DEV Community: Justice Orogun

Benefits of Next.js 13 App Router, React, Tailwind, Prisma and MySQL in ecommerce website for Full Stack Developers.

Justice Orogun — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 17:36:32 +0000

I am currently working on a fully responsive ecommerce project for a client and the tools and technologies I am working with and how beneficial they are to Developers.
Just a brief introduction to this, I would like to explain each of the tool before talking about their benefits. So here we go:

Next.js 13 App Router: It is a feature of the Next.js framework, which is a technology used for server-side rendering and building React applications.

React: It is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It is a popular technology used for creating dynamic and interactive web applications.

Tailwind: It is a utility-first CSS framework that provides pre-built CSS classes to style web applications quickly and efficiently.

Prisma: It is an ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) tool that simplifies database management by providing a type-safe query builder and data modeling capabilities.

MySQL: It is a popular open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) used for storing and retrieving data in web applications.

Now that we know what these tools/technologies mean, let's go to their benefits:

Next.js 13 App Router:

Enables seamless navigation between pages, improving the user experience and reducing page load times in an ecommerce website.
Simplifies client-side routing, making it easier for full stack developers to create dynamic and interactive ecommerce interfaces.
Provides efficient handling of URL changes, allowing for better SEO and enabling fast loading of content.

React:

Empowers full stack developers to build responsive and interactive UIs for ecommerce websites with ease.
Offers a component-based architecture that simplifies development and maintenance, making the codebase more modular and reusable.
Provides a vast ecosystem of libraries and community support, ensuring access to resources and solutions for common ecommerce development challenges.

Tailwind:

Streamlines the styling process for ecommerce websites, allowing developers to create custom and visually appealing designs quickly.
Provides a utility-first approach, making it easier to apply consistent styles and maintain a scalable codebase.
Offers responsive design utilities, ensuring the ecommerce website looks great and functions well across different devices and screen sizes.

Prisma:

Simplifies database management for full stack developers, providing a type-safe query builder and an ORM.
Enables efficient data modeling, migration, and manipulation, making it easier to handle ecommerce-related data operations.
Integrates well with various databases, including MySQL, ensuring flexibility and compatibility for ecommerce website development.

MySQL:

Offers robust data storage and retrieval capabilities, ensuring reliable and secure management of ecommerce website data.
Supports high scalability, allowing the ecommerce website to handle increasing traffic and data volumes without sacrificing performance.
Provides transactional support and ACID compliance, ensuring data consistency and integrity for critical ecommerce operations.

While I am developing this application, I hope to be sharing more info...

If you find value in this, please let me know. You can leave your opinion and share your suggestions.

VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) IN AFRICA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES PART 1

Justice Orogun — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 14:29:26 +0000

Honestly, I don’t think I know anything about Virtual Reality (VR) until I visited the XCAPE REALITY CENTER at the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park on the 19th of September, 2021. I arrived the Park alongside Kingdom Peter, my High school classmate who is also the Chairman of our Alumni Association.
To begin, Port Harcourt Pleasure PARK is a public recreation park in the Niger-Delta's oil rich garden city of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. It doubles as an amusement park and tourist attraction centre. Funny enough, I grew in Port Harcourt at a time when the only time we thought of parks was on May 27th -Children’s Day ...(winks)...where we all dress gorgeously and go for a march pass at Isaac Boro Park, and joyfully throw salutations at former governors of Rivers State. The activities were the same even in my early teen years.
Right at the XCAPE REALITY CENTER of the Port Harcourt Pleasure PARK, I came face to face with Virtual Reality (VR)...
Virtual Reality is a digitally created experience where a three-dimensional environment is simulated with the real-world. The technology offers an immersive experience to the viewers with the help of VR devices, such as headsets or glasses, gloves, and bodysuits.
In the simplest terms, VR which stands for Virtual Reality is an experience that you can have by holding a device called a VR Headset to your face or wearing it, and then you're in an immersive environment which is completely 360 degrees. What this means is that you are in an environment where the content creator wants you to be in, which could either be created by 360 photographs, 360 videos or computer generated.
According to Grand View Research, the global virtual reality (VR) market size was valued at USD 15.81 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.0% from 2021 to 2028.
Interestingly, the VR technology in Africa is in its infancy. It is just beginning and I feel Africa still has a very long way to go in the Virtual Reality (VR) space.

OPPORTUNITES
I feel Virtual Reality (VR) technology is relevant to Africa because it affords us the opportunity to use it as tool for tackling various challenges we have on the continent.
Over the course of personal research, I discovered that Virtual Reality (VR) can be used in the following areas:

FORMAL EDUCATION: Education is highly significant to us as a people and this is where virtual reality (VR) really comes in. VR can be used in education to bridge the technology gap we have in thousands of tertiary institutions and even secondary schools across Africa. For example, A VR lab will allow you to simulate in chemistry labs, enable students carry out experiments effectively. It can allow students to go on virtual field trips and see places like the pyramids of Egypt, Eiffel Tower of Paris, amongst others. When I was in the high school many years ago, I was taught by my teacher that there are nine planets in the solar system. But funny enough, I never had the opportunity to see them even in pictures. Virtual Reality (VR) affords young learners of the 21st century the opportunity to explore the solar system.
ENTERTAINMENT AND GAMING: At the Xcape Reality Center, I was entertained. I played Car Racing and zombie shooting alongside my classmate. The feeling of experiencing Virtual Reality can be amazing for both kids and adults alike. We live in a world with a people whose appetite for entertainment is voracious, and so they would do everything, go anywhere just to get entertained. So Virtual Reality presents the opportunity which people crave.
INCREASED REVENUE GENERATION: Virtual Reality is in its infancy in Africa. This creates a very large room for massive adoption. Do you know that it cost NGN1,000 ($2.45) to play at 10 minutes game at the Xcape Reality Centre in Port Harcourt Pleasure Park? Yes, you read that right. As a matter of fact, I paid NGN6,000 ($15) for a game that was officially less than 1 hour. I am just one person, remember. This means if just five people play a game of 10 minutes at NGN1,000 ($2.45). That would be NGN30,000 ($73) in one hour! That would be NGN720,000 ($1,745) in a day! That would be NGN5,040,000 ($12,210) in a week! That would be NGN20,160,000 ($50,000) in a month and NGN241, 920,000 ($590,000) in a year! And these figures are real and can even double in the coming years.
VIRTUAL REALITY EDUCATION: We can do an educational virtual reality experience. Talking about that, my favourite is the Anne Frank VR Experience where I learnt a lot about Anne Frank and her family. You can explore the hiding place of Anne Frank and her family in virtual reality using the ‘Anne Frank House VR’ App. The app provides a very special view into the Secret Annex where Anne Frank and the seven other people hid during WWll. In the VR app, all the rooms in the secret annex are furnished according to how it was when occupied by the group in hiding, between 1942 and 1944. Everything was carefully built and modelled in 3D by Force Field Entertainment, the creators of the app. You can download the free App from the Oculus Store and learn more.
Also, some people are already experimenting virtual class rooms, where you are a student listening to your teacher or lecturer represented by its avatar.
DEVELOPMENT OF MORE VR COLLABORATION APPS: This create a massive opportunity for developers in the Software industry. In this post pandemic world, people are trying to collaborate remotely in an efficient way and virtual reality offers a feeling of presence that even Zoom doesn't. It makes them feel as though they are present. These apps are designed to help bring people together and interact with team members like never before. The realistic avatars make it feel like you’re genuinely in the same room as your colleagues. There is also a host of tools for collaboration, like virtual whiteboards, presentations, etc. Examples of these are Spatial, MeetinVR, AltspaceVR, FrameVR, etc. However, more can be created, because working remotely is the FUTURE of work.

To be continued…

For questions, suggestions or contributions,
You can send a mail:justice@gygital.com or reach me on my social media handles:
Twitter/Linkedin/Instagram: @justice_orogun

Justice Orogun is a Full Stack Developer, an Award Winner and Writer. He contributes to Stack Overflow, Github and DEV.to Community. He enjoys travelling, speaking and collaborations in tech. He is open to sponsorship, opportunities and supports in tech.

5 MOST IMPORTANT PLATFORMS TO BE IN AS A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Justice Orogun — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 14:15:39 +0000

When I was much younger, I didn’t know how much impact social network platforms can make on people’s lives. Even in our current dispensation, we can’t really tell how much we can go, do and become with these social network platforms we connect ourselves to. It is just so amazing and the possibilities are endless. As a Software Developer, getting on the right platforms will not just enhance your connections, it will go a step further in deepening the sense of your industry, expanding your experience about life and people, while also raking GOOD MONEY into your bank account. Good friends make good money, good contacts make good contracts. I have seen it happen and I have been part of it myself.
So the five most important platforms I feel every Software Developer should join are:

LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is not just a social media platform, but a platform for PROFESSIONALS. All serious professionals are present on LinkedIn, only quacks are absent. As I stated in my previous article: if someone searches for you on Google, the very first search results that comes up is your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is one of the most amazing place for developers to get connects, job opportunities and of course, collaborations.
Github:
I didn’t know the importance of Github until 8th February, 2020. I was on a journey from Lagos (South western, Nigeria) to Port Harcourt (South South, Nigeria) when I got robbed. I lost everything, practically EVERYTHING. If I had known about Github then, I would have been able to “push” (As we use it in Git commands) every of my files or applications to the cloud using Github.
GitHub is where over 65 million developers shape the future of software, together. The beautiful thing about Github is that it doesn’t just help you save your applications online. Github helps you contribute to the open source community, manage your Git repositories, meet and collaborate with millions of other developers for present and future projects.
Stack Overflow:
Stack Overflow is a web-based platform to increase productivity, decrease cycle times, and accelerate their time and skills. It is used by programmers to learn, share and further develop their programming careers. It features a wide range of questions and answers for professional and enthusiast programmers on computer programming. As I clearly stated in my previous article: Nobody knows it all. Even the best professional programmers all need help when they face challenging situations they are not familiar with.
DEV.to:
DEV.to is a Social network for software developers. It is global community of software developers getting together to help one another out. The truth is that, the software industry relies largely on teamwork, collaboration and even networked learning – learning together.
Furthermore, if you love writing or reading tech-related articles like me, DEV.to is a great platform to get started. Now, that is one smart way to actually get your writings out and have them indexed by Google in the process.
Twitter:
Twitter??? Are you serious? Yes, of course I am. Yeah, I know you have been experiencing difficulties with the #NigeriaTwitterban. The truth remains that Twitter is one of the best platforms through which you can meet and interact with other professional developers from across the globe. According to Sproutsocial.com, Twitter sees 6,000 tweets every second. This puts into perspective how actively people are using it as a conversation platform.
In fact, I don’t think I knew the power of Twitter Hashtags until the #EndSARS protest of 2020 in Nigeria. The Twitter Explore page gives you an updated list of topics and hashtags trending in your industry and region which are relevant to your interest.

PS: Justice Orogun is a Web & Mobile App Developer. He is also the Digital Marketing Lead at Gygital. He was a Nominee of the Nigeria’s 25 Under 25 Awards in 2020. In his spare time, he writes for DEV Community, gives answers at Stack Overflow and contributes to the Open Source Community on Github.
For questions, observations and contributions, you can send a mail: justice@gygital.com

5 STEPS TO BECOMING A WEB DEVELOPER

Justice Orogun — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 23:55:48 +0000

This topic was inspired by the question someone asked from my last post. He asked, "How can I become a Web Developer?" I just hope he sees this post.
Let me begin by saying there are three types of web development specialties, each of which has slightly different skills, calculations and responsibilities:
• Frontend development: This deals with the visible elements of a website, such as the pages themselves and their elements (e.g. menus, photos or videos, buttons, forms and more).
• Backend development: This involves the behind-the-scenes elements of a website (e.g. servers, applications, databases and more).
• Full-stack development: This combines both front and backend development work. The term "full-stack" means full range of skills for all aspects.
So let's get started, guys. To become a Web Developer, you need to take the following steps:

PREPARE YOUR TOOLS.
I am yet to see a Web Developer without a LAPTOP. I am yet to see a Teacher without textbooks. I am yet to see a Doctor with stethoscope. A laptop with at least 4GB RAM, 500GB ROM and a processor speed of 1.60GHz is NOT a complete bad idea to start with. Getting your tools makes you ready for serious business. So get a very good laptop (and maybe a mouse) that will be suitable for your new journey.
GET THE EDUCATION.
You will need to be educated in the basic tools of web development. In this current dispensation, a four-year college degree isn't necessarily required to land a web-developer job. But if you have the opportunity to acquire a degree, good for you. However, you will need to really learn the rudiments of web development. So first, You will need to really get your hands dirty with HTML and CSS, which are fundamental to web development. You can progressively learn Bootstrap, JavaScript, Vue.js, Laravel, PHP and MySQL. At Gygital, we train people how to code and build softwares that people can use to manage their businesses and solve everyday challenges.
LEARN FROM OTHERS.
In the official music video titled "The Best", we see Davido starring as the ‘Sensei’ and Mayorkun as the ‘Karate Kid’, we see the idyllic fields transformed into a training ground of all Davido’s students learning how to become ‘The Best’ from the best. You will also hear the lyrics, "I learnt from the best." You have to learnt from others as well. By connecting with others, you'll have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, judge (and learn from) others' work, be inspired by what people are doing and stay abreast of developments in your field.
STAY CURRENT ON YOUR SKILLS.
The world is moving at a very fast pace, it is important for web developers to stay up-to-date on the new skills and technologies needed for their jobs. The truth is, you will not learn most of the things you need to succeed in life from the classroom. In fact, what I am learning right now, I never learnt it in the lecture hall. Coding is a CONTINUOUS LEARNING PROCESS. So learn and relearn everyday.
KEEP A GOOD PORTFOLIO AND A LINKEDIN PROFILE.
A good portfolio that shows off your web development jobs is an invaluable asset. A good portfolio can contain job samples, testimonials of past jobs done and so on. Also, you have to be on LinkedIn. You may decide not to be on any social media platform, but not LinkedIn. Do you know that whenever someone searches for you on google, your LinkedIn profile shows up first? As a professional, LinkedIn profile is a must-have.
Thank you!

5 REASONS TO BECOME A WEB DEVELOPER

Justice Orogun — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 15:12:54 +0000

I don’t think I know exactly what programming was all about until I gained admission in the Higher Institution to study Computer Science. This was after I had a serious fight with JAMB for five solid years. For me, it was like every year madness. So JAMB keeps welcoming me year in, year out.
Fast forward to Campus life:
One of the most inspiring statements I heard was by Mr. Kingsley Okonta, our first Programming Lecturer. He said, “A computer software is the only product you can take to the market, sell the shadow and still go home with your product.” At first, this statement sounded very hilarious to us. Trust me, we were "Johnny Just Come (JJC)."
Currently, I have come to appreciate the fact that I am in the tech space.
So this brings me to the topic above and here are my reasons:

It is challenging.
Yes, it is. Even professional developers still need help in solving technical issues or complex problems they are not familiar with. You just have to understand that coding is a CONSTANT LEARNING PROCESS because NOBODY knows it all. The fact that is it challenging is what has given rise to tech champions like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg over the years and these guys still control the tech space globally.
It births creativity.
Coding is a very creative exercise. Interestingly, you can express yourself because the sky is big enough for you. You just have to take the ideas in your head and bring them to life. And that is exactly what we do at Gygital.
You Are Always Needed.
As a programmer, you are always a highly sought-after commodity. Web developers are crucial parts of an organization’s online presence. There will ALWAYS be loads of opportunities for you.
The Opportunities Are Worldwide.
Now, this is the BOMB! Becoming a Developer affords you the opportunity to work remotely. I have been able to communicate and serve clients in and outside Nigeria because everything is done ONLINE! So you can expand yourself to the wider world because you can live anywhere you want, work from anywhere you want, as much as you want. My friend and teammate, Godswill is keen on becoming a Digital Normad.
Coding is the Language Of the Future.
Coding sometimes uses English words, but everyone across the world uses the same coding languages. So you can build a diverse team to work on the same project. Regardless of your race, region or religion you can work on something special. Perhaps, this explains why Github was created.

BONUS: Did I tell you about the financial aspect? Well, that’s a topic for another day. LOLs....