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3 Books Worth Checking Out for Web App Developers

I’ve recently been able to get a copy of three books that I thought I’d promote here. Two of them (from O’Reilly) are relevant to developers who are working on high-end JavaScript-based applications and the other one (from No Starch Press) is a highly regarded book covering the topic of web application security.

JavaScript Web Applications by Alex MacCaw

JavaScript Web Applications by Alex MacCaw

The book’s description from the O’Reilly page is, in part, as follows:

“Building rich JavaScript applications that bring a desktop experience to the Web requires moving state from the server to the client side—not a simple task. This hands-on book takes proficient JavaScript developers through all the steps necessary to create state-of-the-art applications, including structure, templating, frameworks, communicating with the server, and many other issues.”

The book’s subtitle is “jQuery Developers’ Guide to Moving State to the Client”, so it is mainly targeted at jQuery developers. The book also covers MVC, Templating, plus info on three MVC libraries: Spine, Backbone, and JavaScriptMVC.

And if you’re in doubt, the book has 14 reviews on Amazon with a 4.5 star average rating. Definitely worth checking out.

The Tangled Web by Michal Zalewski

The Tangled Web by Michal Zalewski

This one is subtitled “A Guide to Securing Modern Web Applications”. I like this book because it seems quite focused. It has one goal: To help you secure your web apps. Here’s part of the description from publisher No Starch Press:

“In The Tangled Web, Michal Zalewski, one of the world’s top browser security experts, offers a compelling narrative that explains exactly how browsers work and why they’re fundamentally insecure. Rather than dispense simplistic advice on vulnerabilities, Zalewski examines the entire browser security model, revealing weak points and providing crucial information for shoring up web application security.”

On Amazon, the book has 18 reviews with an average of 5-stars (only 2 of the 18 are 4-stars). Looks like a must-have for anyone concerned about the security of their website or web app.

Maintainable JavaScript by Nicholas C. Zakas

Maintainable JavaScript by Nicholas C. Zakas

Coincidentally, this book is being released on Amazon today. I was able to get an advance copy from O’Reilly, but I haven’t dug into it yet. If you know Zakas, then you know this is a quality pick-up even before reading it.

Here’s part of the O’Reilly page description:

“You may have definite ideas about writing code when working alone, but team development requires that everyone use the same approach. With the JavaScript practices in this book—including code style, programming tips, and automation—you’ll learn how to write maintainable code that other team members can easily understand, adapt, and extend.”

Subtitled “Writing Readable Code”, the book covers code conventions, using tools like JSLint, style guides, and more.

Got Any Others?

If you have authored or know of any other good books that would be of interest to Web App developers, post a comment or contact me if you have a review copy.

Although I do have a print copy of each of the books listed above, I haven’t yet read any of them – there are a few other others I’m working my way through right now. But I do highly recommend all three due to the experience and reputation of the authors along with the quality of the publishers.

3 Responses

  1. roman says:

    I’m reading the first book from the list currently :).

  2. John Davies says:

    I am really happy to read this article as i am searching for books for learning programming. Thanks for providing this valuable content for us.

  3. StartupCraft says:

    Those are very interesting books, very useful for learning app developing.

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