The Full Stack Developer trek
HTML to deployment. Frontend with React, backend with Node.js, databases, auth, testing, and the end-to-end thinking that makes full-stack engineers valuable.
Web & HTTP fundamentals
How the web actually works: DNS, HTTP, the browser rendering pipeline, and the client-server model every full-stack developer builds on.
HTML, CSS & responsive design
Semantic HTML, CSS Grid, Flexbox, and building interfaces that work at every screen size.
JavaScript & TypeScript
ES2024, closures, async/await, the module system, and TypeScript — the languages of the full-stack web.
React & component architecture
Components, hooks, state, data fetching, and the React patterns used in production applications.
Node.js backend & REST APIs
Building REST APIs with Express or Fastify, structuring a Node.js application, and designing APIs that are clean and maintainable.
Databases: SQL & NoSQL
PostgreSQL for relational data, Redis for caching, and understanding which tool fits which problem.
Authentication & security
Sessions, JWTs, OAuth, and the security patterns that protect your users.
Next.js — full-stack React
App Router, Server Components, server actions, and shipping production full-stack apps where frontend and backend live together.
Testing full-stack apps
Unit, integration, and end-to-end tests — and how to structure them so they actually catch bugs in production.
Performance optimization
Core Web Vitals, bundle optimization, database query performance, and the end-to-end view of web performance.
Docker, CI/CD & deployment
Containerize the stack, build a deployment pipeline, and ship with confidence on every commit.
GraphQL & real-time
GraphQL for flexible APIs, WebSockets for real-time features, and when each pattern is the right choice.
Capstone — ship a full-stack product
Design, build, deploy, and iterate on a real full-stack product. Real users, real traffic, real feedback.
Trek complete. What's next?
You've walked the full roadmap. Now ship the capstone, write about it, and share the path with the next engineer who needs it.