What is Backbone.js?
Backbone is widely used for developing single-page web applications. There are a lot of popular Backbone applications in use, such as BitTorrent, Foursquare, DocumentCloud and Pinterest.
Why Backbone.js is important for developers?
Backbone.js exposes data through a RESTful API, which means server communication through a RESTful API can allow handling multiple clients. Besides browser, Backbone.js is useful for connecting with multiple clients through mobile devices, tablets, Google Goggles and electronic fridges.
Backbone allows creating models for organizing our data structures in an application. It allows representing data as models. These models can be created, validated, deleted and saved to the server. Thus, whenever a user interface (UI) action causes an attribute of a model to change, the model triggers a “change” event and the views simply update themselves.
Moreover, you can create a view for each model or have a view that renders thousands of models at once. Backbone allows developers to define the HTML and associate with a view, either directly or through some templating engine. Though, it remains separate from the view object. Backbone views are used to reflect the applications’ data models as well as to listen to events and react accordingly.
So, we can say that Backbone.js helps to keep the business logic separate from the user interface, more commonly called as the separation of concerns. Moreover, you can perform routing to update the browser URL within Backbone applications. This is helpful for internal linking, bookmarking and sharing URLs.
Planning to learn Backbone.js?
DocumentCloud is the originator of the Backbone.js open-source project. DocumentCloud is a web-based software platform developed for journalists to provide aid in news reporting, such as document search, annotation and publication. It has released several resources on GitHub for learning Backbone.js. It includes a vast collection of Backbone.js tutorials, examples of Backbone projects and more.
Backbone Tutorials is a useful online destination for finding some good text-based as well as video tutorials on Backbone.js. Here, you can learn about models, views, collections, modules and more. The website also features some examples of sample Backbone projects.
This website is home to text tutorials on several important backbone.js topics. Some of them include Real-Time Backbone with PubNub, SEO for single-page apps, Cross-domain Backbone.js with sessions using CORS and more.
6. Code School
Code School offers a complete video course to impart training on building sophisticated web applications using Backbone.js. ‘Anatomy of Backbone.js’ has an extensive course curriculum which is broken down in to 7 levels. Each level has an individual video lesson and several code challenges to offer.
7. Plural Sight
Plural Sight offers a full-fledged video course explaining the core concepts of Backbone.js. The course called as ‘Backbone.js Fundamentals’ spans around 5 hours and provides training on several useful topics, such as models, views, temlpating, routing, collections and more.
Tutsplus is home to several online courses on major technologies. It offers a complete text-based tutorial on learning Backbone.js in a simple manner. The course ‘Getting to Know Backbone.js’ covers basic concepts of Backbone.js while teaching to build a contacts manager. It introduces topics, such as adding/removing models from a collection, rendering views, adding routers and using events.
TutorialsPoint offers a complete text-based course on learning Backbone.js. It is ideal for software programmers who want to gain knowledge with suitable Backbone.js examples. The course covers important topics, such as environment setup, events, models, router, view and history.
10. O’Reilly Media
O’Reilly Media is a popular platform for exploring articles, blog posts, study guides, books and other educational material on a range of technology subjects. It already has several e-books written by popular authors on learning Backbone.js, such as Backbone.js Essentials, Developing Backbone.js Applications and Backbone.js Testing.
11. Code Project
Code Project features a series of Backbone.js tutorials, categorized in to 8 sections. Each section shares useful insight on the various core concepts and functions of Backbone.js. It offers text tutorials on Backbone models, views, collections, events, routes and history.
Lynda.com is a good website to scout for some video tutorials for learning Backbone.js concepts. Currently, it has 23 video lessons to offer that deal with useful topics of Backbone.js applications. ‘Up and Running with Backbone.js’ teaches to build web pages with Backbone.js.
Learning something new is always an exciting thing to do. Good Luck!