10 guides
The handful of terminal commands you actually use day to day, plus paths and flags, without the become-a-Linux-wizard detour.
Setting up VS Code for real projects: the extensions worth installing, format on save, and why user settings and workspace settings are different.
What npm, pnpm, and Yarn actually do, the role of package.json and lockfiles, npm install versus npm ci, and why deleting a lockfile is goblin behavior.
Why the Node.js version matters, how to check and pin it with .nvmrc, engines, nvm, fnm, or Volta, and the bugs a mismatch causes.
Learn what environment variables are, where they live, how to use them safely, and how not to accidentally leak your secrets.
The dot-prefixed config files that keep a project consistent across machines: which to commit, which to keep local, and how they stop projects from rotting.
The difference between a linter and a formatter, why ESLint and Prettier sometimes fight, format on save, project config, and running them in CI.
The scripts block in package.json, the standard scripts every project should have, and running frontend and backend together.
Why real apps need a local database, how to run Postgres and Redis with Docker Compose, connection strings, seeds, migrations, resets, and the bugs in between.
Debugging as a process, not a panic ritual: logs, devtools, the Network tab, stack traces, breakpoints, VS Code launch configs, and a checklist.