Tag Archives: Web Development

Uplers made it to the Top 20 Web Design and Development Companies by Software World

Hall of Fame

On this note, we are excited to share one big piece of news with you all. We have added not just one but two more achievements to our ‘Hall of Fame’. Uplers made it to “World’s Top 20+ Digital Marketing Agencies in 2020” and “World’s Top 30+ Web Design & Development Companies in 2020” on one of the leading Soft Discovery Platforms – Software World.

It is an honor for us to receive recognition from a platform used by websites like Capterra, G2crowd, and GetApp. We are grateful to the Software World for recognizing and appreciating our efforts.

And we owe every bit of this achievement to great teamwork, commitment of everyone involved in the journey. A special thanks to, of course, our clients for believing in us – in our potential.

Nevertheless, we believe that the Digital World is driven by real-time data and primarily by solving real-life problems. It’s the work-culture, virtues, and values we foster in our work culture. It is also the ‘People-first’ ideology that has helped us build an inclusive culture and a ‘Great Place to Work.’

We believe that our journey has just begun, and there are many more milestones that await us – our people.

10 Popular Web Applications Developed Using NodeJS Framework

Check out the list of top 10 Node.js app examples and see for yourself:

1. PayPal

PayPal needs to deal with 200 million active user accounts from across the globe and it does that seamlessly.

How? Node.js framework is to thank.

The company itself issued a statement saying that their Node.Js application has 33% less code and was written in half the usual time. With this, the processing time is 2 times faster than usual. Millions of people trust PayPal and PayPal trusts Node.Js.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js is trustworthy.

2. Netflix

As a video streaming platform, Netflix’s most important success mantra is its performance. And according to official company sources, their load time went down by 70% with Node.Js framework.

They also use the TTI (Time to interactive metric) to further analyze its efficacy and use just Node.Js for coding in the future.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js positively impacts performance.

3. Uber

Uber has been doubling its capacity and size every six months or so, and according to the latest stats, they are able to process over 2 million remote processing calls per second.

Now that is impressive, ain’t it?

And Node.Js helps them do all this. It is a mobile app built with Node.Js, this is a system reliable to both drivers and customers.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js framework can help you expand, grow, and keep hassles out of the way.

4. LinkedIn

Now, this supposedly ‘antique’ platform still has 450 million users as it does help connect employers and prospective employees. When it was sold to Microsoft in 2016, the complete mobile app backend was done on Node.Js framework.

The results?

Two to ten times faster on the client-side, with servers going down from 15 to 4, and all this while traffic was being doubled.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js can speed up your redundant business/app/platform and bring new life to it.

5. eBay

With 170 million active users, the e-commerce giant, eBay needs real-time interaction. And Node.Js is what backs them. They are using the build – deploy – automate principle to transition to full-featured Node stack. So what about the results? eBay is up and running and growing strong.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js can help you maintain real-time connections to servers

6. Walmart

Walmart uses Node.Js as the orchestration layer above legacy APIs. They now are able to create and deploy new APIs for Walmart apps within just a few hours.

Results?

Release times went down significantly. The Walmart backend developers chose Node.Js and Javascript after having battled with memory for 6 months. And Node.Js framework became their saviour.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js can help you in dire times, giving quick results.

7. Medium

Medium, the popular publishing platform, uses Nginx and Node.Js together. 25 million monthly readers and thousands of published articles make it important that Medium remains service-oriented, and Node.Js makes it possible from the back-end by allowing the sharing of codes from client-side to the server-side.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js can deliver service-oriented results

8. NASA

When NASA found out their data was scattered in several locations, they went to build their own end-to-end data system and chose Node.Js for the task. A Node.js enterprise-scale architecture was made and everything was moved to a cloud.

So?

Now, there is 1 database for everything and access time was reduced by 300%.

Result? Safer living, and working conditions for astronauts.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js can offer top-notch safety solutions.

9. Mozilla

Mozilla Persona and BrowserID use Node.Js.

Why?

Number 1 – A memory capable enough to sustain 1 million users.

Number 2 – same languages as of JavaScript. The effect? Teams worked faster and productivity increased. And they are now using it for cross-platform pages and web frameworks like Express.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js is productive and fast,

10. Trello

One of the best project management tools Trello, when launched in 2011, came with JavaScript and Node.Js was used for the server-side. They have used it for multiple prototyping projects also and Node.Js is what facilitated quick testing and design changes.

Key Takeaway: Node.Js can help you build better platforms and apps with easy correction options.

Also Read: How To Hire A Team Of Best Node.JS Developers

Advantages of Node.Js in a Nutshell

Every platform that uses Node.Js framework uses it for a different advantage that it offers. And here is a list of those advantages:

1. Speed

2. Non Blocking

3. Data Streaming

4. Real Time

5. Unified Database

6. Easy Coding

7. Quick Development

8. Apt for Androids

9. Safety

10. Performance Enhancement

Performance Metrics That Can be Used

Now, coming to the real tests. What metrics should be used to test the efficiency or otherwise of Node.Js? What can help you decide whether or not the hype about Node.Js is substantial? Is it just a white elephant or a lion that is all set to roar?

Let theses metrics guide you:

1. Event loop

What does it mean: The ability to execute code in a loop

Node.Js is famous for its no-block nature. The system can handle async operations and unlimited operations can be processed

2. Real-time User Behavior

What does it mean: This metrics is all about response time measurement

Node.Js helps several applications process multiple requests in a matter of seconds. In conclusion, efficiency is proven in this regard!

3. Process Memory

What does it mean: Manage application memory so as to prevent memory leaks

Node.Js’ extremely efficient support tool, Garbage collector comes to play here. You can check how much time it spends on the tool and check for building trends by comparing memory after each run to see the results for yourself.

4. External Frameworks

What does it mean: Dependence on other servers, systems, and database

You can check the request rate, response time, APIs, content size, and error rates for gathering reliable insights.

The Bottom Line

Node.Js is the present and future of web application development. But, as it is always said, a brilliant idea in the hands of a fool can wreak havoc. And so, you need an experienced, innovative, and quick-learning Node.Js developer who can match the capabilities of Node.Js and use it to build prolific scripts and a shining future for you!

Qualities to Evaluate When You Hire a Node.js Developer

It’s not going to be easy – let’s warn you. A 2017 Forbes report informs that there has been a 2,493% increase in the demand for Node.js developers between 2011 and 2015. There is a clear mismatch between the demand and the supply.

If you have an in-house Node.js expert, take on a fast-learning intern and train them. That’s what some experts advise.

If you need to hire a Node.js developer, this is how you need to go about it.

Step 1. Identify the Skill-sets You Need

Source

It is good practice to prepare a full list of your needs. That will give you a clear idea of the skill-sets that are must-haves to address your needs, and the ones you can compromise on, maybe.

Step 2. The Search & Short-listing Phase

This is an extensive and idealistic list, but we have taken care to mark out the non-negotiables.

Look for someone with 2-3 years of experience as a Node.js developer. When scanning their CVs, check for any record of actively contributing to fixing bugs or developing patches.
It need not be a part of any job. It could be a contribution to the Node.js community. That would tell you three important things.
The person has good practical knowledge of Node.js
The person actively follows up on new developments in Node.js
The person has a deep interest in web application development and custom software
Check for their knowledge and comfort level with front-end technologies. This is important as Node.js developers need to integrate front-end elements into the design.
Knowledge of HTML5 and CSS3 is particularly important.
The Node.js developer you hire needs to have a thorough knowledge of the Agile process and ceremonies that include backlog grooming, demos, planning events, retrospectives, and scrums.
Scan for their knowledge of Node.js frameworks. The basic framework is Express, knowledge of which is a given. However, Node.js has developed other frameworks like Hapi, Koa.js, and Total.
These have expanded the functionalities of Express. When looking to hire an experienced Node.js developer you must have a knowledge of these frameworks also.
Check for their knowledge of Model-View-Controller (MVC) frameworks like Rails, Sinatra, and Strongloop. Must-have for a quality Node.js developer.
A Node.js developer needs to deal with interfaces between multiple systems. That would be impossible without a sound experience of working with RESTful APIs (Application Program Interface).
Must have the experience of working with one or more JavaScript frameworks.
Technical knowledge of CSS and GitHub coding is essential.
The capacity of writing incorporation testing codes, compound design coding ability, and knowledge of accessibility and security compliance constitute must-have skill-sets.
Knowledge of asynchronous programming. Without it, the time your Node.js developer will take more time than necessary. That is not something you need to accommodate.

Bonus skills in a Node.js developer:

Knowledge of full-stack MVC frameworks like ActionHero, Derby, Keystone.is, and Meteor is a bonus.
Experience of working with data-driven and customized web APIs like Sails signifies an advanced skill that could simplify processes like dashboards, real-time chat applications, etc.
Working knowledge of node package managers like Gulp or Grunt helps in adding efficiency and speed to your web applications.

Step 3. Interview Stage

Unless you are a technical expert of Node.js yourself, we strongly advise you to have someone who is, when you interview potential candidates. It is critical to test the technical skills when you hire a Node.js developer.

Ask questions about previous and/or ongoing work. Probe for details of the actual work. Do not ask theoretical questions. You may get learned-by-heart answers.
Encourage a discussion on the recent trends and developments in Node.js. Check for how updated your candidate’s knowledge level is. Probe for future trends understanding.
A practical test is a must. Set your candidate to apply their Node.js skills to a practical task within a stipulated time limit.
It is a good idea to assign something you’ve already solved. If the candidate can solve it faster than the time taken originally, it is a sure-shot pointer to their efficiency and skill level.

The solutions they suggest will also verify their business acumen.

Non-technical Skills you Need to Check During The Interview

As for any other role, soft skills play an important role when hiring a Node.js developer also. It is as important to check these out as the soundness of their technical skills.

If you think soft skills are not that important for a technical person, think again. In Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends Report 2016, 92% of the respondents rated soft skills as critical for a business to succeed. That is 7,000 respondents across designations from 130 countries we are talking about.

It is vital to test your candidate’s soft skills in the following areas during the interview:

Source

Communication and Collaboration Skills

A Node.js developer with sound technical knowledge, but zero communication skills for everything outside technology will end up being a burden on you.

The same is true about someone who can work exceedingly well on one’s own but has poor collaboration skills.

An easy and effective way to check basic communication skills is to ask your candidate to say something about the self that is not part of their CV.

Pairing up a candidate with another candidate, or an existing team member for a practical task is a good way of checking collaborative skills.

Problem-solving Skills

Problems will be there in any workplace. How would your Node.js developer respond to them? Find out during the interview.

Ask for a real-life example of a sticky situation your candidate has faced, and how they overcame it.

Pro-active Attitude and Initiative

Present a problem and check your candidate’s response. Choose a real-life problem that you know of. One that does not involve a life and death situation, but can make a significant difference in the outcome if one proactively addresses it.

What would you do if you recognize that your neighbor’s prized orchid has a rare plant disease and your neighbor doesn’t know that yet?

Something in these lines.

Emotional Regulation

We cannot emphasize the importance of this skill enough!

Ask your candidate to share a real-life story when they had to work with someone they intensely disliked. Probe for the details of what they actually did. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

The Final Decision

Gather some market knowledge about the salary or per hour rates of Node.js developers in your country. Ultimately, that will have a bearing on our final hiring decision.

If you are looking for one single candidate as an in-house team member, fine. What do you do if you are thinking of outsourcing your Node.js development work?

You still need to go through most of the motions we have described here. But, hire a freelancer or someone from a digital agency?

We vote for the latter. It is always safer to have someone with backup support for your project.

Pros & Cons of using jQuery Isotope in Web Development

Web development is about building a good customer experience by matching well with their expectations. It’s an ongoing process rather than a one-time job. Here are some glimpses of why we should/shouldn’t implement the Isotope plugin in web development practice.

jQuery Isotope

Isotope is an exquisite jQuery plugin used for creating magical layouts for the web interface. It has different features for Layout modes, Filtering, Sorting, Interoperability, and Progressive enhancement. Isotope has a versatile engine with the capability to accommodate multiple layout modes.

Pros

Layout Modes: Layout modes are intelligent and dynamic layouts that are used for creating stunning user interfaces (UI), and they can be achieved with CSS alone. Isotope uses masonry and packer layouts, as well as other layouts.

Filtering: It is used for hiding and revealing item elements based on the filtration criteria. This can be easily achieved with jQuery selectors. Items that match the selector criteria will be shown and the rest of the items will be hidden from the user interface. That’s how it is useful in creating an exquisite experience for visitors on your website by showing relevant items in style to attract and engage them.

Sorting: The feature helps in rearranging the order of different elements in the main user interface (UI) layout section by collecting data from item elements such as order, name, symbol, number, weight, and category.

Animation: Isotope was developed to gain the advantages of the best browser features. It provides JavaScript and you can use CSS3 transition for captivating animation effects. It also provides several methods to add new items in your web application interface.

“Web Development is a Marathon. You’ll never match customer expectations if you’re considering it a Sprint”

Cons

The functionality of any website matters a lot but that shouldn’t be at the cost of user experience. No matter Isotope adds many functionalities to the web interface, but it doesn’t mean that you should always opt for this plugin to style the user interface. You can take advantage of its features altogether, but it will make the user interface (UI) more complex with respect to browsers. It will create diverse effects such as broken layouts and certain functionality may not work properly when opened in a vintage browser i.e. Internet Explorer.

When certain functionality of your website is not working properly, It will become complex for the users to navigate and browse through. This will lead to a disgusting user experience (UX). The worst user experience may lead to an increase in bounce rate and affect the overall traffic to the website.

If your website has large data sets or a large no of images, then in such cases, it is not advisable to add this plugin for enhancing your web interface. Isotope has a limitation that we can use it with less than 100 images. More specifically, it is recommended to use it with 25-30 well-optimized images to boost performance.

Adding Isotope to the website having large data sets will affect the loading speed and it will slow down the performance of your website. Eventually, low loading speed will affect your SEO and you’ll not be able to get prior positions in search ranking.

Although, if you give lazy loading a try, it will not only improve the loading speed but will boost SEO as well.

Also, it will restrict you from customizing your website. Limited exposure to style your website may not impress visitors. Thus, you will not be able to impress visitors on your website. This will harm your brand and business on the web.

Conclusion

If you want to add some functionalities to the web interface, make sure it remains simple, easy, and efficient to navigate for users. Otherwise, it will lead to a disastrous user experience. Consider conducting a UX audit of your website.

In a nutshell, we can say that Isotope is useful for styling web interfaces for small websites with little data. For a big and enterprise class website it is recommended to avoid the use of this plugin.

MariaDB or MySQL – Have you chosen the DBMS that you NEED?

MariaDB and MySQL are Relational Database Management Systems that not only manage different kinds of data efficiently, but also allow users to multi-task.

While one half of the world bets their bottom dollar on MariaDB, the other half bets its’ on MySQL and the never ending questions on which one is better than the other and why will simply keep ricocheting off the walls.

But here’s what, you can’t decide what’s better when both are clearly being used by different industries because what’s important for one industry might not be for the other and vice versa.

So here’s what I am doing for you, I am going to break it down to the easiest form and let you decide what will work for you based on what type of industry your website falls into and what are the specifications that you want your Database Management System to have.

The two main differences between MariaDB and MySQL in terms of WordPress are:

MySQL is free and MariaDB will cost installation charges
MariaDB is for websites with huge databases and MySQL is for websites with not-so-huge databases

Why MariaDB?

Today, more than 12 million users in 45 countries are entrusting MariaDB with critical business data. And the reasons why they opted for MariaDB are mentioned below.

Efficiency in Easy Management

Efficiency in Easy Management

When it comes to handling a huge database, the main concern will always be authentic management. MariaDB provides easy user interface and thus is a better choice when it comes to managing a huge database. Easy and faster management of a huge database is one of the reasons why Google, Wikipedia, Mobilcom-Debitel, Teleplan and Micro CAD use it.

Customer Data Security

The biggest concern of a brand owning a huge database and a brand dealing with huge monetary transactions is always the security of their database. But when it comes to MariaDB, security has never been much of an issue for the users as it provides the utmost security. And that’s exactly why Google, Reuter.de, Micro CAD and various eCommerce websites use it.

Fewer BUGS to Bug You

Few of the most annoying things on a website are involuntary actions or incorrect results or faults and errors. All those wrong-goings point a finger to software bugs and they simply can’t get exhausted. But, on the bright side, they can be reduced in number and that’s exactly what the latest version of MariaDB promises, “Fewer Bugs.” Apparently, MariaDB having fewer bugs is precisely why Ars Technica uses it.

Multi-Source Replication

Multi source replication is a blessing in disguise because even if you accidentally delete some important data, you haven’t lost it totally. And that is because multi-source replication makes sure it is available at various places instead of just one. This is one of the reasons Tumblr chose to switch to MariaDB.

Evaluate Virtual Columns

Virtual columns are those columns (let’s say column A) that have temporary requirement i.e. for the completion of another column (let’s say column B). But after column A is used to complete column B, it is no more required and is thus deleted. And in this case, column A is known to be a virtual column. MariaDB supports the evaluation of the virtual column, which is basically one of the main reasons why it was chosen to be switched to by OLX.

Group Commit With Sync Binlog = 1

The commit command is used to save the changes or updates made in the database and the above command will automatically sync the updated changes in group, to the server, and this is one of the reasons why it is used by Paybox.

Logical Backups

Logical backups are flexible, larger than other backups and they take more time in the back up and restoration process and thus aren’t used for a huge database. However, in the case of MariaDB, it is not that time consuming and it doesn’t delay or stop the start transaction like it usually happens with a huge database. And this is simply yet another reason why Paybox used MariaDB.

Multiple Transactional Storage Engines

A transaction is nothing but a set of changes that must occur at once and if done simultaneously may result in negative consequences. A single transaction itself is a big deal.

Let’s say you applied for transfer of money from Bank A to Bank B. And now, the money has been deducted from account in Bank A, but it hasn’t been added to the account in Bank B. That is one unsuccessful transaction. For a transaction to be successful, the update needs to be made from both places at the same time. Now, imagine many of such updates happening at once.

Almost made your stomach churn, didn’t it? MariaDB supports multiple transactional storage engines and that is again the reason why Paybox opted for MariaDB since it clearly deals with a whole lot of transactions.

Cluster Management

Clusters are a group of repetitive tasks that are not only advantageous when it comes to dealing with huge database management systems, but are also cheaper than many other techniques. Trans Ticket found it easy to build and maintain clusters in MariaDB.

Why MySQL?

WordPress Development Services covers 27% of the web and most of these use the default MySQL database management system offered by WordPress.

Inbuilt By Default

MySQL is the default Database Management System for WordPress and it clearly saves you from the trouble of downloading and installing it.

Free

Yes, you heard that right! If you fall into the 27% of the world whose websites are built on WordPress, then MySQL is definitely free for you. Budget is definitely a big deal when it comes to building a website and handling a business. Having MySQL as the Database Management System will help you eradicate the cost issue.

Not a Google Sized Database?

If you have a huge database but that isn’t as tremendous as Google or Wikipedia but is as huge as LinkedIn or is smaller than that, MySQL is the best fit for you. It is not only free but will also save you from the hassle of downloading and installing some other Database Management System in exchange of a couple hundred bills flying out of your pocket.

Efficiency in Data Warehouse Testing

The reason WordPress uses MySQL is because WordPress uses the PHP language to store and retrieve data from the MySQL database. To retrieve data from the MySQL database, WordPress runs SQL queries to dynamically generate content. SQL is Structured Query Language and is the programming language typically used to query database.

Efficiency in Complex Projects

MySQL is being used by one of the largest software systems, Adobe Systems, and it is being embedded on various Adobe components for efficiency in complex projects.

Reliability in Data Accuracy

MySQL is a reliable and robust database management system, as Query Surge quotes, and it works both effectively and efficiently even while tackling large queries.

MySQL Cluster

MySQL cluster lets Telenor do all the upgrades online and thus Telenor ends up saving downtime while launching new services. MySQL is used to store IP leases, subscriber service configurations, entitlements, and provisioning.

No Database Administrator?

According to ScienceLogic, MySQL is easily installed and administered totally by the embedded application. The website has claimed to have provided zero administration via tuning and coding instead of using a Database Administrator.

To sum it up, MariaDB and MySQL both have their own positive aspects and in the end, it all depends on what kind of industry your business falls in and the kind of database you own