MERN Stack Prerequisites

The MERN stack is a collection of JavaScript frameworks used for full stack web development. These frameworks include MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. You might worry that the MERN stack will be too hard to learn. This guide will help you understand the best methods for learning the MERN stack and what you should study first to make the learning process easier. This way, you’ll be successful however you choose to apply your new skills. 

What is the MERN Stack?

The MERN stack is a colloquial name given the full stack JavaScript development framework consisting of MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. As a full stack framework, the MERN stack covers front end operations with React, server infrastructure with Express.js and Node.js, and database operations with MongoDB. MERN is quickly becoming one of the most commonly used full stack development frameworks owing to its versatility and the integration between the stack's various elements. Learning to use the MERN stack will let users build complex websites and applications.

Each aspect of the Stack serves a different function. Still, they are all built off the JavaScript programming language, meaning skilled JavaScript users can easily pick up each aspect of the stack. React is used to build client-side assets and component bundles of code that can be replicated and repurposed as developers see fit. This framework is built to improve workflow and create more dynamic single-page applications. Node.js and Express.js provide the infrastructure for programs to query and access server-side requests, allowing those applications to run JavaScript code outside a web browser. MongoDB is used for sorting, analyzing, and querying databases as part of a web application. Taken together, MERN stack training will let users design all aspects of complex web design projects.

Read more about what the MERN stack is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with the MERN Stack?

Using the MERN stack, skilled programmers can develop and maintain all aspects of a web application. Using these four JavaScript frameworks, you can build the front end, back end, and database infrastructure for complex webpages, including the increasingly in-demand single-page applications and internet-enabled devices we use daily. The more complex a web application is, the more complex its programming will need to be, and learning the MERN stack offers students an accessible way to learn full stack web development skills. Learning the MERN stack will also let users take advantage of the functionalities of each framework for their non-full stack web development projects.

The most significant advantage of learning the MERN stack is that it allows you to do full stack web development projects without combining multiple programming languages. Since MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js are all JavaScript frameworks, MERN stack training will let users build the entire infrastructure of a web application in a single programming language, JavaScript. This is ideal both for making a student’s JavaScript training more versatile and for improving workflow since developers can be confident that there won’t be any problems owing to the server and client-side elements of the application running off of different languages. MERN is an ideal skill set for users hoping to build complex, multi-functional web applications without learning multiple programming languages.

Is the MERN Stack Easy to Learn?

MERN stack is both an advanced skill and a complicated collection of individual frameworks that students will need to learn as separate libraries and as a collection of frameworks operating together. Students will need to learn many different prerequisite skills and spend a decent amount of time learning four different frameworks, each with its own library and functionalities.

What to Know Before Learning the MERN Stack

Before you learn MERN stack frameworks, you’ll need to be very comfortable programming with JavaScript. To learn JavaScript, you’ll need to be reasonably comfortable programming with HTML and CSS.

JavaScript

Since all four MERN stack libraries are built on JavaScript, learning any of them will require students to be proficient in that programming language. Many MERN training options, such as several of those offered by Noble Desktop, combine JavaScript and MERN framework training. These courses are ideal for students who need to learn JavaScript and want more hands-on JavaScript training.

HTML/CSS

In terms of programming fundamentals, students who want to learn JavaScript will need to learn HTML and CSS. These basic programming languages are essential for developing modern webpages and ideal first languages for new students to learn. Most JavaScript training courses assume significant HTML and CSS training, but many of Noble Desktop’s certificate programs offer complete web development training from HTML and CSS to the MERN stack.

Learn the MERN Stack with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Students looking to master the MERN stack can turn to Noble Desktop for comprehensive skills training, regardless of their prior programming experience. These courses are taught through live online instruction or in person at Noble’s Manhattan campus. Regardless of which delivery method a student chooses, they will be taught by Noble’s experienced instructors in real-time. Students can ask questions, receive feedback, and get assistance directly from their instructors. Plus, all of Noble’s courses provide students with the chance to retake the class within one year, allowing students to receive extra instruction and more hands-on experience in all of the component frameworks that make up the MERN stack.

Students with prior coding experience who want to learn the extent of the MERN stack should consider enrolling in Noble’s JavaScript Development Certificate program. In this career-focused skills training program, students will learn how to develop web applications using JavaScript and, once comfortable with that training, will learn the functions and uses of each element of the MERN stack. By the conclusion of this class, students will be prepared to enter the workforce as JavaScript Developers. Since this is a career-focused course, students will also benefit from professionalization training seminars, including one-on-one career mentorship and portfolio-building training sessions. This course expects students to have a working knowledge of coding fundamentals and HTML and CSS, so students should consider the requirements before enrolling.

Students looking to become expert coders from scratch will instead want to look into Noble’s Full Stack Web Development Certificate. This immersive training course is designed to take students with no prior coding experience and teach them all of the elements of professional web development. MERN is a relatively advanced set of skills with many prerequisites to learn, and this course will teach students all of those prerequisites, including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Once that training is out of the way, students will learn MERN stack frameworks and tools like Flex, Git, Virtual Studio Code, and Bootstrap. On top of this, students will also receive the same top-notch professionalization training that they can expect from any Noble certificate program, meaning they will leave the class ready to start working as Full Stack Web Developers.

Students looking for more directed training in some aspects of the MERN stack or wanting to space their training to fit their needs and schedules should explore Noble’s JavaScript classes and bootcamps. These immersive skills courses will teach students the ins and outs of the frameworks that make up the MERN stack, but they are less directly focused on helping students find new careers.

Key Insights

• MERN stack skills are advanced JavaScript frameworks, meaning that users will need a great deal of training in several different skills and prerequisites.
• Students must learn how to code in JavaScript to use these advanced libraries.
• To learn JavaScript, students will need to learn HTML and CSS
• No matter what skills you need to learn to master the MERN stack, Noble Desktop offers comprehensive web development training taught through live online or in-person training at Noble’s Manhattan campus.