Issue 4

Today’s Issue: How to version control responsibly, getting lazy with lazy loading, and some jobs for the junior devs out there

Welcome to #4.

First Up - Git 101

We all know Git is an essential tool for developers, but with so many commands available, it can be hard to remember the most important ones. Whether you're new to version control or just need a quick reference, this Git Cheat Sheet will help you boost your productivity and keep your codebase organized!

Let’s dive into the essentials:

1. Setting Up Your Git Repository

   • Initialize a New Repo:

     • git init – Start tracking your project from scratch.

   • Clone an Existing Repo:

     • git clone <repo-url> – Get an existing codebase and start contributing.

2. Configure Git

   • Set Your Username:

     • git config --global user.name "Your Name"

   • Set Your Email:

     • git config —global user.email “[email protected]”

3. Basic Workflow Commands

   • Check Repo Status:

     • git status – Find out what’s changed, staged, or needs committing.

     • Add Files:
       git add <file-name> or git add . – Stage your changes for a commit.

     • Commit Changes:
       git commit -m "A meaningful message" – Save your progress with a descriptive message.

4. Branching and Merging

   • Create a New Branch:
     git branch <branch-name> – Work on features separately from your main code.

   • Switch to a Branch:
     git checkout -b <branch-name> – Create and switch to a new branch in one step.

   • Merge Branches:
     git merge <branch-name> – Integrate your feature branch into the main project.

5. Undoing Changes

   • Unstage Changes:
     git reset <file-name> – Mistakenly added a file to the stage? Reset it.

   • Revert Uncommitted Changes:
     git checkout -- <file-name> – Undo modifications in your working directory.

6. Working with Remote Repos

   • Push Changes:
     git push origin <branch-name> – Send your updates to the remote repo.

   • Pull Updates:
     git pull – Grab the latest changes from the remote repo and merge them.

With these commands, you’ll be ready to manage your projects, collaborate with other devs, and keep your version control skills sharp.

Second - Lazy Loading

Lazy loading is a smart optimization technique that can drastically improve the performance of your web applications. The concept is simple: instead of loading all the content on a page upfront, lazy loading only loads the content when it's needed—usually when it’s about to enter the user’s viewport.

This is particularly useful for images, videos, or heavy resources that don’t need to be visible immediately. By deferring their loading, you reduce the initial load time of the page, which creates a faster, smoother experience for the user.

🔧 How It Works:

• Without Lazy Loading: When a user visits your site, the browser attempts to load all elements (images, scripts, etc.) at once, even if some of those elements aren’t immediately visible on the screen. This can slow down the page, especially if it contains a lot of media.

• With Lazy Loading: Only the elements currently visible or about to be visible are loaded first. The rest remain unloaded until the user scrolls down the page, at which point the browser will fetch and display them dynamically.

🛠 Key Benefits:

• Improved Performance: By cutting down on the number of assets loaded at once, lazy loading can significantly speed up page load times, improving the overall user experience.

• Reduced Bandwidth Usage: Users only download what they actually view, which helps save on bandwidth, especially for mobile users or those with slower internet connections.

• Better SEO: Since page speed is a ranking factor for search engines, implementing lazy loading can improve your SEO by making your website faster and more responsive.

Interesting Plugs

1. Neon and Next.js open source starter kit for your next blog or SaaS idea

   • This is built by yours truly…me! I built this for my submission to the Neon open-source challenge. Sadly I didn’t win, but I had a lot of fun and learned some stuff which is a win in my book!

2. daily.dev - A platform that curates top tech news and articles for developers

3. Create a 3D Space - Post that shows how to create 3D spaces using CSS

4. Apple - Apple Event happening 9/9 at 12 PM CST (new iPhones 😁 )

Job Board

• Junior Web Developer position with SmartRecruiters

  • Pay Range in US is $75,000 - $85,000

  • Looks like you need about 1-2 years of experience for the role but still apply even if you only have a portfolio without any professional experience since the job is labeled as “Junior”

• Full Stack Software Engineer position with Higharc

  • Would be a great position to apply for, their tech stack is React, TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, and PostgreSQL

  • Also, this position is REMOTE 😄 

Till Next Time

That’s all I have for you this week. If anyone has any questions about anything discussed, anything dev-related, or needs some help landing a job similar to the ones I posted, shoot me a message!

This weekend I’ll be watching opening week for football and cheering on the Texans against the Colts this Sunday! Let’s get a W! 🏆️ 

Have a great weekend and as always, happy coding! ❤️