Preface

JavaScript Fatigue was a trendy term back in 2016, a time when new libraries and frameworks emerged on a daily basis. This promoted diversity, but also crippled developers with too many options. Even today, developers are expected to have experience working with build tools, linters, testing frameworks, assertion libraries, package managers, module loaders, module bundlers, routers, web servers, compilers, transpilers, static typecheckers, virtual DOM libraries, state management tools, CSS preprocessors and UI Frameworks (I've probably missed a few).

No wonder people find it difficult to get started, or even keep up, with JavaScript. Many have spent days learning a dozen different tools just to set up their project. And that's before they write a single line of code! 

Nonetheless, this boom in diversity does bring tangible benefits—it pulls us away from opinionated frameworks and allows us to tailor our application as a composite of many smaller modules. Therefore, instead of bemoaning the state of the ecosystem, we should spend the time to learn each tool.

If that sounds like a tortuous undertaking, then this book will save you a lot of time.

Whilst most programming books today examine a single framework, library, or language in great detail, this book provides you with a solid foundation on a wide range of tools and practices commonly used in enterprise environments. Each of them contributes to building a reliable, production-ready application. In other words, we focus on breadth over depth.

We also value structure over chaos; as such, there's a heavy emphasis on establishing best practices, following processes, testing, infrastructure, and automation. If these words whet your appetite, then this book is perfect for you.