API Basics 3: Build a Game (Async JS, Callbacks & Promises) from Coursera

This course introduces you to the fundamentals of asynchronous JavaScript through hands-on challenges and an engaging project.

You will start by learning the basics of callback functions and progress towards understanding promises, method chaining, and the power of async/await.

Along the way, you'll apply these concepts in practical coding challenges, such as building a fully functional "War" card game, complete with features such as scoring, card drawing, and a final winner display.

The course also explores custom JavaScript functions, the fetch API, and real-world scenarios involving asynchronous code. By the end, you'll have a strong foundation in asynchronous programming, ready to tackle more advanced JavaScript projects.

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Offers hands-on experience building a functional card game, reinforcing understanding of asynchronous JavaScript concepts like callbacks and promises

Starts with the basics of callback functions and progresses to more advanced concepts like promises and async/await

Explores the fetch API, which is essential for making asynchronous requests and handling data in modern web applications

Teaches async/await, which simplifies asynchronous code and makes it easier to read and maintain

Reviews summary

Practical async javascript with game build

According to learners, this course provides a solid and practical introduction to asynchronous JavaScript, specifically covering callbacks, promises, and async/await. Students particularly praised the hands-on project of building a "War" card game, finding it highly effective for applying the concepts and learning to use the Fetch API in a real-world context. The interactive nature of the Scrimba platform was also frequently highlighted as a positive aspect, making the learning process engaging and accessible. While many found it an excellent starting point, some noted that it focuses on fundamentals and may not cover more advanced or edge-case async scenarios in depth. Overall, it's considered a great course for beginners or those needing to solidify their understanding of async JS basics through practice.

Great for basics, less for advanced topics.

"This course provides a solid foundation in async JS, perfect if you are new to these concepts or need a refresher."

"It's an excellent introduction, but don't expect deep dives into complex error handling or advanced asynchronous patterns."

"The course is great for grasping the fundamentals, but those looking for advanced techniques might need additional resources."

"Good for beginners to intermediate users wanting to understand the core mechanics of async JS."

Scrimba's interactive coding is effective.

"The Scrimba interactive format is incredibly helpful for coding along and experimenting directly in the lessons."

"I really appreciate the interactive exercises and coding challenges embedded within the course."

"Learning within the interactive Scrimba environment made the coding examples much more engaging and practical."

"The ability to edit and run code within the video is a fantastic way to learn."

Async topics explained clearly and logically.

"The instructor did a great job explaining promises and async/await. I finally feel like I understand them."

"The progression from callbacks to promises and then async/await felt very natural and was easy to follow."

"I found the explanations of asynchronous behavior in JavaScript to be clear and easy to digest."

"The course clarified a lot of confusion I had about handling async operations."

Applying concepts via a practical game build.

"Building the War game was the most valuable part; it really helped me solidify my understanding of asynchronous concepts in practice."

"I loved having a real project to work on. Implementing callbacks and promises in the game made them click for me."

"The hands-on game development aspect was excellent for seeing how async JS is used in a functional application."

"The project applying async concepts to build the game was very practical and fun."

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 API Basics 3: Build a Game (Async JS, Callbacks & Promises) with these activities:

Review JavaScript Fundamentals

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Solidify your understanding of core JavaScript concepts before diving into asynchronous programming.

Browse courses on Asynchronous JavaScript

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Review variables, data types, and operators.
Practice writing functions and control flow statements.
Familiarize yourself with the DOM and event handling.

Read 'JavaScript: The Good Parts'

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Reinforce your understanding of JavaScript fundamentals with this classic guide.

View A Million And One Random Digits on Amazon

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Read the chapters on functions, objects, and inheritance.
Pay attention to the coding style recommendations.
Apply the principles to your asynchronous JavaScript code.

Read 'You Don't Know JS: Async & Performance'

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Gain a deeper understanding of asynchronous JavaScript concepts with this comprehensive guide.

View You Don't Know JS: Async & Performance on Amazon

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Read the chapters on promises and async/await.
Experiment with the code examples provided in the book.
Compare the book's explanations with the course content.

Four other activities

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Practice Callback Implementations

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Reinforce your understanding of callbacks by implementing them in various scenarios.

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Write functions that accept callback functions as arguments.
Implement error handling within your callback functions.
Test your callback implementations with different inputs.

Create a Blog Post on Async/Await

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Solidify your understanding by explaining async/await to others in a blog post.

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Research and gather information on async/await.
Write a clear and concise explanation of async/await.
Include code examples to illustrate the concepts.
Publish your blog post on a platform like Medium or your own website.

Build a Simple API Wrapper

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Apply your knowledge of asynchronous JavaScript to create a reusable API wrapper.

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Choose a public API to work with.
Implement functions to fetch data from the API using promises or async/await.
Handle potential errors and exceptions.
Create a modular and reusable API wrapper.

Contribute to an Open Source Project

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Gain practical experience by contributing to an open-source project that uses asynchronous JavaScript.

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Find an open-source project that interests you.
Identify an issue or feature to work on.
Submit a pull request with your changes.
Respond to feedback from the project maintainers.

Career center

Learners who complete API Basics 3: Build a Game (Async JS, Callbacks & Promises) will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Frontend Developer

Frontend developers craft the user interfaces of websites and applications, relying heavily on JavaScript to create dynamic and interactive experiences. To excel as a frontend developer, mastery of asynchronous JavaScript is essential as it allows for efficient handling of data requests and user interactions without blocking the main thread, leading to a smooth user interface. This course helps you learn how to handle asynchronous operations, using skills like callbacks and promises, which are essential for network requests and real time updates. This course helps build a foundation to enter the field of frontend development.

See salaries and explore the career path for Frontend Developer

Web Application Developer

Web application developers focus on creating complex web-based software. They often work with intricate JavaScript code. Understanding asynchronous operations is key to building smooth, responsive web applications. A web application developer needs to handle tasks that have different levels of latency, and this class introduces the best ways to handle such scenarios. Learning the concepts of callbacks, promises, and async/await, as taught by this course, provides the tools required in this development.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Application Developer

Game Developer

Game developers create the logic and functionality of video games, and JavaScript is increasingly used for web-based and mobile games. Asynchronous programming is crucial in game development as it manages actions like user input, server communications, and animations without causing the game to freeze or lag. This course helps you develop a game and learn how to handle asynchronous tasks necessary for effective game design. By showing you how to construct a card game, this course provides direct experience with concepts a game developer will use daily.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Developer

Interactive Developer

Interactive developers build engaging digital experiences, and they use JavaScript to implement animations, user interfaces, and dynamic content. Interactive developers use asynchronous JavaScript to manage multimedia, data streaming, and the processing of user interactions. This course introduces the fundamentals of asynchronous JavaScript. It builds a foundation that can lead to a career as an interactive developer. This is particularly relevant to those building rich web experiences and dynamic interfaces.

See salaries and explore the career path for Interactive Developer

JavaScript Developer

JavaScript developers are responsible for creating, maintaining, and improving the JavaScript code that powers everything from websites to applications. They must have a deep understanding of all the nuances and capabilities of JavaScript, including asynchronous programming patterns. This course may be helpful because it builds a strong foundational understanding of key concepts such as callbacks, promises, and async/await. These are essential tools that a JavaScript developer needs to build robust and responsive applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for JavaScript Developer

Full-Stack Developer

Full stack developers handle both the frontend and backend components of websites and applications. Asynchronous JavaScript is useful for building responsive user interfaces and communicating with backend servers. A full stack developer needs to manage data flow and user interactions, and this course helps build a foundational understanding of asynchronous programming concepts and tools. By focusing on callbacks, promises and async/await, this course helps prepare for full stack development.

See salaries and explore the career path for Full-Stack Developer

Software Engineer

Software engineers design and develop software applications, frequently working with multiple programming languages and tools. While asynchronous JavaScript might be a single component of their work, software engineers should have an understanding of how asynchronous operations work. This class helps build a foundation in asynchronous JavaScript. Specifically, the focus on callbacks, promises, and async/await will help software engineers when they work on complex projects that involve asynchronous operations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

User Interface Engineer

User interface engineers focus on the design and development of user interfaces, and they often use JavaScript to create interactive elements and experiences. A user interface engineer relies on skills in asynchronous programming to manage network requests, animations, and user interactions. This course may be useful in introducing the concepts necessary to deal with asynchronous operations which are foundational in user interface engineering. The course particularly helps one get started with the basic tools of asynchronous programming.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Interface Engineer

Mobile Application Developer

Mobile application developers create apps for smartphones and tablets, and they often use JavaScript frameworks for cross-platform development. Mobile apps frequently require server communication and data updates, making asynchronous programming very important for a mobile application developer. This course may help a mobile application developer as it builds a foundation to handle asynchronous operations using the concepts of callbacks, promises, and async/await. This helps in the development of performant apps.

See salaries and explore the career path for Mobile Application Developer

Web Designer

Web designers create the visual layout and user experience of websites, which may involve some degree of JavaScript coding for interactive elements. Though a web designer may not engage in highly complex JavaScript tasks, some background knowledge with asynchronous operations can be helpful for creating dynamic experiences. This class may be helpful because it teaches the fundamentals of asynchronous JavaScript for enhancing user interfaces. The course introduces concepts of callbacks and promises, which may be useful for handling data and implementing animations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Designer

Technology Consultant

Technology consultants advise clients on technology-related topics. While they may not code, they need a broad understanding of various technologies, including JavaScript. A technology consultant benefits from understanding how asynchronous JavaScript works, as it underpins many modern web and mobile applications. This course may be helpful in familiarizing consultants with concepts like callbacks, promises, and async/await. This helps them make effective recommendations on technology projects.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technology Consultant

Technical Project Manager

Technical project managers oversee software projects, and they need a good grasp of technical concepts to manage teams and timelines. A technical project manager who understands the basics of asynchronous JavaScript may gain a better appreciation for the development process. This course may be helpful by teaching asynchronous operations with the use of callbacks, promises, and async/await, all of which may give a manager insight into the work done by the development team.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Project Manager

Technical Writer

Technical writers create documentation for software and hardware. A solid understanding of programming concepts, such as asynchronous JavaScript, enriches their ability to communicate effectively with engineers and document complex features. This course may be useful in helping a technical writer grasp the basics of asynchronous programming, including callback functions, promises, and async/await. This can inform their work when writing up documentation.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer

Data Analyst

Data Analysts study data to identify trends and insights using tools and programming. While they may not work directly with JavaScript, a data analyst may need to interact with visualizations and dashboards built using JavaScript-based libraries. This course may be useful to provide a basic understanding of how asynchronous requests are managed, which may be helpful when working with web-based data tools. It helps to understand the underlying mechanisms of interactive data interfaces.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

Quality Assurance Engineer

Quality assurance engineers test software to ensure functionality and performance. While they may not code complex JavaScript, they may need to understand how asynchronous operations affect user interfaces and responsiveness, especially when testing frontend code. This course may be useful in gaining a basic understanding of asynchronous JavaScript concepts. In particular, it may be valuable for learning how callbacks, promises, and async/await affect a user's interactions with a web application.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Engineer

API Basics 3

Build a Game (Async JS, Callbacks & Promises)

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Practical async javascript with game build

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