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Parul Verma — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 07:15:21 +0000

🚀 ES2025 Features: Discover the New Top-Level Await

Parul Verma — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 06:41:01 +0000

🤗 Welcome to the first article in my JavaScript ES2025 features series!

In this article, we’ll explore one of the most anticipated additions — Top-Level await. It's a powerful upgrade that makes working with asynchronous code in JavaScript simpler and cleaner, especially inside ES modules.

📌 What Is Top-Level `await` in JavaScript?

In modern JavaScript, we typically use the async/await combo to handle asynchronous code. Until now, await could only be used inside an async function.

Traditional Way:

const fetchData = async () => {
  const response = await fetch("https://api.example.com/data");
  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(data);
};
fetchData();

With Top-Level await:

Now, with Top-Level await, you can skip the async function wrapper and use await directly — at the top level of your JavaScript module.

const response = await fetch("https://api.example.com/data");
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

✅ Cleaner. Simpler. Easier to read.

📂 Where Can You Use Top-Level await ?

Top-Level await only works inside ES modules, which means:

Your file must use the .mjs extension or
Your project must include "type": "module" inpackage.json(for Node.js)
Or you're using a <script type="module">tag in the browser

<script type="module">
  const response = await fetch('/config.json');
  const config = await response.json();
  console.log(config);
</script>

🔐 Can You Use Try/Catch?

Absolutely. Error handling with Top-Level await works just like you'd expect:

try {
  const response = await fetch("https://api.example.com/data");
  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(data);
} catch (err) {
  console.error("Error fetching data:", err);
}

🧠 How Top-Level `await` Works Under the Hood

Although you’re writing plain await at the top level, the JavaScript engine treats it like an async function.

(async () => {
  const response = await fetch("https://api.example.com");
})();

So yes — it's still async! But now, your entire module behaves like an async function, which means:

The code execution pauses at each top-level await

Other modules importing this module will wait until it finishes

🌍 Real-World Use Case

A common scenario: You want to load a config file before initializing your app.

config.js

const res = await fetch('/config.json');
export const config = await res.json();

main.js

import { config } from './config.js';

console.log("Starting app with config:", config);
// app starts here...

This is perfect for loading runtime data like environment variables, feature flags, or user session info.

✅ Advantages of Top-Level `await`

💡 *Cleaner Syntax *– No need to wrap logic inside async functions
🚀 Better Flow Control – Pause execution until data is ready
📖 Improved Readability – Makes async code look like sync

❌ Disadvantages of Top-Level `await`

🕒 Slower Module Loading – All importing modules must wait
📦 *ESM-Only *– Doesn't work in CommonJS (require)
🧱 Blocked Execution – Overusing it can hurt performance

🎯 Final Thoughts

Top-Level await is one of the most practical features in ES2025 — it simplifies code, improves structure, and helps you better control async flow. Just make sure to use it where it makes sense, especially in bootstrapping or initialization logic.

Thanks for reading! 🙌

If you found this useful, feel free to share it or drop your thoughts in the comments!

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/parul-verma-pv14

👉 Stay tuned — more exciting ES2025 features coming up soon!

Choosing the Right CSS Approach: Tailwind CSS vs Bootstrap vs Vanilla CSS

Parul Verma — Sat, 04 May 2024 13:11:24 +0000

Gone are the days of plain HTML and basic CSS ruling the web development realm. With the ever-growing demand for visually stunning user interfaces, the landscape has shifted towards the adoption of CSS frameworks. These frameworks have not only simplified development but have also empowered developers to create captivating web applications effortlessly.

In this article, we delve deep into the 3 prominent CSS approaches: Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap, and Native CSS. Each possesses its own set of unique features and advantages, catering to different development needs and preferences.

Tailwind CSS: Tailwind CSS operates on a unique premise of utility-first classes, revolutionizing the way developers approach styling in web development. With its granular control over elements, Tailwind CSS empowers developers by allowing them to simply add classes to style elements, eliminating the need for traditional CSS.

Advantages:

Flexibility: Tailwind CSS offers immense flexibility, providing developers with full control over element styling. This framework allows developers to tailor styles precisely to their requirements, offering a truly customizable approach to web design.
Consistency: By leveraging utility classes, Tailwind CSS ensures design consistency across applications. Developers can easily reuse the same classes for similar elements, maintaining a cohesive and unified design language throughout the project.
Small File Size: One of Tailwind CSS’s standout features is its ability to optimize bundle size. By bundling only the classes utilized in the application, Tailwind CSS ensures minimal file size, enhancing performance without compromising.

Disadvantages:

Customization Challenges: While Tailwind CSS offers extensive utility classes for styling, customization beyond the predefined classes can be challenging. Developers may find themselves limited by the framework’s predefined styles, requiring additional effort to implement custom designs.
Learning Curve: Adopting Tailwind CSS entails a learning curve for developers accustomed to traditional CSS methodologies. Navigating the extensive utility classes and mastering the framework’s conventions may require time and effort, especially for those new to utility-first approaches.

When to choose Tailwind CSS:

Rapid Prototyping: In situations demanding swift iterations, Tailwind CSS shines. Its utility-based approach facilitates quick incorporation of changes, expediting the prototyping process without the need for extensive custom CSS.
Design Consistency: For projects requiring consistent design language, Tailwind CSS proves invaluable. Leveraging its utility classes, developers effortlessly maintain design coherence across the application, eliminating the need for cumbersome custom CSS solutions.
Small to Mid-sized projects: Tailwind CSS is well-suited for small to medium-sized projects where maintaining a small bundle size and optimizing performance are priorities. Its ability to generate minimal CSS output based on used utility classes makes it ideal for projects where file size matters.

Bootstrap: Bootstrap is one of the most popular CSS frameworks which is known for its ready to use components.

Advantages:

Ready-to-Use Components: Bootstrap comes with a complete set of pre-built components that you can easily integrate into your project. These components are well-designed and styled, saving you time and effort in development.
Large Community Support: With Bootstrap being in the market for a significant amount of time, it boasts a large and active community of developers. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, you’ll find ample resources, tutorials, and forums to seek assistance from when encountering issues.
Responsive Grid System: One of Bootstrap’s standout features is its responsive grid system, which divides the layout into 12 columns. This grid system simplifies the process of arranging and aligning content, ensuring that your website looks great across various devices and screen sizes.

Disadvantages:

Customization Limitations: While Bootstrap offers a wide range of components and styling options out-of-the-box, it can be challenging to customize these elements to fit your specific design requirements. Customizing Bootstrap components may require overriding default styles or delving into the framework’s Sass files, which can be time-consuming and complex.
Large Bundle Size: Incorporating Bootstrap into your project can significantly increase its file size, leading to longer loading times and potentially affecting performance, especially on slower internet connections. This large bundle size may also include unused components, contributing to unnecessary bloat in your project.

When to use Bootstrap

Bundle Size is Not an Issue: Bootstrap is suitable for applications where optimizing bundle size is not a priority. Its extensive library of components and styles facilitates rapid development without significant concern for file size.
Minimal Customization Requirements: Projects that align closely with Bootstrap’s default design patterns benefit from its ease of implementation and consistent user interface. It’s ideal for developers seeking quick prototyping and maintaining a cohesive look and feel across their applications.
Rapid Prototyping and MVPs: Bootstrap is particularly advantageous for rapid prototyping and building Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). Its ready-to-use components enable swift development, making it an excellent choice for projects with tight deadlines or evolving requirements.

Vanilla CSS: Vanilla CSS, the core styling language of the web, offers a versatile alternative to CSS frameworks like Bootstrap.

Advantages:

Customization Flexibility: Unlike CSS frameworks with predefined styles, Vanilla CSS provides complete control over styling, allowing for unlimited customization to fit your specific design requirements. With Vanilla CSS, you have the freedom to create unique and tailored designs.
Minimal Footprint: Vanilla CSS has a minimal footprint compared to CSS frameworks like Bootstrap, resulting in smaller file sizes and faster loading times for your web pages. By only including the styles you need, you can optimize performance and enhance the user experience, especially on slower internet connections.
Scalability and Maintainability: While CSS frameworks can offer convenience for rapid prototyping, Vanilla CSS promotes a modular approach to styling, making it easier to scale and maintain your codebase as your project grows. With well-organized CSS files and a consistent naming convention, you can ensure readability and ease of maintenance over time.

Disadvantages:

Increase in Development Time: Unlike Bootstrap, Vanilla CSS does not come with a pre-built library of components, requiring developers to create or source components from scratch. This can increase initial development time, especially for complex UI elements or interactions that are readily available in CSS frameworks.
Steep Learning Curve for Beginners: Working directly with Vanilla CSS requires a solid understanding of CSS principles and best practices. For beginners, the lack of predefined styles and structure provided by CSS frameworks may pose a steeper learning curve, requiring additional time and effort to master.

When to Use Vanilla CSS:

Complete Design Control: Vanilla CSS is ideal for projects that demand full design control and customization. If your project requires a unique visual identity or specific design elements that cannot be achieved with pre-built components, Vanilla CSS empowers you to craft a tailored solution from scratch.
Performance Optimization: Projects prioritizing performance and efficiency can benefit from using Vanilla CSS to minimize file sizes and reduce unnecessary code bloat. By optimizing styles and only including what is needed, you can achieve faster load times and improved site performance, particularly on resource-constrained devices or networks.
Learning and Skill Development: Developers looking to deepen their understanding of CSS and sharpen their styling skills may choose Vanilla CSS as a learning tool. By working directly with core CSS concepts and techniques, developers can gain valuable insights and proficiency that extend beyond the confines of a particular framework.

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing between Tailwind, Bootstrap, and vanilla CSS depends on various factors such as project requirements, development preferences, and team expertise. Developers should carefully consider factors such as project scope, timeline, design requirements, and team expertise when selecting the most appropriate approach for CSS styling.

Level Up Your React Game in 2024!!

Parul Verma — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 09:08:32 +0000

React remains one of the most demanding technologies in today's market, attracting a wave of newcomers. To thrive in this dynamic field, mastering React is essential. In this article, I'll be sharing some crucial skills you must master in 2024, providing you with a solid foundation to excel as a React developer. Let's dive into the details.

Learn the basics

Before delving into React, it's essential to understand the fundamentals of core technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Widely regarded as the building blocks of web development, these technologies play integral roles in shaping web experiences. HTML establishes the foundational structure, CSS enhances visual appeal, and JavaScript drives functionality and logic. Mastering these three components sets the stage for embarking on your web development journey.

Skills to Master -

- Routing

Routing is a fundamental aspect of web development, facilitating navigation between different pages within a web application. In React, routing is achieved using libraries like React Router, which enables client-side navigation in single-page applications (SPAs). With React Router, developers can easily navigate between different views or components , enhancing the overall user experience without the need to reload the entire page.

import React from 'react';
import { BrowserRouter as Router, Route, Switch } from 'react-router-dom';
import Home from './components/Home';
import About from './components/About';
import Contact from './components/Contact';
import NotFound from './components/NotFound';

const App = () => (
  <Router>
    <Switch>
      <Route exact path="/" component={Home} />
      <Route path="/about" component={About} />
      <Route path="/contact" component={Contact} />
      <Route component={NotFound} />
    </Switch>
  </Router>
);

export default App;

- State Management

State Management is essential for handling data within a web application, especially when it is large-scaled. It enables us to seamlessly update the user interface with data changes without reloading the entire application, ensuring smooth management of props and states within the component tree. State management can be achieved through various techniques, including the Context API or third-party libraries like Redux or Recoil. The choice among these techniques depends on the specific needs of your application. Typically, the Context API is suitable for managing global state, while Redux or Recoil are preferable for managing local states as well, providing robust solutions tailored to different scenarios.

- Optimization Techniques

Optimization techniques such as memoization, lazy loading, code splitting, and visualization play a crucial role in enhancing the performance of your web application. Without implementing these techniques, your application may suffer from sluggishness, leading to poor user experiences. It's imperative to incorporate these optimizations to ensure your web application is user-friendly and responsive.

You can utilize React Hooks such as useMemo, useCallback, or lazy to implement these techniques seamlessly within your React application. These hooks provide convenient ways to memoize expensive computations, optimize rendering, and dynamically load components, resulting in improved performance and smoother user interactions.

import React, { useMemo, useCallback, lazy, Suspense } from 'react';

// Memoized component
const MemoizedComponent = React.memo(({ data }) => {
  const processedData = useMemo(() => {
    // Expensive computation
    return processData(data);
  }, [data]);

  return (
    <div>
      {processedData}
    </div>
  );
});

// Lazy loaded component for code splitting
const LazyLoadedComponent = lazy(() => import('./LazyLoadedComponent'));

// Placeholder component for Suspense
const LoadingComponent = () => <div>Loading...</div>;

const App = () => {
  const handleClick = useCallback(() => {
    // This function is memoized and won't change on re-renders
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      <MemoizedComponent data={data} />

      <Suspense fallback={<LoadingComponent />}>
        <LazyLoadedComponent />
      </Suspense>

      <button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default App;

- Form Handling

Form Handling is a crucial aspect of web development, especially considering the ubiquity of forms in modern web applications for gathering user-specific data. Incorporating form handling can simplify the development of forms, enhance the user interactions and improve the overall user experience of your web application. In React, handling forms is made easier with the help of libraries such as Formik, React Final Form, or React Hook Form.

Whether you prefer the declarative approach of Formik, the flexibility of React Final Form, or the simplicity of React Hook Form, you can choose the form handling library that best suits your preferences and use cases.

- React Performance Profiling

React Performance Profiling provides a comprehensive analysis of your React web application's performance, offering valuable insights into its overall user experience and identifying performance bottlenecks.

Performance profiling tools, such as React DevTools and browser performance tools like Chrome DevTools, allows us to examine parameters that contribute significantly to the excessive consumption. Using these tools, you can gain a deeper understanding of your application's performance and uncover opportunities for improvement. It empowers you to make informed decisions about performance optimization strategies, ultimately enhancing the performance and usability of your React web application.

- Testing

Testing is a critical step in the development of any web application as it allows us to identify and address potential bugs in the workflow, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of the application. Testing can be conducted at multiple stages, beginning with unit testing, followed by integration testing, and finally system testing. Each stage of testing serves to validate different aspects of the application's functionality and ensure that it meets the specified requirements.

Libraries like Jest, along with tools like Enzyme, are commonly used for unit testing React components. With unit tests, developers can verify the functionality of specific components, such as rendering, state updates, and event handling, in isolation from the rest of the application.

- Real Time Data Handling

Real-time data handling is essential for building dynamic and interactive web applications that can display and update data in real-time without the need for manual refreshes. This capability is particularly valuable for applications such as chat apps, live dashboards, collaborative editing tools, and real-time gaming platforms.

React provides several mechanisms for real-time data handling, including WebSockets, GraphQL, and Socket.io. These technologies enable bidirectional communication between the client and server, allowing for instant data updates and notifications.

Conclusion

By mastering these skills, you'll be well-prepared to tackle complex frontend problems and will stay updated in the React domain.

Is AI Revolutionising Tech Dynamics or Leading to Its Demise?

Parul Verma — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 13:20:01 +0000

Amidst the proliferation of AI, the apprehension surrounding the future of software development has become a prevalent topic of inquiry. Many software developers worldwide are contemplating whether their profession is on the brink of obsolescence. However, Is AI truly the doom for all software developers? Let’s delve deeper into this question.

It’s undeniable that AI is reshaping the tech industry. This transformation has led to a decrease in demand for traditional software developers. Staying abreast of current trends and advancements in the field is now imperative to remain relevant in the job market. AI tools are increasingly automating engineering tasks, streamlining processes, and altering the nature of the work itself.

Let’s examine how AI is Benefitting us:

More Opportunities: Software developers can leverage AI technologies to enhance their productivity, create more advanced applications.
Empower Human Intelligence: Instead of viewing AI as a replacement for software developers, it can be seen as a tool for improving human intelligence. By combining the strengths of AI with human creativity, developers can tackle more complex challenges.
Niche Specialization: As AI automates certain tasks, software developers may find it beneficial to specialize in niche areas where human expertise is still indispensable. This could include areas such as cybersecurity, data analysis, or user experience design, where human intuition and judgment play a critical role.

However, it’s crucial to acknowledge the potential drawbacks of AI:

Job Displacement: AI could result in job displacement across various sectors, impacting employment opportunities.
Bias and Fairness Concerns: AI algorithms may inherit biases from the data they are trained on, raising concerns about fairness and perpetuating societal inequalities.
Privacy and Security Risks: Relying on AI systems for data processing introduces privacy and security risks, necessitating robust measures to safeguard sensitive information.

In conclusion, while AI is a powerful tool, it cannot fully replace human ingenuity and adaptability. However, contentment is not an option. To remain indispensable in the ever-evolving tech landscape, software developers must continually upskill, stay informed about market trends, and embrace new technologies.

React 19: What’s New?

Parul Verma — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:38:13 +0000

The React team is preparing a big release that will include a number of notable changes that will transform the way web developers create applications:

React Compiler

The React Compiler is one of the most eagerly awaited aspects of React 19.This ground-breaking tool was created to solve the problem of unnecessary component re-renders, which is a frequent source of frustration for React developers. Performance of applications can be significantly increased by using the React Compiler, which updates components only when necessary, diminishing the need to manually memoise the code. the compiler will test the code against the React Rules. This will also encourage developers to use ESLint and strict mode for compatibility.

Actions

React will supports a new way of handling form submission from client to server extending beyond the server capabilities in a client only application. Developers can now manage asynchronous or synchronous form submissions with React handling all lifecycle aspects. Two new hooks, useFormStatus and useFormState, are introduced to support this functionality.

useFormStatus : Provides submission status, action, method, and data details, making it particularly useful for managing multiple form submissions.

import { useFormStatus } from "react-dom";
import action from "./actions";
function Submit() {
 const status = useFormStatus();
 return <button disabled={status.pending}>Submit</button>;
}
export default function App() {
 return (
 <form action={action}>
 <Submit />
 </form>
 );
}

useFormState: Allows updating the state based on the result of the form action. It's helpful for managing form state updates.

import { useFormState } from "react-dom";
async function onIncrement(prevState, formData) {
  return prevState + 1;
}

function StatefulForm() {
  const [state, formAction] = useFormState(onIncrement, 0);
  return (
    <form>
      {state}
      <button formAction={formAction}>Increment</button>
    </form>
  );
}

Additionally, the useOptimistic hook is introduced to manage optimistic state updates, assuming successful submission on the client and reverting if necessary. It works using regular async/await, so it works the same whether you’re using fetch on the client, or a Server Action from the server.

New Features in React Canary:

Document MetaHead: Simplifies adding titles and meta tags to pages with the <DocumentHead> component, enhancing SEO and brand consistency across the site.
Asset Loading: React 19 improves asset loading by starting to load pictures and files in the background while users are still on the current page. This reduces waiting time when transitioning to a new page.

Conclusion:

Revolutionary innovations like the React compiler, better asset loading, and faster form submission handling are all included in React 19. Improved user experience, faster development, and increased performance are the goals of these upgrades. More productivity and seamless user experiences are what developers can anticipate from their React apps.

Mistakes to avoid while writing CSS

Parul Verma — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 08:58:37 +0000

When diving into web development, CSS often seems like the easiest part. After all, it’s just styling, right? But if you’re not careful, things may easily get muddy as you advance and strive for a more professional approach. Despite its resemblance to basic English, writing CSS efficiently requires attention to detail.

Here are some common mistakes you should avoid:

1.Overusing !important

h1 {
  margin: 0 !important;
}

Using !important, one style rule take precedence over another. However, its indiscriminate use can lead to complications in code maintenance and debugging. This is because !important overrides all previous styles applied to an element within the cascade, potentially obscuring the intended style hierarchy.

2. Not using shorthand property

In web development, removing redundant code and optimizing it are essential since they improve productivity and maintainability. Let us see an example where we have to provide the margins for an element.

h1 { 
  margin-top: 20px; 
  margin-right: 10px; 
  margin-bottom: 20px; 
  margin-left 10px; 
}

You must be thinking that something is off. We are repeating ourselves several times. However, there is clear and concise way of writing this using CSS shorthand properties.

h1 { 
  margin: 50px 0; 
}

We achieve the same outcome while reducing the code length by three lines. This not only enhances the readability of the code but also streamlines maintenance tasks.

3. Excessive Reliance on ID Selectors

#heading {
  color: #f9f9f9;
}

#subHeading {
  color: #F0F0FF,
}

IDs in CSS serve as unique identifiers for an element. Relying heavily on IDs will impact the flexibility of styling and introduce complications, particularly in large, complex applications. This approach also makes overriding styling more difficult. Instead, favoring class selectors provides greater ease and flexibility in CSS usage.

4. More inline styling
Excessive use of inline styling can clutter code and pose maintenance challenges. Consider the following example:

<h1 style={ font-size: “12px”, margin-left: “10px”>Hello World! </h1>

Inline styling hampers scalability and reusability, as each element’s design is defined individually. It also complicates debugging. It’s preferable to employ centralized styling or internal stylesheets for better organization and easier maintenance.

5. Neglecting Responsive Design

.container {
  width: 600px;
}

Utilizing fixed units like “px” renders your application non-responsive. It’s advisable to opt for responsive units such as “%”, viewpoint units (“vw”, “vh”) to ensure adaptability across various devices. This approach enhances the appearance of your application on multiple screen sizes and mitigates numerous CSS-related issues.

6. Consolidating all Styles into One Stylesheet

This topic often hinges on personal preference among developers. For me, dividing CSS into separate files proves advantageous because it provides clear organization, making it easier to locate and modify specific code. However, if managing styles becomes cumbersome, consider importing all stylesheets into a single file using the @import rule.

@import url("button.css"); @import url("typography.css");

Although it is fine to have all styles in one file, maintainability can be substantially improved by breaking them up into smaller files.