Write Node.js Apps that Won't Fall Over

Node.js is becoming ever more popular, but as a developer you know there’s a huge difference between doing a few tutorials, and writing code ready for traffic. So are you ready to make your Node.js apps tough enough for real-world use? Want to take your Node.js skills to the next level?

On Saturday July 5th, Hacker Retreat will be opening its doors to Berlin for an all-day hands-on workshop with our visiting JavaScript and Open-source mentor, Benjamin Lupton. Ben has been creating production Node.js applications for his consultancy and community Bevry for over 3 years now. He is also author of popular open-source JS projects such as History.js and Docpad used by tens of thousands of developers.

Ben has that magic and rare combination of a phenomenal depth of knowledge, coupled with an ability to just get stuff done. Hands down the best Javascript developer I've ever worked with, and whenever I have a tricky project that others would pass as impossible, I reach for his phone number first.

— Andrew Jessup, Product Manager, Google

In this workshop, Benjamin will teach you how to write robust Node.js code and boost one of your most critical skills, debugging. The workshop’s three key lessons are:

1. How to debug node.js applications systematically and efficiently,
2. How to prevent common errors from bringing your system down,
3. How to recover from errors gracefully, when they do occur.

The workshop will also cover general best practices for building production-ready Node.js code - from someone who has done it and enjoys teaching it.

Identify Errors, Debug Them, Fix Them

Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it.

— Brian Kernighan

What do you do when you are developing and something goes wrong? How do you deal with that uncaught exception? Will you debug with console.log, stack traces, or use step-by-step interactive debugging?

• Learn the different types of exceptions you'll encounter everyday in Node.js work, from unexpected logic errors to unexpected background errors,
• Learn how to best identify what went wrong, why it went wrong, and how to fix it.

Safely Handle Uncaught Exceptions through Good Design

How do you correctly throw and recover from errors such that your Node.js application always stays in an expected state?

Do you ignore errors and have your entire application crash or restart when one is encountered? Do you output what went wrong, and continue on as usual in an unknown state risking unknown problems? Or do you safely throw and handle errors in a way that they never escalate further than needed?

• Learn the different ways to safely "throw" Node.js errors, when to use them, how to use them, as well as ways to safely "handle" errors so that you can recover from them appropriately.
• Learn general best practices about Node.js code structure, application design, and flow control to best compartmentalize its execution such that if an error does occur, you can collapse it accordingly, without it escalating and bringing your app down.
• Learn proven design principles: how to structure and execute your application in an intuitive, easy to follow, but robust way.

Spots are limited, so if reliable Node.js apps are important to you, sign up immediately!

Clean code, with robust flow, lets your application go!