MERN + ANAi Stack Mastery: Your Journey to AI-Driven Web Development – Overview
- Ctrl Man
- Web Development , AI Integration
- 14 Oct, 2024
Transitioning to AI-Driven Web Development: MERN Stack Journey Enhanced by ANAi Module
Overview
This 10-weekends comprehensive course equips you with the skills to build AI-enhanced web applications using the MERN + ANAi stack. We enhance the traditional MERN stack with Astro for modern front-end development and Nginx for server-side configuration, focusing on real-world applications with AI-assistant code editor like Visual Studio Code with Codebase.dev plugin with open source models like Qwen2.5-coder-7b on budget Windows-based laptops, community engagement, and hands-on learning.
Prerequisites
- Proficiency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React.
- Understanding of RESTful APIs.
- Basic knowledge of Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB.
- Some exposure to server configuration (e.g., Nginx).
Week 1-2: Foundations of the MERN + ANAi Stack
Weekend 1: Introduction to the MERN + ANAi Stack
- What is MERN + ANAi?: Compare MERN with MERN + ANAi, showcasing the advantages of Astro and Nginx.
- Node.js: Advanced concepts and tools, including async/await and ES modules.
- Express.js: Efficient routing, middleware setup, and advanced use cases.
- MongoDB and Mongoose: Data modeling techniques, managing relationships, and schema design with Mongoose.
Mini-Project: Build a simple blog API using Node.js, Express, and MongoDB, modeling blog posts and comments with Mongoose.
Weekend 2: Astro for Modern Front-end Development
- Astro Setup: Overview of Astro’s static site generation, hot reloading, and component-based architecture.
- Integrating Astro: Seamlessly connecting Astro with Node.js and MongoDB.
- Tailwind CSS: Introduction to Tailwind CSS and how to style your Astro components with it.
Mini-Project: Develop a responsive front-end for the blog API using Astro and Tailwind CSS.
Week 3-4: Authentication, Security, and State Management
Weekend 3: Authentication with Lucia
- Introduction to Lucia: Learn how Lucia simplifies authentication in MERN + ANAi applications.
- Lucia vs JWT: Compare the security and flexibility of Lucia with traditional JWT.
- Implementation of Lucia: Step-by-step guide to securing your app with Lucia, using MongoDB for session storage.
Mini-Project: Secure the blog API with Lucia, allowing users to register, login, and manage sessions.
Weekend 4: Securing APIs with Nginx
- Nginx as an API Gateway: Set up Nginx for routing and securing APIs, including SSL and rate limiting.
- State Management in React: Learn Redux or MobX to handle complex application state in larger projects.
Mini-Project: Expand the blog application by securing the API with Nginx and implementing state management to handle user sessions on the front-end.
Week 5-6: AI Integration and Drag-and-Drop Functionality
Weekend 5: AI-Powered Features with OpenAI
- Introduction to OpenAI Integration: Use OpenAI to enhance your app with AI-driven features such as automatic content generation and task prioritization.
- Contextual AI: Learn how to tailor AI responses based on user behavior and app state.
Mini-Project: Enhance the blog app by integrating OpenAI, allowing users to generate blog title suggestions using AI.
Weekend 6: Drag-and-Drop Interactions
- React Beautiful DnD: Add drag-and-drop functionality using the react-beautiful-dnd library.
- Tailwind for Dynamic Styling: Leverage Tailwind to create interactive, user-friendly drag-and-drop UIs.
Mini-Project: Implement drag-and-drop sorting for blog posts or tasks within the app, styled dynamically with Tailwind CSS.
Week 7-8: Performance Optimization, Testing, and Debugging
Weekend 7: Optimizing Performance
- Front-End Performance: Optimize load times using Astro’s static site generation, lazy loading, and Tailwind’s purging features.
- Back-End Optimization: Learn how to optimize MongoDB queries, Nginx caching, and Express middleware for better performance.
Mini-Project: Refactor the blog app to enhance performance by implementing lazy loading, caching, and query optimization.
Weekend 8: Testing and Debugging
- Unit Testing in React: Introduction to Jest and React Testing Library for front-end testing.
- API Testing: Use Mocha and Chai to conduct comprehensive back-end API tests.
- Debugging Best Practices: Techniques for identifying and fixing common issues in MERN + ANAi applications.
Mini-Project: Write unit tests for your blog app, covering front-end components and back-end API routes.
Week 9-10: CI/CD, Community Engagement, and Final Deployment
Weekend 9: Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD)
- Setting up CI/CD Pipelines: Use GitHub Actions to automate testing, building, and deployment.
- Dockerization: Learn how to containerize your application with Docker for streamlined deployments.
- Open Source Contributions: How to engage with the developer community by contributing to open-source projects.
Mini-Project: Set up a CI/CD pipeline for your blog app, integrating automated testing and deployment to a live server.
Weekend 10: Final Deployment and Community Engagement
- Deploying on Hetzner & Budget Laptop Solutions: Detailed guide for deploying your MERN + ANAi app using Hetzner and home-based setups.
- Engaging with Developer Communities: Tips on participating in open-source projects, coding challenges, and developer forums for continued learning.
Final Project: Complete the AI-powered blog application, fully optimized, tested, and deployed. Present your project to the class, focusing on the key features you’ve implemented.
Final Project: AI-Powered Blog Application
- Project Overview: A fully functional blog application using Astro, Lucia, OpenAI, and the MERN + ANAi stack. This project will integrate everything you’ve learned, including authentication, AI features, state management, performance optimization, and deployment.
