EvolveU Bootcamp Documentation

Student: Brennan
Program: Full-Stack Web Development Bootcamp
Original Cohort: 2021
Update Date: October 2025

Overview

This documentation provides a comprehensive walkthrough of my journey through the EvolveU Full-Stack Web Development bootcamp. Each module represents a critical milestone in my learning path, from basic JavaScript fundamentals to building full-stack applications with React and Flask.

The documentation is structured to reflect my learning process, explaining not just what the code does, but why we made specific architectural decisions, how the tests validate our implementations, and most importantly, how the landscape of web development has evolved between 2021 and 2025.

Module Index

JavaScript Fundamentals

• Module 00: Testing Fundamentals - Introduction to Jest, TDD principles, and test-driven development workflow
• Module 01: Getting Started - Core JavaScript: arrays, objects, functions, and the Canadian tax system
• Module 02: DOM Manipulation - Working with the Document Object Model and dynamic HTML manipulation
• Module 03: Objects & API Integration - Object-oriented programming, classes, and REST API integration with Flask

React & Modern Frontend

• Module 04: React Applications - Component-based architecture, state management, hooks, and the evolution from class to functional components

Backend Development

• Module 05: Flask API Server - RESTful API design, CRUD operations, and server-client architecture
• Module 06: Python Fundamentals - Python scripting, data processing, and CSV parsing
• Module 07: Flask Full-Stack - Production Flask applications with MongoDB, authentication, and deployment

Key Themes & Evolution

2021 → 2025: Major Shifts

1. Testing Philosophy

   • 2021: Tests as afterthought, manual testing
   • 2025: Test-Driven Development (TDD), automated CI/CD

2. React Paradigm

   • 2021: Class components, lifecycle methods
   • 2025: Functional components, Hooks (useState, useEffect)

3. API Communication

   • 2021: XMLHttpRequest, callback hell
   • 2025: Fetch API, async/await, Promise-based patterns

4. JavaScript Ecosystem

   • 2021: CommonJS (require/module.exports)
   • 2025: ES6 Modules (import/export)

5. Development Tools

   • 2021: Basic npm scripts
   • 2025: Vite, modern build tools, hot module replacement

6. Python/Flask

   • 2021: Flask 1.x, simple CORS
   • 2025: Flask 3.x, type hints, better security practices

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this bootcamp, I developed proficiency in:

• ✅ JavaScript ES6+: Modern syntax, async patterns, modules
• ✅ Testing: Jest, pytest, Test-Driven Development
• ✅ React: Component lifecycle, state management, hooks
• ✅ Backend Development: RESTful APIs, database integration
• ✅ Full-Stack Architecture: Client-server communication, CORS, authentication
• ✅ Version Control: Git workflows, debugging, code review

How to Use This Documentation

Each module document follows a consistent structure:

1. Module Overview: What you'll learn and why it matters
2. Core Concepts: Detailed explanation of key topics
3. Code Walkthrough: Line-by-line analysis of implementations
4. Testing Strategy: How tests validate functionality
5. Common Pitfalls: Bugs I encountered and how to fix them
6. 2021 vs 2025: Evolution of best practices and tooling
7. Further Learning: Resources for deeper exploration

Repository Statistics

• Total Tests Written: 59 passing tests
• Bugs Fixed During Audit: 28 bugs
• Lines of Code: ~5,000+ across all modules
• Technologies Used: JavaScript, React, Python, Flask, Jest, pytest, MongoDB

Acknowledgments

This documentation represents a learning journey. The bugs fixed, patterns learned, and architectural decisions made reflect real-world problem-solving and the evolution of a junior developer into a competent full-stack engineer.

Navigation: Start with Module 00: Testing Fundamentals →