MERN Stack Prerequisites

The MERN stack is a collection of JavaScript libraries used for full-stack web development. These libraries 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 to 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 due to its versatility and integration between the various elements of the stack. Learning the MERN stack enables users to build complex websites and applications.

Each aspect of the stack serves a different function. However, they are all built on 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 reusable component bundles of code that can be replicated and repurposed as developers see fit. This library 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. Collectively, MERN stack training enables users to 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 libraries, you can build the front-end, back-end, and database infrastructure for complex webpages, including the increasingly in-demand single-page applications and IoT 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 library 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 libraries, MERN stack training enables users to 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 issues caused by the server and client-side elements of the application running on 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?

The MERN stack is both an advanced skill and a complicated collection of individual libraries that students will need to learn as separate tools and as a combined stack. Students must learn several prerequisite skills and spend a decent amount of time learning four different libraries, each with its own structure and functionalities.

What to Know Before Learning the MERN Stack

Before you learn MERN stack libraries, 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 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 and 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 are ideal first languages for new students to learn. Most JavaScript training courses assume prior HTML and CSS knowledge, 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 them to gain extra instruction and additional hands-on experience in all of the component libraries that make up the MERN stack.

Students with prior coding experience who want to learn the full breadth 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 professional development 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 complete, students will learn MERN stack libraries and tools like Flex, Git, Visual Studio Code, and Bootstrap. On top of this, students will also receive the same top-notch professional development 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 libraries 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 libraries, meaning that users will need a great deal of training in several different skills and prerequisites.
• Students must become proficient 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 instruction at Noble’s Manhattan campus.