Web App Fundamentals (Part 1)

Join Kent C. Dodds for "Web App Fundamentals (Part 1)"

August 16, 2023

The problem statement

The web is a powerful tool for building applications

And too many web developers don't know how to use it

Since the beginning, the web platform has had primitives for building applications that can reach the increasing number of people on the planet with an internet connection. Tools exist to help you do this, but a lack of understanding in the web primitives they're built upon has led many web developers to build applications that are slow, inaccessible, and difficult to maintain.

Understanding the foundational primitives of the web will make you a better web developer, regardless of the tools you use. In this workshop we'll be working in a real-world application that uses a framework, but do so through the lense of the web platform primitives to make sure we're taking full advantage of the web. And then we'll come back in Web App Fundamentals (Part 2) to take it even further.

At the end of this workshop you'll be able to do all of these things yourself.

Here's why you should register for the workshop.

01.Load CSS and use modern authoring techniques
Learn how to optimize your web application's styling by loading CSS efficiently and using modern authoring techniques that can save you and your team time and effort in the long run.
02.Take full advantage of the power of the URL
The URL is a powerful tool for building web applications. It's one of the super-powers of the web that other platforms don't have. In this workshop, you'll learn how to use it effectively to improve both the user experience as well as the developer experience and the usability of your web application.
03.Load your data efficiently
One of the keys to building a high-quality web application is loading your data efficiently. In this workshop, you'll learn how to optimize your data loading, including using platform standard caching techniques.
04.Use JavaScript to enhance the experience, not enable it
JavaScript can add a lot of value to your web application, but it's important to use it wisely. In this workshop, you'll learn how to use JavaScript to enhance the user experience, rather than relying on it to enable core functionality. This will make your application more accessible and maintainable in the long run. We're going to make JavaScript pay for it's weight.

The topics we will be covering.

This is what we will talk about.

01.
Styling

02.
Nested routing

03.
Data loading

04.
Data mutations

05.
Scripting (Pending UI and prefetching)

Required experience

You should have experience with these JavaScript features and attend my React Hooks Workshop or have the equivalent experience. This workshop will use TypeScript, but should be completable if you do not have experience with TypeScript.

Important Note

Depending on the questions asked during the workshop, or necessary changes in the material, the actual content of the workshop could differ from the above mentioned topics.

What to expect from a Kent C. Dodds workshop

My primary goal is retention. If you can't remember what I've taught you, then the whole experience was a waste of our time.

With that in mind, we'll follow the teaching strategy I've developed over years of teaching (learn more about my teaching strategy here).

The short version is, you'll spend the majority of time working through exercises that are specifically crafted to help you experiment with topics you may have never experienced before. I intentionally put you into the deep end and let you struggle a bit to prepare your brain for the instruction.

Based on both my personal experience and scientific research around how people learn, this is an incredibly efficient way to ensure you understand and remember what you're learning. This is just one of the strategies I employ to improve your retention. I think you'll love it!

I'm excited to be your guide as we learn together!

Don't just take my word for it.

What others have to say

It was 🤯. A lot of fun, and I learned so much in one day. My understanding of how the web actually works is now more and I got excited about Remix too. Pumped to put it all into practice. 13/10.

Gwen Shapira

Co-founder @ Nile

I used Epic React not to just upskill myself but I took the knowledge gained from the course and added them to patterns I showed coworkers and mentees. The teaching and learning approach that the platform implements utilizes some of the best learning and memory techniques available from modern research in those fields.

Jacob M-G Evans

Sr. FullStack Engineer

Kent is a great teacher. Coming to JavaScript world and learning and implementing React in daily life was made so easy by this course. The hands on working on project and his tips were greatly helpful in real life.