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Building and Debugging Cloud Functions for Node.js

This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. In this lab, you will create a Cloud Function for Node.js that reports whether a specified temperature is acceptable or too hot. You will create, test, and debug your Cloud Function using Visual Studio Code on your local machine. Lastly, you'll deploy your function to Google Cloud Platform.

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What's inside

Syllabus

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Uses Visual Studio Code, which is a popular IDE among Node.js developers for its debugging and development features

Deploys functions to Google Cloud Platform, which is a widely used cloud computing service for hosting and scaling applications

Focuses on Node.js, a runtime environment, which is commonly used for building scalable server-side and networking applications

Presented by Google Cloud, which is known for its cloud computing services and its contributions to cloud technologies

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Reviews summary

Hands-on cloud functions for node.js lab

According to learners, this course provides a practical, hands-on introduction to building and debugging Cloud Functions using Node.js on Google Cloud Platform. Students frequently highlight the step-by-step guidance and the use of Visual Studio Code for debugging as particularly helpful features. While the course is well-regarded for its clear instructions and practical exercises, a few reviewers noted occasional minor issues with the lab environment or setup, suggesting that having some prior familiarity with Node.js or GCP might be beneficial.

Occasional minor issues reported with the lab setup.

"Had a couple of minor hiccups with the lab environment setup initially."

"Sometimes the cloud console interface in the lab felt a bit sluggish."

"While the instructions were clear, minor technical glitches occasionally interrupted the flow."

"It would be helpful if the lab environment was always perfectly stable."

Some familiarity with Node.js or GCP helps.

"Knowing a bit of Node.js beforehand definitely makes this lab easier."

"It seems this course assumes some basic prior experience with GCP."

"While beginner-friendly, a foundational understanding is beneficial."

"Might be challenging without any prior exposure to the technologies."

Specific focus on debugging is valuable.

"The section on debugging with Visual Studio Code was a highlight for me."

"Learning how to effectively debug cloud functions locally was incredibly valuable."

"Debugging is often overlooked, so this focus was much appreciated."

"I now feel more confident troubleshooting my cloud functions."

Steps for building and debugging are easy to follow.

"The instructions were very clear and easy to follow, even for someone relatively new."

"I found the step-by-step guide for debugging with VS Code particularly useful."

"Everything was laid out logically, making the process straightforward."

"The guidance provided made completing the lab quite manageable."

Offers a practical, lab-based learning experience.

"The hands-on lab approach was excellent for understanding the practical steps."

"I really appreciated the opportunity to build and deploy a function myself in the console."

"This lab was very practical and helped solidify my understanding of the process."

"Doing the steps myself was the best way to learn this."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Building and Debugging Cloud Functions for Node.js with these activities:

Review Core JavaScript Concepts

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Reinforce your understanding of fundamental JavaScript concepts like asynchronous programming, closures, and prototypes, which are essential for writing effective Node.js Cloud Functions.

Browse courses on JavaScript

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Review online JavaScript tutorials and documentation.
Practice writing small JavaScript functions.
Experiment with asynchronous operations using Promises or async/await.

Brush Up on HTTP Fundamentals

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Familiarize yourself with HTTP request methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), status codes, and headers, as Cloud Functions often interact with HTTP requests.

Browse courses on HTTP

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Examine HTTP request and response examples.
Read articles about HTTP protocol basics.
Use a tool like Postman to send HTTP requests.

Follow Google Cloud Functions Quickstarts

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Work through the official Google Cloud Functions quickstart guides to get hands-on experience with deploying and testing simple functions.

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Complete the 'Hello World' Cloud Function tutorial.
Deploy a function triggered by HTTP requests.
Explore different trigger types (e.g., Cloud Storage, Pub/Sub).

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Debug Common Cloud Function Errors

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Practice identifying and fixing common errors in Cloud Functions, such as incorrect function signatures, missing dependencies, and deployment issues.

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Review error logs in the Google Cloud console.
Use the debugger in Visual Studio Code to step through code.
Simulate different error scenarios and practice troubleshooting.

Build a Simple API Endpoint

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Create a Cloud Function that acts as a basic API endpoint, receiving data via HTTP and returning a processed response. This will reinforce your understanding of request handling and data manipulation.

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Design the API endpoint's input and output format.
Implement the function to process the request data.
Deploy the function and test it with different inputs.

Document Your Cloud Function Development Process

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Write a blog post or create a video tutorial explaining your experience building and debugging Cloud Functions. This will help solidify your understanding and share your knowledge with others.

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Choose a specific aspect of Cloud Function development to focus on.
Document the steps you took, challenges you faced, and solutions you found.
Share your content on a blog, social media, or video platform.

Contribute to a Cloud Functions Open Source Project

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Find an open-source project that uses Cloud Functions and contribute by fixing bugs, adding new features, or improving documentation. This will provide valuable real-world experience and exposure to best practices.

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Search for relevant open-source projects on GitHub.
Identify an issue or feature to work on.
Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Building and Debugging Cloud Functions for Node.js will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Cloud Engineer

A Cloud Engineer designs, develops, and manages cloud computing systems and infrastructure. A Cloud Engineer's work often includes building and deploying cloud functions. This course helps build the foundational skills necessary to create and debug cloud functions using Node.js, which are critical for building scalable and reliable cloud applications. Specifically, the hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform, Visual Studio Code, and deploying functions will translate directly to the daily work of a Cloud Engineer. This course is particularly useful because it focuses on the practical aspects of cloud function development using a specific technology stack.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Engineer

Backend Developer

A Backend Developer is responsible for the server side of web applications where they might build and maintain the logic and databases that power applications. Developing cloud functions is an important part of the role of a Backend Developer, and this course helps build this specific skill. This course helps with creating, testing, and debugging cloud functions, which are common tasks for a backend developer. Working with Visual Studio Code and the Google Cloud Platform in this course directly helps build the skills and knowledge to succeed. The focus on Node.js makes this extremely relevant for backend developers who commonly utilize this programming language.

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DevOps Engineer

A DevOps Engineer is responsible for automating and streamlining the software development lifecycle, focusing on continuous integration and continuous delivery. Working with cloud functions is often a common task for a DevOps Engineer. This course helps build the skills for debugging and deploying cloud functions within a cloud environment. The hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform in this course is particularly relevant, because DevOps Engineers often heavily interact with such services. Additionally, the use of Visual Studio Code and Node.js makes this course extremely useful.

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Software Developer

Software Developers create and maintain software applications and systems. Cloud functions are often part of the software solutions that Software Developers build. This course helps build a foundation in creating and debugging cloud functions using Node.js. The practical experience of using Visual Studio Code to develop, test, and debug, as well as deploying to Google Cloud Platform, directly prepares students for the practicalities of the role of a Software Developer. This course is particularly helpful because it provides a deep-dive into cloud function development using modern tooling and a popular programming language.

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Full-Stack Developer

A Full Stack Developer works on both the front-end and back-end of applications often implementing cloud functions. This course helps build skills required for backend implementation. This course provides the knowledge necessary to create cloud functions, test them, and deploy them to a cloud environment. The hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform and Node.js offers a practical use case that a Full Stack Developer can apply. The ability to work with Visual Studio Code will further enhance the productivity of a Full Stack Developer in implementing cloud technologies.

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Application Developer

An Application Developer designs, develops, and maintains software applications. Cloud functions are a key component for modern applications. This course helps build skills in creating and debugging cloud functions and deploying them on Google Cloud. The hands-on nature of the course, utilizing Visual Studio Code and specific cloud technologies, provides essential skills for an Application Developer. This course is particularly useful because it directly addresses the practical aspects of cloud function development.

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Cloud Solutions Architect

A Cloud Solutions Architect designs and implements cloud computing strategies. They require a deep understanding of cloud services including cloud functions. This course may be useful providing hands-on experience with building, testing, and debugging cloud functions on Google Cloud Platform. The practical skills gained from using Visual Studio Code, and deploying functions, will help a Cloud Solutions Architect better understand the technologies that they need to work with. This course provides a focused deep dive into practical cloud skills.

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Solutions Engineer

A Solutions Engineer designs and implements technical solutions for clients. Cloud functions are often a component of such solutions. This course may be useful because it provides experience in working with cloud functions, including building, debugging, and testing. The hands-on approach, utilizing the Google Cloud Platform and Visual Studio Code may be beneficial to learn the practicalities of this type of development. This course provides a foundational understanding of cloud functions and their practical implementation.

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System Administrator

A System Administrator manages and maintains computer systems and infrastructure. Modern systems administrators often need to work with cloud resources, including cloud functions. This course may be useful, because it provides experience in understanding how to build, test, and debug cloud functions, which are critical to the operation of many modern systems. Working with Google Cloud Platform and Visual Studio Code may help Systems Administrators better manage and support cloud-based resources in their daily operations.

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Technical Consultant

A Technical Consultant provides technical expertise and guidance to clients or other employees. They often need to understand cloud technologies and services including cloud functions. This course may be useful because it provides practical experience in creating, debugging, and deploying cloud functions, which are a growing part of the technology landscape. The hands on experience with Google Cloud Platform and Node.js could be useful for the Technical Consultant.

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Data Engineer

A Data Engineer builds and maintains the infrastructure for data processing and analysis. Data Engineers may need to work with cloud functions for certain data processing tasks. This course may be useful to gain exposure to these modern approaches to development. This course provides experience on the Google Cloud platform, and also the popular programming language Node.js. This provides a glimpse into the technology stack that a Data Engineer may need to work with. While not core to their role, experience with cloud functions could make a Data Engineer more well rounded.

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IT Specialist

An IT Specialist is responsible for maintaining and managing an organization's information technology systems. Cloud technologies are often part of this environment. This course may be helpful because it provides experience in working with cloud functions, and an introduction to cloud development using Google Cloud Platform. The hands-on aspect of this course could help an IT Specialist better understand the infrastructure they manage. While cloud function development may not be the main part of their work, it may be beneficial to their overall understanding of IT systems.

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Technical Support Engineer

A Technical Support Engineer provides technical assistance to users of a product or service. This role may involve diagnosing issues with technologies, including cloud services. This course may be useful to help understand technologies related to cloud. This course provides knowledge on cloud functions, and working with Google Cloud Platform. While they might not directly develop, the deeper understanding of the technology might enhance their support capabilities. Debugging and testing are also skills that will be useful in their work.

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Quality Assurance Engineer

A Quality Assurance Engineer tests systems to ensure they are up to standard. This work sometimes includes cloud systems. This course may be useful to help learn more about this technology and the process of cloud development and deployment. A QA Engineer may be able to leverage the knowledge to develop tests for cloud systems, and it may also be useful in understanding errors and debugging. While not core to their role, this course may offer insight and help with communication with other technical teams

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Technical Writer

A Technical Writer creates documentation for technical products and services. Cloud functions are one of the technologies that a Technical Writer may need to document. This course may be useful to help learn more about these systems. This course will provide the kind of hands-on experience that will help the Technical Writer write more accurately and more clearly. While this not a required skill, they may find it useful in their work.

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Provides a comprehensive guide to the Functions Framework for Node.js. It covers topics such as setting up a development environment, writing and deploying functions, and handling events. The book is written by a team of experts with extensive experience in the Functions Framework.

Building and Debugging Cloud Functions for Node.js

What's inside

Syllabus

Traffic lights

Save this course

Reviews summary

Hands-on cloud functions for node.js lab

Activities

Career center

Reading list

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