Boot.dev Blog - Pg. 7

Qvault is moving to Boot.dev

Apr 07, 2022 by Lane Wagner

We’ll keep this announcement short – we’ve moved Qvault.io to Boot.dev! As you know, we’ve been hard at work bootstrapping on online computer science bootcamp. Qvault (now Boot.dev) is a simple CS curriculum where our students build real projects using modern programming languages and technologies.

How to Build the Best GitHub Profile for Your Job Search

Mar 04, 2022 by Lane Wagner

I’ve reviewed a lot of resumes, both as an engineering manager and in the monthly resume workshops we do in the Boot.dev Discord group. I’m convinced that these days a developer’s GitHub profile is just as important as their resume itself. If you haven’t started your first job yet, this advice is doubly important. Anyone looking to hire an entry-level developer is going to be diving into your public GitHub presence looking to get an idea for where your skill level is at.

8 Best Ways to Learn JavaScript, Personalized

Feb 05, 2022 by Meghan Reichenbach

JavaScript is undoubtedly one of the best languages to learn as a developer, whether you’ve been at it for years or are just starting out. More than 97% of today’s websites are powered by JavaScript. Regardless of what field you work in, you’ll likely be exposed to JavaScript at some point, as the language is firmly entrenched in the online world.

How Long Does It Take To Learn JavaScript? (& How To Learn Fast)

Feb 05, 2022 by Zulie Rane

A good programming language is one that newcomers can learn fast. This is one of the reasons why JavaScript is so popular – it’s possible to learn Javascript quickly and with minimum fuss.

Julia vs Python: Which is Best to Learn First?

Feb 05, 2022 by Zulie Rane

Anyone who’s anyone in the tech world has heard of Python. It’s one of the most popular programming languages in the world, and it’s been near the top of developer popularity rankings for years. Wired reported that it’s tied for second with Java behind JavaScript.

The 7 Best Ways to Learn Golang and Find Your Inner Gopher

Feb 05, 2022 by Natalie Schooner

Golang was released in 2012, making it a relatively new language when compared to competitors like Python, which was released nearly two decades prior, yet it’s managed to stay ahead of the game as not only a coveted language by employers, but also loved by programmers.

Top 4 Practical Uses of JavaScript

Jan 30, 2022 by Zulie Rane

JavaScript is one of the most versatile programming languages, maybe even more flexible than Python. JavaScript is used on both the front and back end of web systems. Because of that, of the 1.8 billion websites in the world, 95% of them use JavaScript. It’s hard to interact with the modern Internet, with its pretty graphics and interactive maps, without using JavaScript. Enable Marketing says the top four qualities of a visually appealing website are design and color, graphics and visuals, usability, and consistency. JavaScript is a major player in all four of those attributes.

How Hard Is Python to Learn?

Jan 24, 2022 by Zulie Rane

Quick Answer: Python is one of the easiest coding languages to learn 🔗 Python is arguably the easiest programming language for beginners to learn. If you’re interested in writing code, Python is a fantastic place to start. Aside from just being easy to learn, it’s also widely used by industry professionals so you really can’t go wrong.

JavaScript vs C++: 3 Factors To Choose Which Is Best For You

Jan 22, 2022 by Zulie Rane

Every coder is told to learn JavaScript, seeing that it’s the foundation of the world wide web. And… every coder is taught that C++ is one of the most useful modern coding languages to learn. So no matter if you’re brand new to the coding world, or you have a few languages under your belt, you might be wondering whether you should tackle JavaScript vs C++ for your first (or next) language.

Qvault Hackathon Kickoff Jan 17th, 2022

Jan 16, 2022 by Lane Wagner

We’re starting our first hackathon in the Qvault Discord server on January 17th at 8AM. Everyone is welcome to participate. Let’s go over the details about of event. You can RSVP for the event here.

An Overview of Boot.dev's Full-Stack Architecture

Jan 10, 2022 by Lane Wagner

Because I’ve had several inquiries on this topic, I thought it would be interesting to publish some information on how the boot.dev website and platform work, and how I’ve organized all the technologies I’m using. I’ll do my best to keep this list updated in the future as I migrate from older tools and technologies to newer ones, but assume that this might be a bit out of date by the time you read it.

7 Best Practices for Every Python Developer

Jan 04, 2022 by Zulie Rane

If you’re looking to improve your coding, there are lots of steps you can take, but the first is focusing on Python best practices. It’s really important that your code is readable, testable, and maintainable. From picking good variable names, refactoring code that gets repeated out into its own method, or having clean and logical lines of inheritance and abstraction, there are a lot of qualities that differentiate code that someone wants to work with from code that everyone dreads having to maintain or develop further.

Python Assert Statement, How to Test a Condition

Dec 13, 2021 by Lane Wagner

In Python, an assertion is a statement that confirms something about the state of your program. For example, if you write a createUser function and you are sure that the user needs to be older than 18, you assert that the age field is greater than or equal to 18. You can think of an assert statement like a unit test that is performed at runtime.

Complete Guide to Removing Elements From Lists in Python

Dec 09, 2021 by Lane Wagner

While lists aren’t the most efficient data structure if you’ll be doing lots of deleting from the middle, there are definitely good ways to accomplish the task. The built-in remove() method should be your first option. Let’s go over some examples.

How to Use the Ternary Operator in Python

Dec 09, 2021 by Lane Wagner

Developers love concise code that’s easy to read, and that’s exactly what ternary operators are for. The ternary operator in Python lets you perform a small if/else statement in a single line. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Removing Duplicates From a List in Python

Dec 09, 2021 by Lane Wagner

Let’s go over a few idiomatic ways to remove duplicates from lists in Python. Method #1 - Create a new list (simplest) 🔗 This is the easiest algorithm to code, but because it requires creating a new list, also requires more memory and is a bit slower.

How to Check if a File Exists in Python

Dec 08, 2021 by Lane Wagner

When working with files in Python, you’ll often need to check if a file exists before you do anything else with it, such as reading from or writing to it. Luckily, the Python standard library makes this a piece of cake.

How to Use Golang's Generics [Updated since 1.18]

Dec 06, 2021 by Lane Wagner

Generics in Go have been released with Go 1.18! This is one of the most eagerly-awaited features since the release of the language. Many devs have gone so far as to say Go’s previous lack of generic types made the language too painful to use at all. Let’s dive into what generics are, why you might use them in your own projects, and how they work in Go.

Your Code isn't Correct

Nov 29, 2021 by Lane Wagner

There is a common trap that we fall into as developers, and it is believing that because some code “worked” that the code was written “correctly”. In reality, for most technical problems, a good developer can likely point out several different solutions. Any of those solutions might be perfectly reasonable, while none of them is the single “correct way”.

Coding Interviews - Why you shouldn't give homework

Nov 18, 2021 by Lane Wagner

A while back I went through the interview process at a company I won’t name here. The first interview was basically just a phone screen, where I was able to chat with my would-be manager about things like compensation range, tech stack, work duties, etc. It went well! The guy was delightful.

Python vs C++: The Best Language To Learn For You

Nov 17, 2021 by Meghan Reichenbach

It’s either a blessing or a curse when choosing to learn Python or C++ because there couldn’t be two more opposing languages to compare.

PHP vs JavaScript: Which is Best for Web Development?

Nov 10, 2021 by Meghan Reichenbach

When comparing programming languages, it’s not often that you come across two that actually work well together, but that happens to be the case when it comes to PHP and JavaScript.

Node.js vs JavaScript: The Low-Down

Nov 09, 2021 by Zulie Rane

So you’re a fan of web development? Great! You’re probably already familiar with JavaScript (if not, check out our JavaScript course here) and may have heard of Node.js as well. But which one is better, and how are they different? When should you pick Node.js vs JavaScript?

Python vs PHP: 9 Critical Differences Examined

Nov 05, 2021 by Zulie Rane

PHP famously claims to be the backend programming language for just under 80% of the Internet. However, if you look at the popularity rankings of programming languages, Python is consistently far ahead of PHP. How can that be? Both languages can be used for backend web development, and PHP was even specifically made for web development.

Ruby vs JavaScript: Which Language Should You Learn First?

Nov 05, 2021 by Meghan Reichenbach

When broken down into core features – like programming style and code execution – JavaScript and Ruby seem deceivingly similar, but there are a few constitutional differences.