Overview
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Prepare for a career in the high-growth field of backend development. In this program, you’ll develop skills needed for an entry-level, backend JavaScript developer in as little as 4 months. No prior degree or software engineering experience is required.
Industries have ever-increasing needs for talented backend developers who can use JavaScript to write server-side applications. These modular applications connect to front-end interfaces and enable communication with databases, networking technologies, and more to power the user experience.
When you complete this program, you’ll develop expertise with the range of back-end developer tools that make them highly sought after in our web-centric world. Get hands-on experience with server-side systems that power modern web and mobile applications to get hands-on experiences with these technologies.
Technologies covered include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, Express, Git and GitHub, SQL and NoSQL databases, containers with Docker, Kubernetes, Microservices, and Serverless. Upon completing the full program, you will have built a portfolio of projects to provide you with the confidence to excel in your interviews. You’ll receive a Professional Certificate and badge from IBM to showcase your proficiency to potential employers.
In the final course, you will learn inside tips and steps to perform professionally and effectively at interviews and unlock exclusive access to career support resources to help you in your job search.
Syllabus
- Course 1: Introduction to Software Engineering
- Course 2: Introduction to HTML, CSS, & JavaScript
- Course 3: Getting Started with Git and GitHub
- Course 4: JavaScript Programming Essentials
- Course 5: Developing Back-End Apps with Node.js and Express
- Course 6: Get Started with Cloud Native, DevOps, Agile, and NoSQL
- Course 7: Introduction to Containers w/ Docker, Kubernetes & OpenShift
- Course 8: Application Development using Microservices and Serverless
- Course 9: Node.js & MongoDB: Developing Back-end Database Applications
- Course 10: Application Security for Developers and DevOps Professionals
- Course 11: Monitoring and Observability for Development and DevOps
- Course 12: JavaScript Back-end Capstone Project
- Course 13: Software Developer Career Guide and Interview Preparation
Courses
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Take the next step in your software engineering career by getting skilled in container tools and technologies! The average salary for jobs that require container skills is $137,000 in the US according to salary.com, making Devops professionals and developers with these skills highly in demand. More than 70 percent of Fortune 100 companies are running containerized applications. But why? Using containerization, organizations can move applications quickly and seamlessly among desktop, on-premises, and cloud platforms. In this beginner course on containers, learn how to build cloud native applications using current containerization tools and technologies such as Docker, container registries, Kubernetes, Red Hat, OpenShift, and Istio. Also learn how to deploy and scale your applications in any public, private, or hybrid cloud. By taking this course you will familiarize yourself with: - Docker objects, Dockerfile commands, container image naming, Docker networking, storage, and plugins - Kubernetes command line interface (CLI), or “kubectl” to manipulate objects, manage workloads in a Kubernetes cluster, and apply basic kubectl commands - ReplicaSets, autoscaling, rolling updates, ConfigMaps, Secrets, and service bindings - The similarities and differences between OpenShift and Kubernetes Each week, you will apply what you learn in hands-on, browser-based labs. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to build a container image, then deploy and scale your container. The skills taught in this course are essential to anyone in the fields of software development, back-end & full-stack development, cloud architects, cloud system engineers, devops practitioners, site reliability engineers (SRE), cloud networking specialists and many other roles.
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Welcome to this introductory course on microservices and serverless, essential technologies for cloud native and application modernization workloads. Rather than building large applications, known as monoliths, that perform all the functionality, microservices break down larger applications into smaller pieces that are independently maintainable and scalable, providing a host of benefits. This architecture is now used in the largest software organizations in the world, because it provides cost benefits, team autonomy, and other advantages. Likewise, serverless has emerged as an increasingly popular compute option in the cloud era. Giving developers and operators the ability to run applications without managing underlying infrastructure. In this course, you will create microservices using various methodologies. You will create REST APIs using Python and Flask. Next, you will learn the basics of Serverless applications, and how to run your applications on the IBM Cloud Code Engine. The course contains several hands-on labs which allow you to practice and apply the content you learn in the course. In the final project, you will create a front-end application composed of several microservices and deploy them on the Cloud using serverless.
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Get started with Git and GitHub in this self-paced, introductory course! You’ll become familiar with collaborative version control and popular Git platforms. Collaboration and social coding are crucial parts of contemporary Software Engineering practices and the DevOps culture. You will begin this course with an overview of Git and Github fundamentals and explore key Git concepts such as branching and repositories, as well as the use of Git commands. You will also learn and practice various Git concepts such as forking, cloning and merging workflows using hands-on labs. And you’ll learn to use GitHub to work effectively as a team, and perform common Git operations, from both the Web UI and command line. The course wraps up with a final project where you will start building your portfolio by creating and sharing a public/open-source GitHub project. By completing this course you will demonstrate your Git and Github skills as well as add a project to your resume! All hands-on activities in this course can be performed using web-browser based tools and interfaces. Installation of any specialized software is NOT required on your own computer in order to complete the course.
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Are you curious about the lucrative field that is software engineering and how you might be a part of it? This is the course for you! By taking this course, you will gain foundational knowledge of software development, programming, and the many exciting job roles and career paths that the IT industry offers. Learn about the power of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), and modern software development frameworks methodologies like Agile and Scrum. Explore fundamental programming principles and foundations of design, architecture, and deployment. The course offers a number of labs that will help you get important hands-on experience. These include getting started with an IDE, the basics of programming in Python, and Hello World in 10 languages. The field of software engineering is growing at an estimated rate of 22% according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. In addition to aspiring software engineers, front-end, back-end, full-stack developers, and DevOps professionals, this course is also suitable for those in related careers such as Product and Project Managers, IT Managers, Information Developers, UI/UX designers, and others who communicate and interact with software engineers. You will learn about the different job opportunities and possible career paths in software engineering and hear from industry professionals about their daily work. Software engineering professionals are in great demand, and now is the right time to learn more about this exciting domain. Start by enrolling now!
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In a recent Stack Overflow survey, Node.js was used by about 50% of the developers who answered the survey, making it the most used server-side technology. Express ranked as the fourth most popular web technology overall, making it the most popular server-side web framework. In this course, you will focus on Node.js and Express. Specifically, you will - develop applications using asynchronous callbacks and promises - create REST APIs and perform CRUD operations - implement authentication and session management Throughout the course, you will complete numerous hands-on labs to gain practical experience. At the end of the course, you will demonstrate your Node skills with a final project to build your portfolio. This course will help you succeed as a back-end or full-stack developer. It suits those in IT looking to step up in their careers or new graduates seeking to establish their server-side skills. This course suits those who need to manage cloud-centric projects. Note: This course requires knowledge of JavaScript and Git.
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Application developers and DevOps professionals must ensure their app works at its best. However, these app may need help with bugs, slow speed, or subpar performance. Professionals need to monitor and observe its performance continually. Application monitoring involves identifying, measuring, and evaluating the effectiveness of an application. On the other hand, Observability refers to how well an app can be monitored by the data obtained from monitoring. Both monitoring and observability are necessary to gain insights into the system and ensure its proper functioning. This course thoroughly introduces monitoring and observability, covering fundamental concepts and popular tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Mezmo (LogDNA), and Instana. You will also learn about the three pillars of observability and tracing for container applications and gain hands-on experience with the OpenTelemetry framework. Throughout the course, you will complete interactive hands-on labs to apply your knowledge, and gain experience with the tools and techniques used by software and DevOps professionals. By the end of this course, you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge of monitoring and observability, and you will gain the confidence to perform these tasks in a practical setting.
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Would you like to explore the complete process of developing cloud-native applications from inception to implementation? This course covers essential cloud concepts such as Cloud Native Applications and CNCF and their impact on cloud application developers. You'll delve into specific tools and techniques for building cloud-native apps. Next, you'll discover how to enhance your organization's culture through DevOps. You'll ensure consistent behavior and maintain high code quality by experimenting with various approaches, such as test-driven and behavior-driven development. Furthermore, you will explore the benefits of implementing Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery practices alongside Agile methodologies and Scrum practices and how aligning teams and promoting autonomy contributes to developing superior systems. The course also covers critical MongoDB principles, offering an in-depth understanding of its characteristics. Additionally, you'll gain insights into IBM Cloudant, exploring its architecture, technologies, advantages, and everyday use cases. Finally, you'll undertake a final project where you'll deploy and modernize an application, create user stories, enhance functionality, and redeploy using CI/CD. This project will be an excellent addition to your portfolio, displaying your newfound skills.
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How vulnerable are your applications to security risks and threats? This course will help you identify vulnerabilities and monitor the health of your applications and systems. You’ll examine and implement secure code practices to prevent events like data breaches and leaks, and discover how practices like monitoring and observability can keep systems safe and secure. You will gain extensive knowledge on various practices, concepts, and processes for maintaining a secure environment, including DevSecOps practices that automate security integration across the software development lifecycle (SDLC), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) for identifying security flaws, Dynamic Analysis, and Dynamic Testing. You’ll also learn about creating a Secure Development Environment, both on-premise and in the cloud. You’ll explore the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) top application security risks, including broken access controls and SQL injections. Additionally, you will learn how monitoring, observability, and evaluation ensure secure applications and systems. You’ll discover the essential components of a monitoring system and how application performance monitoring (APM) tools aid in measuring app performance and efficiency. You’ll analyze the Golden Signals of monitoring, explore visualization and logging tools, and learn about the different metrics and alerting systems that help you understand your applications and systems. Through videos, hands-on labs, peer discussion, and the practice and graded assessments in this course, you will develop and demonstrate your skills and knowledge for creating and maintaining a secure development environment.
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Want to take the first steps to become a Web Developer? This course will help you discover the languages, frameworks, and tools you will need to create interactive and engaging websites right from the beginning. You’ll begin by understanding the roles of front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers and how they collaborate, along with the terminology and skills essential for a web development career. Next, you’ll dive deep into HTML5—learning about structural elements like section, article, header, footer, and form controls such as input, fieldset, and legend. You’ll also explore the Document Object Model (DOM), scripting basics, and browser compatibility. Moving on to CSS, you’ll learn how to style and format web pages using selectors, IDs, and classes. You’ll explore layout tools like Flexbox and gain hands-on experience with responsive design using frameworks such as Tailwind CSS and Bootstrap. In JavaScript, you'll learn about variables, control structures, functions, prototypes, and how to interact with the DOM, along with practical experience using APIs and client-side scripting techniques to enhance user interaction. By learning the fundamentals of HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, you will be able to combine them to: - Create the basic structure of a website - Create format and layout for web applications - Enhance your website and create rich, interactive applications - Increase user interactivity and enhance user experience - Give your website a real wow factor! Throughout the course, you'll apply your learning through numerous hands-on labs and conclude with a final project where you'll build a webpage to showcase your skills and strengthen your portfolio.
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JavaScript has become the most popular programming language amongst software developers. This JavaScript essentials course is designed for anyone interested in a software engineering career as a web, mobile, front-end, back-end or full stack developer. You’ll start with JavaScript basics, covering fundamental concepts and ECMAScript 6 features. You’ll also explore key data structures, including arrays, DOM, AJAX, and effective debugging techniques. Next, you will focus on honing your error handling and DOM manipulation skills. You’ll explore handling errors and exceptions in JavaScript, become proficient in working with functions and events, apply string manipulation techniques, and learn to traverse and manipulate the DOM to create dynamic web pages. You’ll use JavaScript functions, tools, and libraries to create and style navigation and pages and utilize AJAX to fetch and display data from APIs. Throughout this course, we will provide step-by-step instructional guidance through videos followed by hands-on labs to practice what you learn. You will also complete a final project to showcase your newly acquired JavaScript programming skills and build a dynamic website. This course is for JavaScript beginners and assumes a basic working knowledge of HTML, CSS and Git.
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Node is the first choice for developing server-side applications as it allows for cross-platform application development. When connected with databases, Node revolutionizes the development of web applications, enabling robust and scalable data manipulation. In this intermediate-level IBM course, you will learn how to construct RESTful APIs using Node.js and the Express framework to communicate with NoSQL databases like MongoDB. You will explore approaches to create endpoints, secure them with web tokens, seamlessly handle errors, debug and deploy applications efficiently. Additionally, the course will help you with optimization techniques, back-end performance, and how to scale these applications to deploy a fully functional cloud-native application on cloud platforms. The course consists of a combination of instructional videos, and assessments to learn the concepts. You will test your knowledge with practice and graded assessments and implement the skills you learn in hands-on labs and a final project so you have artifacts to showcase your knowledge to future potential employers.
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Software engineering professionals are in high demand around the world, and the trend shows no sign of slowing. There are lots of great jobs available, but lots of great candidates too. How can you get the edge in such a competitive field? This course will prepare you to enter the job market as a strong candidate for a software engineering position. It provides practical techniques for creating essential job-seeking materials such as a resume and portfolio, along with supporting tools like a cover letter and an elevator pitch. You’ll also learn how to conduct company and industry research, identify the right roles for your interests and skill level, and build a targeted job search strategy. You’ll get guidance on how to network both online and offline, assess job listings, and submit high-quality applications. The course will also walk you through each stage of the interview process, from initial screenings to coding challenges, second-round interviews, and final conversations with hiring teams. It doesn’t stop there. You’ll get inside tips on how to follow up professionally after an interview and reflect on your performance to continuously improve. You’ll also gain insight into the regular responsibilities and tasks of software developers, explore career pathways, and learn from experts who have successfully navigated the tech industry. Throughout the course, seasoned software professionals share their own career journeys and advice, offering practical strategies for networking, preparing for interviews, and standing out in technical evaluations. This course will prepare learners for roles with various titles, including Software Engineer, Software Developer, Application Developer, Full-Stack Developer, Front-End Developer, Back-End Developer, DevOps Engineer, and Mobile App Developer.
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Demonstrate your mastery of JavaScript back-end application development by completing this capstone project! In this course, you will apply your knowledge and skills to a real-life inspired challenge and use your expertise to develop a successful solution. The project provides you with an opportunity to solidify your JavaScript back-end proficiency. In this course, you develop a robust microservices back-end architecture using JavaScript, Node.js, Express, and MongoDB, and apply CI/CD and Kanban board practices. In this capstone, you apply knowledge of in-demand skills such as: - Write RESTful APIs with appropriate error handling - Create MongoDB APIs for CRUD operations - Test and invoke microservices to verify their functionality - Implement back-end security best practices using JWT - Integrate with a front end to deploy the full-stack app using IBM Code Engine and Kubernetes Upon completion, you will have a working back-end application to showcase to potential employers. Before starting this course, we recommend completing all the other courses offered in the IBM JavaScript Backend Software Developer Professional Certificate.
Taught by
Alex Parker, Bethany Hudnutt, IBM Skills Network Team, Michelle Saltoun, Muhammad Yahya, Ramanujam Srinivasan, Rav Ahuja, Richa Arora, Sachin Jambur and Upkar Lidder