Boot.dev Blog
Top 4 Practical Uses of JavaScript
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
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?
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
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
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
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
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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updated in the future as I migrate from older tools and technologies to newer ones, but assume that this might be a bit out of date by the time you read it.
Python Assert Statement, How to Test a Condition
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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.
How to Use the Ternary Operator in Python
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
Let's go over a few idiomatic ways to remove duplicates from lists in Python.
Complete Guide to Removing Elements From Lists in Python
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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 Check if a File Exists in Python
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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]
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
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
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?
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
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
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?
Ruby vs JavaScript: Which Language Should You Learn First?
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.
Python vs PHP: 9 Critical Differences Examined
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
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.
The Best Product Managers Have The Worst Ideas
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
It's hard finding good product people. That fact is really a tragedy because they are probably the most important part of any product-focused organization. I think there is a misconception in the software industry that product managers have a good sense of "what users want", "what the next feature should be" or "ux design". In reality, I've come to believe that the best product managers aren't good at any of that, and they know it.
Ruby vs Python: 10 Questions to Ask Before You Choose
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
A ruby is a beautiful red gemstone; a python is a beautiful green snake. Aside from that, they're both very popular programming languages. They're popular for different reasons, and they're good at different things. Before you choose between Ruby vs. Python, make sure you ask yourself these 10 questions.
The 7 Best Ways to Learn Python
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
Everyone wants to know the best way to learn to code Python nowadays. It's a great language, as I've written about before, with great career prospects and tons of useful features.
19 Simple JavaScript Projects for Beginners [Updated for 2026]
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
Really good JavaScript projects for beginners can be tough to find. Sometimes they're too hard, or assume too much prior knowledge. Sometimes they're actually too easy, and don't push you to develop any solid JavaScript skills. (Cough cough, that tic-tac-toe game I know you've probably seen recommended about a thousand times by now.)
C# vs JavaScript: Choosing the Best Language for You
by Meghan Reichenbach
JavaScript (JS), once regarded as simply a "glue language", has gone on to become the most popular programming language in the world.
17 Fascinating Python Projects for Beginners
by Zulie Rane - Data analysis and computer science techincal author
I've made no secret of the fact that I love Python, and that I believe one of the best ways to learn Python is by finding an awesome project you care about to work on. There's nothing more stimulating than passion and curiosity, and that makes the best projects for Python beginners usually something a little grittier than the standard tutorials.
Four-Course Python Data Structures and Algorithms Track Released
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
We recently took a look at our course curriculum and felt that our current Learn Algorithms course, written in Go, would be better served if it covered Python instead. After much deliberation, we decided to rewrite the course, and we're super excited to have now released the course in Python!
