-paying gigs at Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups. Sign up now.

 

Microservices v/s APIs: Clear differences

In software architecture and integration, microservices and APIs are often-used terms. The terms might sound new to beginners, but they are the core concepts of every online application today. Experienced developers have a deeper understanding of programs based on microservices and APIs. To use either of these technologies in your product, you must understand how they are different and what their end goals are.

This article will examine the critical differences between microservices and APIs.

What is a Microservice?

Microservices have a misleading name that often seems like a minor development task, but in reality is a broad development domain that covers full-fledged, optimized, and secure software solutions. In software development, microservices can be defined in two contexts:

  1. An independent, tiny development component that is represented by a single microservice.
  2. A microservice can also be used in loosely-coupled software development architecture to facilitate the development of large and complex software solutions. It does so by creating and integrating multiple small developments.

Simply put, microservices are a collection of small development components that, when integrated, create an extensive and robust software product.

What is an API?

API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is not a component like a microservice but a protocol that defines the structure following which two applications can communicate and interact with each other’s data. APIs are software solutions that focus on a particular service. In the software infrastructure, APIs are usually put between the core code components and the front-end interface of the application.

The APIs are added to the software to provide the ability to perform a specific task or borrow functionality from third-party service providers. Whenever software is required to lend its functionality or data to another product, developers must create APIs and write high-level API reference documents and best practices to guide other developers using their APIs.

Microservices and APIs: How do they differ? 

It is difficult to compare or distinguish between a microservice and an API because of several similarities and their use within the development architecture.

Microservices is a software development approach that breaks the product into several modular components. Conversely, APIs are application communication tools that make cross-application communication possible.

1. Microservices rely on APIs

An API is not of much use as it lies in the system dormant unless it is connected to services or microservices to attain functionality. From a different perspective, we can also suggest that microservices depend on APIs to extend the functionality to the users. Software as a service, function as a service, and machine learning as a service are all examples of how microservices use APIs as an essential infrastructural component for their design.

2. Characteristics

Microservices are loosely coupled to allow easier integration and faster creation of robust software. They are decentralized in nature, highly manageable, and scalable. An API is lightweight, fast, and extensively specified but does not have a modular design. Keeping an API light is essential to allow other applications to integrate without crashing the host application.

3. Function

In functionality, both services are very distinct.

A software architecture based on microservices is defined by the business capabilities and priorities, which are usually designed to solve big and complex problems. But, using an API, a software system can be easily extended, connected to, or integrated with several other applications. APIs are designed to allow reusable interfaces to connect to any number of services as long as they follow the API integration guidelines. APIs are not visible to the end users. Instead, they are under the hood and directly accessible to other applications that want to connect to your software application.

4. Versatility 

Microservices are used to integrate specific business capabilities into a product, limiting their versatility. They are not robust components but highly specified functional units that give software its purpose. 

APIs, on the contrary, are highly versatile. You can create an API using any containerized service with any programming language, such as Java, Python, and PHP. Also, APIs can be deployed on any cloud infrastructure, such as AWS and Google Cloud Platform. Furthermore, there are several kinds of APIs to choose from for your application. The most popular are RESTful APIs that allow communication between the two applications over the HTTP endpoints. Such an API uses GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE commands to fetch data. Some other popular API formats are RPC, SOAP, and GraphQL. 

Conclusion 

There is no choice between microservices and APIs for building a practical and robust application or software. You have to use both: microservices to create business-specific software or application, while APIs are necessary for these microservices to communicate within its layers and third-party applications.

Talent500 is a remote team-building platform for Fortune 500 companies and startups. Join us today and connect with the best tech employers.

 

4 effective tips for mentoring your junior developer

In your development career, after specific years of experience, you will be expected to mentor junior developers. While programming and other technical skills are a forte for most developers, they often lack the skills to be mentors.

A junior developer will write buggy code, make mistakes more often than you anticipate, and mess up the project timeline a few times. However, they can become a valuable development team member with proper guidance and mentorship.

Mentoring a junior developer correctly spares them from making errors you made once as a beginner. It is how you help them learn faster. But make no mistake, mentoring takes time and effort but, above all, tests your patience.

So how do you mentor junior developers without feeling like it’s a chore?

You can use these tips for mentoring juniors and turning your development team into a high-performance engine.

1. Determine the baseline

A bad mistake you can make is to assume the potential of a junior developer before working with them. Whether you underestimate or overestimate their current skills, it’s going to hinder their growth which is why you must determine the skill level of every new member before you start mentoring them.

For instance, suppose three new junior developers join your team, each specializing in JavaScript. Say, one has a CS degree, the other went through coding boot camp, and the last one is self-taught.

Do you think you can mentor all three in the same way and manner?

You need to assess them individually; maybe you can refer to their pre-interview sample coding tests or give them practice assignments. Once you have determined the baseline for each junior developer, you can tailor the mentoring approach that best suits their individual growth.

2. Document critical information on coding practices

Junior developers will ask questions about the company and its coding practice. You should build a base of documentation covering these topics to save assigned mentor time. Even senior developers have some uncertainties about projects when they join a new company, so it can be expected that junior developers will need much attention.

Developers who ask questions indicate they are ready to learn rather than make assumptions. Answering their questions that are not repeated is all right, but if you have to answer the same question regarding the project, again and again, it can get frustrating. It is better to refer them to the company’s knowledge base or internal wikis.

According to the popular knowledge-sharing tool, Slite, junior developers must be referred to the following company resources:

  • Company and team structure
  • Company Policies
  • HR process
  • Onboarding material
  • Process documents
  • Product roadmaps and projects

As for software development companies, some additional documents must be created to help senior developers mentor juniors. These documents include:

  • Coding standards and style
  • Programming tutorials
  • Workflow procedures

With all this info, junior developers will get the answer to a good number of questions on their own. This will help them feel more confident and encourage them to continue self-learning.

3. Do code reviews

The only way to encourage junior developers to write better code is to tell them exactly what needs improvement. Code reviews are excellent for gaining insight into their coding practices and helping them understand the best ways through constructive feedback.

Even Google has a practice of regularly reviewing the codes of their senior and junior developers alike. While the number of comments a developer receives over time decreases, it is never zero. This implies that coding review is one of the best ways to help developers improve their skills.

As a mentor, you have to ensure that you critique the code and not the coder. While reviewing the code, never miss to find and complement good things about the code. In terms of mentoring, it is even more valuable to tell a developer what they did right than to tell them what they did wrong.

Ultimately, the purpose of code reviews must be to help developers upgrade their coding skills and not to punish them for mistakes or criticize their work.

4. Start small

You can help junior developers gain confidence by assigning tasks on actual projects. However, you must supervise their code and give them tasks aligned with their current capabilities.

There is a highly popular Subreddit started by a distraught junior software developer who got fired on his first day at the job. He tells how he was assigned the massive task of running the script to create personal database instances on his first day at work. During the first 30 minutes on the job, he managed to delete the production database. The CTO of the company asked him to leave and never come back.

The important lesson is that the company was at fault for assigning such an essential task to a junior developer. As a mentor, you must gradually introduce them to critical tasks. Getting them started in a controlled environment with smaller tasks is better.

Conclusion 

Hundreds of junior developers will come across in your career, but the opportunity to pick a few and guide them to become great programmers is invaluable. If you get the chance to mentor a junior developer, keep these tips in mind to get them started on the right track.

Talent 500 is an excellent platform for developers to discover career redefining opportunities with Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing start-ups. To know more, sign up here.

 

4 advanced JavaScript tips & tricks for programmers

JavaScript is responsible for all the interactivity on a webpage. The language enables web browsers to create a dynamic and interactive user experience. Companies use JavaScript to develop robust and highly efficient frameworks and systems.

It is why the demand for JavaScript developers is high. But to be a proficient JavaScript developer, you must learn how to write optimized JavaScript code. Optimized code combines cleverly programmed logic and a few tips and tricks to improve the performance and speed of code execution.

Here are some advanced JavaScript hacks for programmers to optimize and improve the performance of their JS code.

1. Use array filter 

In JavaScript, you often need to use arrays. This little hack will allow you to bucket out elements from the array pool based on a preset condition that you pass as a function. You can create a callback function for non-required elements according to the use case.

Here is an example where we separate the null elements from the other aspects of the array.

schema = [“hi”,”Hello World!”,null, null, “goodbye”]

schema = schema.filter(function(n) {

 return n

 });

Output: [“hi”,” Hello World!”, “goodbye”]

This JavaScript trick will save you time and some lines of code while improving the performance of the code.

2. Using length to delete empty in an array

While you can resize and empty an array, the conventional way of writing a dedicated function works on the array, but there’s a more thoughtful way to achieve this.

You can achieve the same goal by use of array.length.

Here is an example to delete n elements using array.length.

array.length = n

code:

var array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6];

console.log(array.length); // 6

array.length = 3;

console.log(array.length); // 3

console.log(array); // [1,2,3]

You can also use the array.length to empty the array using array.length = 0, like this:

Example:

var array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6];

array.length = 0;

console.log(array.length); // 0

console.log(array); // []

It is the most preferred way to resize/unset an array, and experienced programmers use it to ensure that their code is optimized and there are no stray elements in the array.

3. Nested ternary operator

We can simplify the use of multiple conditional expressions in our JavaScript code with the use of nested ternary operation.

condition: ? expressionIfTrue : expressionIfFalse

instead of

if else-if else.

The problem with using too many if else-if else in the JS code is that the complicated nesting not only increases the execution time, such code is not clean and is hard to read and maintain.

Let’s understand the nested ternary operator with an example.

Support you have a blog home page where you want to itemsPerPage number of posts per page. Now here are three scenarios that are possible:

  • If the number of articles is less than the itemsPerPage, the value of the pages variable should be 1.
  • If the number of articles is more than the itemsPerPage, then the value of our pages variable should be equal to the itemsPerPage.
  • If the number of articles is less than the itemsPerPage, the value of our pages variable should be the same as the number of pages.

This can be easily implemented with a nested ternary operator like this:

const articles = Array.from({ length: 120 }, (_, index) => index);

const paginate = (items, itemsPerPage = 10) => {

  const pages =

   itemsPerPage > items.length

    ? 1

    : Math.ceil(items.length / itemsPerPage) > itemsPerPage

    ? itemsPerPage

    : Math.ceil(items.length / itemsPerPage);

  return Array.from({ length: pages }, (_, index) => {

   const start = index * itemsPerPage;

   return items.slice(start, start + itemsPerPage);

  });

};

console.log(paginate(articles));

4. Easy way to invert an integer 

One of the most commonly asked JavaScript questions in interviews is how you can reverse a positive or negative integer within reasonable limits.

It’s not just a tricky JavaScript question but also has applications in the real world, like in eCommerce and wallet applications.

First, you can check if the input is within the valid limits. If it is, then we take the absolute value of input and divide it by the integer 10 in each loop until the number is zero. We store the last digit of the number in each loop. Then we multiply each value by 10 and add it to the last digit. This is how we reverse the given integer.

Here’s the code:

const reverseInteger = (input) => {

  const checkNumber =

   input > 2 ** 31 || input < -(2 ** 31) || typeof input !== ‘number’;

  if (checkNumber) return 0;

  let number = Math.abs(input);

let result = 0;

  while (number !== 0) {

   let lastDigit = number % 10;

   result = result * 10 + lastDigit;

   number = Math.floor(number / 10);

  }

return input < 0 ? -result : result;

};

console.log(reverseInteger(15345345345534534535334523));

console.log(reverseInteger(-15345345345534534535334523));

console.log(reverseInteger(123));

console.log(reverseInteger(‘123’));

console.log(reverseInteger(-456));

console.log(reverseInteger(0));

But there is an easier way to do the same. We can convert number to string and do all the operations with strong methods, like this:

const reverseInteger = (input) => {

  const checkNumber =

   input > 2 ** 31 || input < -(2 ** 31) || typeof input !== ‘number’;

  if (checkNumber) return 0;

const reversedInteger = parseInt(

  Math.abs(input).toString().split(”).reverse().join(”)

  );

return input < 0 ? -reversedInteger : reversedInteger;

};

console.log(reverseInteger(15345345345534534535334523));

console.log(reverseInteger(-15345345345534534535334523));

console.log(reverseInteger(123));

console.log(reverseInteger(‘123’));

console.log(reverseInteger(-456));

console.log(reverseInteger(0));

Conclusion 

Start improving your JavaScript skills with these optimizations. As you gain experience, you will learn more ways to optimize your code.

Talent500 is the platform for Indian developers to explore global job opportunities. Sign up here and get discovered by Fortune 500 companies and the best startups.

 

5 useful JavaScript hacks for developers in 2022

Front-end development uses multiple technologies, but JavaScript is at the core of all front-end projects. Websites and apps depend on JavaScript for dynamic content generation and interactivity. The programming language empowers over 98% of the internet, which is why it’s a great addition to your resume.

As JavaScript rapidly evolves, front-end developers must keep track of the new features and libraries. In this article, we list incredible JavaScript hacks that you can use to improve your code.

1. Nullish coalescing operator (??)

Introduced in the ES2020, the ?? operator is called the Nullish coalescing operator. It works the same as the || operator and is used to determine that the value to the operator’s left is null or undefined before returning it to the right.

While the behaviour of the ?? operator is similar to the || operator, but it’s stricter. The || operator takes the right operant in the case of false values such as False or 0. The nullish coalescing operator (??) takes the right value only when the left side is set to null or undefined. Therefore, 0 || 1 will return 1 while 0 ?? 1 results in 0.

Here’s an example:

const response = {

  settings: {

   nullValue: null,

   height: 400,

   animationDuration: 0,

   headerText: ”,

   showSplashScreen: false

  }

};

const undefinedValue = response.settings.undefinedValue ?? ‘some other default’; // result: ‘some other default’

const nullValue = response.settings.nullValue ?? ‘some other default’; // result: ‘some other default’

const headerText = response.settings.headerText ?? ‘Hello, world!’; // result: ”

const animationDuration = response.settings.animationDuration ?? 300; // result: 0

const showSplashScreen = response.settings.showSplashScreen ?? true; // result: false

Apart from Internet Explorer, all modern web and mobile browsers support ?? operator.

2. On-demand loading import modules using dynamic import ()

JavaScript allows loading dependencies using the import statement initialization like this:

import defaultExport from “module-name”;

import * as name from “module-name”;

//…

However, using such static import statements that depend on the type = “module” script tag has several drawbacks, such as:

A statically imported module can slow down the loading or execution of the code

It can take up a lot of system memory

It loads every time even when it is required less frequently

One programming hacks to use here is to load modules on-demand based on conditions. It can be used when the statically imported module is not needed immediately or only when certain conditions are triggered.

You can use the dynamic introduction of import () in JavaScript functions and classes. There are two forms to import modules dynamically:

// Form 1

import(‘/modules/my-module.js’)

 .then((module) => {

 // Do something with the module.

 });

 // Form 2

let module = await import(‘/modules/my-module.js’);

3. Replace substrings faster with String.prototype.replaceAll() 

JavaScript developers often use dynamic functions where they have to replace a string or part of a string. The traditional way is to use the String.prototype.replace() method to replace substrings, but it is not efficient. This method only replaces the first occurrence of the substring and not all.

Another important JavaScript hack is to use the String.prototype.replaceAll() method for replacing substrings. It replaces all the occurrences of a substring in the entire code.

Here is an example of the use of String.prototype.replace() and String.prototype.replaceAll() methods to replace all a with Ahui:

// before

console.log(‘a’.replace(/a/g,’Ahui’)) //a

// After simplification

console.log(‘a’.replaceAll(‘a’,’Ahui’)) //Ahui

4. Use Proxy instead of Object.defineProperty

In JavaScript, Object.defineProperty is the static method used to define a new property directly on an object or modify the existing property and return the object. However, one helpful JavaScript hack is to use Proxy instead of Object.defineProperty.

Here are the benefits of using Proxy instead of Object.defineProperty:

  • While Object.defineProperty can proxy only a particular property of an object, the Proxy can proxy the whole object.
  • Unlike Object.defineProperty, Proxy can listen to the new properties added to an object.
  • Object.defineProperty needs to do all the recursions once when all the properties inside the object are to be recursively proxied. However, a Proxy can only be recursive when called. It is not ideal but much better than Object.defineProperty.
  • A proxy can listen to the changes made to an array, but Object.defineProperty cannot.

Here is an example of how to use Proxy:

function reactive(obj) {

  return new Proxy(obj, {

   get(target, key) {

    // Can do dependency collection

    track(target, key)

    return target[key]

  },

  set(target, key, val) {

    target[key] = val

    // trigger dependency

    trigger(target, key)

  }

  })

}

The proxy method acts as a constructor that takes two arguments to generate an object from scratch – a target and a handler.

5. Convert an if/else into a one-line 

The most common practice of using an if-else statement in JavaScript is like this:

if (1 < 2) {

console.log(“True.”);

} else {

console.log(“False”);

}

But there is a powerful programming hack to achieve the same result using a ternary operator and to simplify the code.

Here’s the same code using a ternary operator:

1 < 2 ? console.log(“True.”) : console.log(“False.”);

The ‘:’ is the syntax for the ternary operator and is written like this:

condition ? exprIfTrue : exprIfFalse

Conclusion

We hope these five JavaScript hacks will help you be more productive. They can help you make your JavaScript code much more concise and cleaner. Here are some more JavaScript resources from our blog.

Talent500 is where talent meets opportunity. Join us today to find career-redefining job opportunities with global companies.

 

4 major bad habits you should avoid as a developer

A career in software development is promising not only because of the versatility of the field but also when taking into account the growth prospects. According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the demand for software developers is expected to grow by 25% between 2021 and 2031. It’s much faster than the average growth rate of all other professions. Unfortunately, the industry is struggling with a shortage of talented software engineers. In a market study, Indeed.com found that frontend developers, backend developers, full stack developers, and mobile developers rank in the top 10 most challenging to fill technical jobs.

If you plan to become a successful software developer, there are some critical mistakes that you must proactively avoid.

Here we list the bad habits that you must avoid as a developer.

1. Blindly copying and pasting codes

Software reusability is a practice that’s encouraged in the industry, but you must not blindly include other developers’ code in your projects. Copying and pasting code snippets can be devastating until you understand it’s working. When you work on large software development projects, you will use code created by other developers but being mindful of the logic of the code is mandatory.

Junior developers often use code from other sources, but as you gain experience and move to a senior developer position, you will have to get your hands dirty. The problem with blindly copying and pasting codes is that not every character is displayed in Unicode, which is why it might not be the same as visible on the screen. 

For instance, “е ẹ ė é è” all these characters are not alphabetical E in Unicode but appear to be. Some characters might not even be visible on the screen. Such characters are known as non-printing characters. Error arising from such character copy/paste can keep you stuck for a long time.

2. Assuming the product or its requirement from the end user’s perspective 

Humans are innately poor at predictions. A software developer is susceptible to predicting the end-use of a product or how users will react to it after its release. But it’s one of the worst habits a developer can nurture. Overconfidence in your assumption of a project requirement will only result in difficulties.

You might have a unique and brilliant tech idea, but you must work on every possible product’s functional specification scenario. If you fail to do so, the product will underperform. Most of the time, you will work on projects that others envision; they know what they want but don’t have the technical expertise to get there. As a software developer, you must understand and anticipate customers’ needs. You need skills other than programming, such as communication and researching, among other essential software developer soft skills.

3. Being too rigid with your skills

Among common comments on new hires is their rigidity. It is good to master a particular programming language, framework, or type of development, but you must always be ready to adapt to changes. Software development is one of the fastest-changing industries. Hence you cannot afford to be rigid with your learnings as a software developer.

You often cannot fully utilize technology or programming language before a new one arrives. If you want to be a competitive and successful software developer, you have to be versatile. Ditch your belief system that a specific problem or challenge can be handled only a certain way. Focus on continuous learning and development of your skills. Knowing several programming languages and frameworks makes you resourceful and boosts your confidence.

4. Writing large functions

New software developers are often found to write large functions. We understand that once you are in the ‘zone,’ it is easy to get lost in writing code line after line, which results in more extensive functions.

The problem with writing large functions is that it makes your code difficult to read. Software developers seldom write code for themselves but for others too. Long functions also limit the reusability of quality code and make testing difficult. If you write larger functions, you will make it difficult for other developers on the team to collaborate. A single function must do one thing and not multiple tasks.

However, not writing larger functions doesn’t imply you cannot have long lines of code. Large software projects will have functions that run up to hundreds of lines of code. But it would help if you kept it readable for everyone such that testing code doesn’t become a nightmare.

Conclusion 

Success software developers are not led by their technical proficiency alone. A competitive software developer knows what bad habits to avoid to make their work collaborative, easy to read, and functional enough to deliver the best user experience.

Talent500 is a platform for software developers to find careers at Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups. Sign up here to join our elite talent pool.

 

 

5 developer tools to boost productivity

A developer’s workflow must be uninterrupted to ensure the quality of code is not affected, but it’s hardly ever without potential interruptions and context switches. Fortunately, developer tools can help programmers maintain consistent flow states. These productivity tools allow developers to create more productive workflows.

Here we list the best productivity tools for developers picked by expert software engineers at Talent500.

1. Tuple: Productivity tool for remote pair programming 

Collaboration apps like Zoom or Slack might be appropriate for team meetings and project discussions, but for remote pair programming, they fail to provide the much-needed workflow sync. Tuple is a dedicated developer tool explicitly designed for pair programming.

It features a pair programming-focused screen sharing UI and the ability to control remote machines on low-latency connections. Tuple is one of the best developer tools to work for remote programmers to collaborate when writing code. It offers a 5k-quality video stream, HD quality audio, and efficient CPU usage. For comparison, an average Tuple call uses fewer CPU resources than Chrome when it sits idle.

2. Codestream: Easy code-level discussion

One important task that boosts productivity is effortless knowledge sharing between developers when working on a project. A developer must work outside his bubble and ensure that others know what their code does or what changes they’ve made. Such communication is essential for streamlining team workflows and producing valuable work.

Codestream is a productivity tool that captures all the discussions around code and makes it effortless to do code reviews. Codestream can work with any IDE and supports every programming language, which is why any developer can use it. One of the distinguishing features of this developer tool is that it allows discussion on a code without ever requiring a pull request. All you have to do is to highlight a code block and add a comment. Codestream strengthens the quality of your code base by allowing live discussion within the production environment.

3. f.lux: For giving your eyes a break

Programming can be unforgiving to your eyes and hamper your productivity if you write code for long stretches without giving your eyes a break. f.lux offers a solution to help developers reduce eye strain when writing code in dim light or at night. The tool intelligently adapts your screen’s display color according to different times of the day to ensure that your eyes are not overly strained.

f.lux works on all operating systems – Windows, Linux, Mac, and iOS devices. To set up f.lux, you need to tell the tool what kind of lighting you are working in and where you live; the rest the tool will handle automatically. It is a fully customizable developer tool that can be adjusted to fit your work routine.

4. LightrunAutomate logs

Bugs are unavoidable for developers; no matter how well planned and impressively coded software is, it will eventually encounter bugs. The most time-consuming activity of fixing bugs is tracking the logs to replicate the bug. While it is an essential step to fix a problem, manually tracking log files is tedious. When there are no logs, things get more complicated, and reproducing the bug becomes much more difficult without enough information.

Thankfully, Lightrun is here to help developers add logs, metrics, and traces to the code base directly into the IDE or CLI in real-time. It provides the capability to developers to have code-level observability without deploying the code to a live environment. This saves much time that is wasted on testing the code after deployment. Lightrun works on monolith microservices, Kubernetes, Docker Swarms, serverless, ECS, Big Data works, and more.

5. Asana: For team and project management

Asana is one of the most widely used workplace management tools. It is utilized for streamlining communication across companies and teams. Developers are benefited from using Asana as it allows them to break down projects into tasks and set clear goals for teams. It can be integrated with hundreds of other productivity tools such as Google Drive, Outlook, and Slack. Customizing its features allows developers to change Asana per their project requirements.

Asana is one of the best productivity tools to improve communication within development teams. Analyzing and monitoring project issues eliminates the constant need for meetings, email updates, and memos. It offers customizable dashboards; activity feeds, prioritization, email integration, focus mode and individual task lists, custom calendars, notifications, and more.

Conclusion

For developers, focus and maintained workflow is critical. We hope these productivity tools can help you avoid distractions and help you manage time and tasks much more efficiently. Developers can improve code quality, collaboration, and project management. For more productivity hacks, check out this article.

Talent500 is a platform for Indian developers to find career-redefining opportunities with fast-growing startups and Fortune 500 companies. Sign up here to join our pool of elite talent.

 

 

4 salary negotiation rules for software developers

It is observed that in the software industry, there is a high pay variance. Developers with equivalent experience may have a salary difference of thousands of dollars. Sometimes, this variation is due to the company size and salaries for the very same profiles may widely differ due to a variety of factors such as more experience, additional qualifications and such in favor of the employee.

However, this could also be a result of skillful salary negotiation. A employee study conducted by Payscale revealed 28% of employees felt uncomfortable asking for a pay raise.

The difference in developer salaries among various job profiles can also be stark because programmers are never taught how to lead salary negotiation talks. Hence the lack of understanding of the rules of pay negotiations results in settling for less pay. Whether you are a beginner developer or have years of experience, salary negotiation skills will play a key role in deciding your earnings.

Here we share some essential salary negotiation rules that developers should know.

1. Learn to be strategic with timing

One of the leverages you can have as a candidate is to have multiple offers on the table. When you have offers from various employers, you can push the interviewer to match other offers or compare benefits. The problem arises when a developer gets staggered offers, making negotiation more challenging.

You cannot negotiate the salary skillfully if the offers are too close. You might lose multiple offers if the negotiations fail. It is why you need to plan the timing of interviews carefully. For instance, if you have an interview lined up with one company and the second round of interviews with another company, choose the latest interview slots to keep them separated as much as possible.

Another scenario when the timing is essential is when pursuing a pay raise. Often developers ask for a raise during the review season. By this time, most managers have already decided who will get a raise and who won’t. Asking for a pay raise early on will be helpful for both developers and managers. It will provide feedback to the managers about the pay raise expectations, or it can result in an immediate pay raise.

However, a necessary precaution to take is to be polite with your words and avoid ultimatums. No manager will like to be told “or else.”

2. Do not tell the salary you want 

Another important rule of salary negotiation is not to specify a number when discussing your expected pay, even when you know what your skills are worth.

When you explicitly give them a number, you set a ceiling. That’s the maximum salary you will be offered, but often interviewers will negotiate the pay lower than the number you quote. In the worst case, you might mention a number lower than the company is willing to pay, lowering your payments. There is no win-win in telling them what salary you want; it will only go down from the figure you state.

Instead, ask the interviewer about their developer salary budget. They must lowball the budget, and it will give you a salary floor to negotiate up from. Similarly, you might be asked about your current compensation. Avoid answering this question as well.

You can answer such queries with something like, “I’m not comfortable sharing my current salary. Rather I would like to focus on the value I can add to the company.”

3. Focus on what the company wants, not what you prefer

All salary negotiation talks ultimately come down to what you can do for the company. You undermine the negotiation if you lead the argument by stating that you want or deserve higher pay.

When you are not logically justifying why you deserve the salary you expect, you are just making an empathetic request to the company to fulfill your desire for higher pay. It will damage salary negotiation efforts, so you must focus on the company’s needs. Tell them how you can meet them. Focus the conversation on what you bring to the table and let the company see how your skills deserve fair compensation.

Even if your developer salary demands are rejected, ask the company about its requirements. Ask what performance they expect in the next six months to feel comfortable approving your salary raise request.

The onus will be on you to prove that you can deliver what’s asked for.

4. Practice your negotiation strategy

Salary negotiation, as you read here, is easier said than done. It would help if you practiced before you could successfully negotiate your salary. Do mock negotiations with a friend to eliminate the fear of talking about money; it is an essential negotiation strategy. We are conditioned not to do so, but it’s crucial for a raise.

Practice will help you develop a natural flow to ensure you walk through the critical salary negotiation points without being anxious.

Conclusion

Salary negotiation is one of the essential soft skills for a developerIf you are a skillful negotiator, you can earn steeply more. We hope these developer salary negotiation rules will help you confidently walk into your next negotiation.

Talent500 is a platform for companies to build remote engineering teams. Join our elite talent pool to be discovered by Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups. Sign up here.

6 developer communities you should join in 2022

Developers should take note of the African proverb, “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,“. Learning to code well is a precursor for a successful career, but to accelerate your growth in the industry, being part of some developer communities is essential. 

Beginners and experienced developers can scale their learning experience by asking questions and sharing their knowledge.

We did all the legwork as we don’t want you to waste your energy trying to discover the best developer resources on the internet. Here we list the best developer communities you should join in 2022.

1. Stack Overflow

No developer community can even match the extent and reach of Stack Overflow. Stack Overflow enjoys unmatched dominance as the world’s largest developer community with over 100 million monthly visitors, more than 21 million questions, and 50.6+ billion answers. It is one of the most significant developer resources to learn code, share knowledge, showcase expertise, and get hired.

It is not surprising that 98% of software developers use Stack Overflow in some capacity once a month, while 30% use it daily. From web development to enterprise software architecture, you can ask questions on any programming topic in this community. Don’t be surprised if you find an answer to your query already posted on Stack Overflow. With such an active community of developers, likely, that someone has already asked the same question before.

2. Frontend developers

As the title implies, it’s a developer community on Discord dedicated to frontend developers. With over 18,000 front-end developers from across the globe, it is a highly diversified community. Unlike other frontend developer communities that focus on a particular tech stack or framework, this developer community is valuable for every front-end programmer irrespective of what technology they work with. From core frontend technologies – HTML, CSS, TypeScript, JavaScript, and PHP to modern frontend frameworks like React, Angular, Vue, and Svelte, there are developers from all backgrounds in this community. There is a separate design segment for UI/UX discussion.

3. Reactiflux

A great Discord community for React developers, Reactiflux is highly niche-specific, with over 185,000 React developers. It is a highly organized developer community with multiple categories. The React General section is where you can ask questions regarding React, testing, tooling, and everything related to front-end or back-end development. There are tools, libraries, promotions & events categories, and more. Reactiflux is one of the largest communities for React developers outside Facebook’s official community. And, if you need access to more resources, check out our React developer toolkit.

4. Postman student community

API is an essential technology for frontend and backend developers to understand and learn. While most communities focus on frontend or backend technologies, the Postman student community is dedicated to API development hacks. Here you can ask anything related to APIs, participate in API events, and connect with industry leaders to learn what’s happening in the API market. It is a great developer community to join, even if you have never worked with API tech. The Postman student community is a great starting post to learn, participate, and master any concept of API development.

5. WeLearnJS

JavaScript is a powerful technology for web development, and we must add a trusted developer community around this technology. WeLearnJS is a great community that is available as Slack Workspace. It has ten channels that share resources, guides, and roadmaps on various JavaScript frameworks. You can narrow it down to particular channels using hashtags like #angular-talk, #react-talk, and #vuejs-talk.

There are over 12,000 active members in the WeLearnJS community. If you have queries or want to learn a concept in-depth, you can join the #chat-room channel. The #jobs channel for exploring job opportunities is highly active with regular job postings. As a JavaScript developer, you can significantly benefit from joining this community.

6. Dev

At first glance, Dev.to might appear to be a blogging platform, but as you explore deeper, you will realize it’s an amazingly diverse and dynamic developer community. Not only are great developer resources in the form of articles and tutorials shared, but you can also discuss any topic or ask your doubts with the community. There are coding events and hackathons regularly held within the community. The support from other developers is fantastic and encourages you to participate more.

Conclusion

Here you have the best developer communities you should join in 2022. Picked by our experts, these communities are appropriate for beginners and experienced programmers as they share valuable resources for every developer. Being part of a developer community helps you avoid isolation and inculcate a sense of inclusion in the learning process. We hope you will find these developer resources relevant.

Talent500 is another excellent resource for developers to explore career opportunities with Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups. Join us today and be part of our elite talent pool.