Concept Guides
Web & Backend
How data moves between a browser and a server, and the frameworks built on top of it.
HTTP and HTTPS
The request-response protocol that moves almost everything on the web, and the encryption layer that keeps it private.
REST APIs
An architectural style for exposing data as addressable resources, manipulated with a small, predictable set of HTTP verbs.
GraphQL
A query language for APIs where the client specifies exactly the shape of the data it wants back, in one request.
WebSockets
A persistent, two-way connection between client and server, opened with a single HTTP handshake.
Webhooks
A way for one service to notify another the moment something happens, instead of being asked over and over.
JWT and OAuth
A signed token format for carrying claims about who someone is, and a protocol for letting one app act on a user's behalf at another.
Node.js and Express
A JavaScript runtime for running JS outside the browser, and the minimal framework most people learn a server with on top of it.
React and Next.js
A library for building UIs out of components, and the framework that adds routing, rendering, and backend glue around it.
.NET and ASP.NET Core
Microsoft's free, cross-platform runtime and the web framework built on top of it — a compiled, statically-typed alternative to Node.js and Java.
Angular
Google's TypeScript-first, all-in-one frontend framework — opinionated and batteries-included where React leaves those choices to you.