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Many web applications use a middleware layer to communicate data from the database to the user interface and that middleware layer is commonly a web service, or API. Having this additional layer provides an additional opportunity for testing. Rather than needing to run all tests as time-consuming end-to-end tests, with this architecture tests can be split into components and most of the business logic and data can be tested at the API level. In this blog post we will look at a couple of open-source tools for testing APIs. Note that for purposes of demonstration I am using a simple…

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Originally published on medium.com I don’t think there is a faster way to build a web app than firebase and ember. The awesomeness of Firebase’s real-time database, no server, no backend, instant deployment, hosting and user authentication makes it an incredibly productive choice. Ember’s conventions and best practices and incredibly productive CLI makes it an excellent choice for your front-end. Let’s see how fast we can get a working app together. Create a Firebase App Go to your firebase console and create a new app [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Firebase Console[/caption] Create a Firebase Database [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1680"] Create…

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Your website or app is changing all the time. Technology is advancing at an increasingly rapid rate, so in order to stay current, you’ll often have multiple teams of developers working constantly to update features and optimize how things work. But no matter how much you change and update, it’s important that you remain “on brand”: that the basic user experience and user interface stay familiar to your users no matter how many updates you go through. How do you maintain that overall continuity with multiple developers? You need a style guide. Here are some tips for creating an effective…

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Given all of the intensified attention to security issues these days, it's surprising how often application security is still neglected. To be clear, in-house app dev is a top priority for companies and app testing has never been neglected. But that testing overwhelmingly focuses on functionality—does the app crash? Does a right-click on the blue icon deliver the desired action?—rather than security. Why is that? Like almost everything else in security, the blame falls mostly on C-level executive priorities. The CEO and other C levels are relentless in pushing delivery dates. That is reflected in general instructions as well as…

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Your app needs an overhaul. The user interface is outdated and clunky and needs to be redesigned. And doing it right will take time, talent, and other resources that all add up to money. This is why a lot of companies are reluctant to update their designs. They see what it will cost them to do so and immediately run for the hills. But like anything else your company spends money on, UI redesign is an investment. And UI, in particular, is one of the most important and potentially profitable ones. It’s estimated that every dollar spent on UI redesign…

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React can be a great tool for app development. But how is it used? What are its strengths and capabilities? What kind of projects should you use it for, and how can you make the most of it? And what about React Native? Let’s take a closer look at just what React is and what it does. React.js React (also called React.js) is a JavaScript library first developed for Facebook by Jordan Walke in 2011. In 2012, it was also adopted by Instagram. It’s used for the building and rendering of User Interface components, in the development of single page applications (such as…

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