As a budding developer, I was cruising through the basic JavaScript tutorials on Scrimba, building simple apps and learning how things work on the client side. But after mastering the fundamentals, I realized that I was ready to level up and explore more advanced topics in web development. That’s when I stumbled upon the AI agents roadmap on Roadmap.sh. It quickly piqued my interest, and as I started diving into the prerequisites, I found myself caught in a thought-provoking cycle that led me straight here.
The AI agents roadmap mentioned that a prerequisite to diving into AI was having a good understanding of backend development. This immediately caught my attention because I hadn’t explored server-side development much at this point. As I read further, I came across a quote on MDN (Mozilla Developer Network) that read:
“In the modern world of web development, learning about server-side development is highly recommended.”
This statement hit me hard. It made me realize how essential backend skills are to building real-world, scalable applications, including AI-based systems. I knew it was time to broaden my understanding and dive deeper into server-side development.
Curious to learn more about backend development, I decided to start with Node.js, since it allows you to use JavaScript on the server-side — a language I was already familiar with. I opened my terminal, fired up my first Node.js server, and was greeted by the blissful output of my console.log() statement.
Everything seemed to be working fine. The server was up and running, and I was feeling confident about my progress.
But then, I ran into a strange situation.
Here’s where the confusion started: I tried accessing my server in the browser (at http://localhost:3000), but instead of seeing the expected console.log() outputs in the browser’s developer console, I didn’t see anything at all.
I thought to myself, “Did I mess up the server? Is it not logging correctly?” I double-checked my code, and everything seemed fine. Yet, there was no sign of my logs in the browser console. The logs were nowhere to be found. So, naturally, I decided to dig deeper.
console Object in Node.jsAfter some Googling and exploring developer forums, I came across the root of the issue: Node.js doesn’t have access to the window object.
In client-side JavaScript, the window object is a global object provided by the browser. It allows you to interact with the DOM, handle events, and much more. But Node.js runs outside the browser in a server environment, which means it doesn’t have access to the browser’s window object.
In fact, Node.js runs on your operating system, where console.log() behaves differently. Instead of printing to the browser’s console, console.log() in Node.js outputs directly to the terminal or command line where you are running your server. This was the key revelation I needed to understand what was happening.
When I fully grasped this, it was a “lightbulb moment”. I had unknowingly expected Node.js logs to behave like client-side JavaScript logs — printing out in the browser’s console. But server-side JavaScript works differently. It prints its output in the terminal, where the server is being run.
This realization not only cleared up the confusion but also gave me a deeper understanding of how the backend and frontend interact. When you’re working on the backend with Node.js, your logs, error messages, and debugging information will show up in the terminal, not in the browser’s developer tools.
This small hiccup in understanding turned out to be an important learning experience. It reinforced how backend development works and how Node.js operates within its own ecosystem, separate from the frontend’s window object. This distinction is important when you’re thinking about how data flows between the server and the client and how both parts of an application work together to deliver seamless experiences.
This journey of discovery has only just begun. With my new understanding of server-side JavaScript (thanks to Node.js), I am now more excited than ever to dive into backend frameworks like Express.js, work with databases, and build full-fledged web applications. I’m also looking forward to integrating these backend skills with AI agents, as outlined in the roadmap I came across earlier.
For anyone else stepping into backend development, I encourage you to experiment with Node.js, play around with simple servers, and don’t be afraid of running into a few confusing moments like I did — they’re often the best opportunities to learn and grow as a developer.
The world of web development is vast, and exploring new areas can be both thrilling and overwhelming. I went from scratching the surface of JavaScript on the client side to now tackling Node.js and backend development. And while the path wasn’t always clear, every step, even the confusing ones, led me to deeper insights about how things work under the hood.
If you’re at the beginning of your backend journey, or struggling with something like I was, remember: it’s all part of the process. Keep exploring, keep asking questions, and most importantly, keep experimenting. The answers will come, and your skills will grow.
Happy Coding!