superpowers

five superpowers

from node and javascript

1. http.createServer().listen()

• javascript on the server
• accessible async
• great for light, fast HTTP servers

2. npm install(x), require('x')

• catalyst for a new javascript ecosystem
• successfully sharing and re-using npm modules
• small versioned packages with dependencies
• simple file-based architecture just works
• easy to consume
• easy to publish

3. browserify

• require() for the browser
• uses AST magic to bundle recursively
• no package manifest to maintain
• includes just the code you actually need
• polyfills for node libs
• hooks for special cases

4. handlebars.registerHelper

• separates logic/code from HTML layout
• clean and simple
• {{property}} injects context object.property
• {{helper}} calls function helper() -> returns something
• {{#blockHelper}} template {{#blockHelper}} calls function blockHelper()
• block helpers iterate over the included template

5. express

• the "batteries" for building websites with node.js
• with origins in REST and ruby DSLs
• sinatra: get '/user/:id' do
• express: app.get('/user/:id', function (req, res, next)
• extensible via middleware modules for sessions, compression etc

pub-server config

• with pub-server a wider audience can enjoy these superpowers
• zero-conf express (batteries included)
• markdown based static site generator and CMS
• uses handlebars to generate HTML
• designs and layouts distributed via npm modules