Web Development Notes

This page aggregates recurring themes about web development: JavaScript, HTML/CSS, backend choices, and databases.

Common frontend stack elements in the conversations:

• Vanilla JavaScript remains the baseline:
  • Understand the event loop, promises/async, and the DOM.
  • Avoid over-relying on heavy frameworks for simple tasks.

• Modern frameworks/libraries:
  • React and similar ecosystems appear in discussions.
  • Recommendations emphasise:
    • Componentisation.
    • Clear state management.
    • Avoid unnecessary re-renders and over-engineering.

• HTML/CSS fundamentals:
  • Semantic HTML for accessibility.
  • CSS flexbox/grid for layout instead of deeply nested floats.
  • Use of browser dev tools to inspect layout and performance.

Prominent advice: understand the platform first (HTML/JS/CSS) before “jumping straight into framework X”.

No single backend was “the only one”; discussions touched on several:

• Python with small frameworks (Flask, FastAPI).
• Node.js for lightweight REST APIs, websockets, and real-time apps.
• Occasional mentions of Go, Rust, or PHP frameworks.

Common backend patterns:

• Separate business logic from HTTP handling.
• Use environment variables or config files for secrets.
• Keep endpoints simple and well-documented.

SQL and relational databases showed up repeatedly:

• PostgreSQL and MySQL/MariaDB as typical choices.
• Emphasis on:
  • Modelling data with proper normalization where appropriate.
  • Using indexes thoughtfully.
  • Writing clear, maintainable SQL instead of burying everything in ORMs.

Typical guidance:

• Start with a simple relational schema.
• Only introduce complex sharding/replication once you truly need it.

While not always spelled out systematically in the chat, the security mindset was present:

• Always validate and sanitize user input.
• Protect against:
  • SQL injection (use parameterised queries).
  • XSS (encode output, use CSP when possible).
  • CSRF (tokens or same-site cookies).
• Use HTTPS everywhere; terminate TLS at nginx or a similar proxy.

Recurring tools and practices:

• Version control with Git, often via self-hosted forge software.
• Local development setups using containers (Docker-Compose) or lightweight virtualenvs for Python.
• Linters and formatters:
  • ESLint/Prettier for JS.
  • Black/isort/flake8 for Python backends.

The underlying trend is towards simple, well-understood stacks rather than chasing every new framework.