Programming

TypeScript Full-Stack Engineering 8-Month Comprehensive Learning Plan

Phase 1: TypeScript Mastery & JavaScript Runtime Foundation (Month 1)

Goal: Master TypeScript’s type system and JavaScript’s asynchronous runtime model, establishing a solid foundation for full-stack development. This phase bridges your Java background to the TypeScript/JavaScript ecosystem.

Table of Contents

Week 1-2: TypeScript Type System Deep Dive

Learning Checklist:

  • Structural vs Nominal Typing: Understand TypeScript’s structural type system vs Java’s nominal typing. Read TypeScript for Java/C# Programmers to grasp this fundamental difference
  • Advanced Type Features:
    • Union and Intersection types (string | number, A & B)
    • Type guards and narrowing (typeof, instanceof, custom type predicates)
    • Generics with constraints (<T extends BaseType>)
    • Conditional types (T extends U ? X : Y)
    • Mapped types and template literal types
    • Utility types (Partial, Required, Pick, Omit, Record)
  • Type Inference & Control Flow Analysis: Learn how TypeScript infers types and how control flow affects type narrowing
  • Module Systems: Master ES modules vs CommonJS, understanding import/export patterns and their TypeScript configurations
  • Configuration Mastery: Deep dive into tsconfig.json options, understanding strict mode flags, module resolution strategies, and compilation targets

Resources:

Practice Project: Build a type-safe CLI task manager with:

  • Custom type definitions for tasks, priorities, and statuses
  • Generic repository pattern for data operations
  • Advanced type constraints for command parsing
  • Publish to npm with proper type declarations

Week 3-4: JavaScript Runtime & Asynchronous Programming

Learning Checklist:

  • Event Loop Mastery: Understand microtasks vs macrotasks, call stack, callback queue
  • Promises Deep Dive:
    • Promise construction and chaining
    • Error handling patterns
    • Promise.all, Promise.race, Promise.allSettled
    • Converting callbacks to promises
  • Async/Await Patterns:
    • Error handling with try/catch
    • Concurrent execution patterns
    • AsyncIterators and for-await-of loops
  • Prototype Chain & this Binding: Understand JavaScript’s object model, crucial for React class components and event handlers
  • Closures & Scope: Master lexical scoping, crucial for React hooks and state management
  • Node.js Fundamentals:
    • Event-driven architecture
    • Streams and buffers
    • File system operations
    • Process management and environment variables

Resources:

Deliverable:

  • Blog Series (3 articles): “From Java to JavaScript” covering:
    1. “Understanding JavaScript’s Event Loop vs Java’s Thread Model”
    2. “Promise Patterns: JavaScript’s Alternative to CompletableFuture”
    3. “TypeScript Generics vs Java Generics: A Practical Comparison”
  • Code Project: REST API server using Node.js with TypeScript, implementing:
    • Custom middleware for request logging
    • Async error handling middleware
    • Stream-based file uploads
    • Rate limiting using promises

Phase 2: React 19 Mastery & Modern Frontend Architecture (Month 2)

Goal: Master React 19’s new features and component patterns, understanding the mental model shift from object-oriented to functional-reactive programming.

Week 1-2: React Fundamentals & Component Architecture

Learning Checklist:

  • Component Mental Model:
    • Components as functions of state
    • Unidirectional data flow
    • Composition over inheritance
    • Thinking in React: breaking UI into component hierarchy
  • JSX Deep Dive:
    • JSX transformation process
    • Fragments and keys
    • Conditional rendering patterns
    • List rendering optimization
  • State Management Fundamentals:
    • useState hook patterns
    • State immutability principles
    • Lifting state up
    • Derived state vs stored state
  • Effect System:
    • useEffect lifecycle and dependencies
    • Cleanup functions
    • Common pitfalls and solutions
    • Effect vs event handlers
  • TypeScript in React:
    • Component prop types with interfaces
    • Generic components
    • Event handler types
    • Children and render prop patterns

Resources:

  • React 19 Documentation - Complete “Learn React” section (20 hours)
  • React 19 Release Blog - Understand new features (2 hours)
  • Kent C. Dodds’ Epic React - Fundamentals workshop (15 hours)
  • Book: “Learning React” by Eve Porcello - Chapters 3-6 on hooks and state

Practice Projects:

  1. Interactive Dashboard: Build a weather dashboard with:
  • Multiple widget components
  • Real-time data updates
  • Local state management
  • Error boundaries
  1. Form Builder: Create a dynamic form generator with:
  • Controlled components
  • Custom validation
  • Field dependencies
  • TypeScript type safety

Week 3-4: React 19 Advanced Features & Performance

Learning Checklist:

  • React 19 New Features:
    • Actions and useActionState
    • useOptimistic for optimistic UI
    • use hook for resources
    • Document metadata management
    • Improved hydration and error reporting
  • Server Components (RSC):
    • Client vs Server component boundaries
    • Data fetching patterns
    • Streaming and suspense
  • Advanced Hooks:
    • useReducer for complex state
    • useContext and provider patterns
    • useMemo and useCallback optimization
    • Custom hooks creation
  • Performance Optimization:
    • React DevTools Profiler
    • Code splitting with lazy/Suspense
    • Memo and PureComponent patterns
    • Virtual list rendering

Resources:

Deliverable:

  • Portfolio Website 2.0: Rebuilt with React 19 featuring:
    • Server components for static content
    • Client components for interactions
    • Optimistic UI for contact form
    • Progressive enhancement
    • SEO optimization with metadata API
  • Technical Blog Post: “React 19 Server Components: A Java Developer’s Perspective”

Phase 3: UI Engineering & Design Systems (Month 3)

Goal: Master modern CSS, component libraries, and build a professional design system using Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui.

Week 1-2: CSS Mastery & Tailwind CSS

Learning Checklist:

  • Modern CSS Fundamentals:
    • Flexbox complete guide
    • CSS Grid for layouts
    • CSS custom properties (variables)
    • Container queries
    • CSS animations and transitions
  • Tailwind CSS Philosophy:
    • Utility-first methodology
    • Composition patterns
    • Responsive design with breakpoints
    • Dark mode implementation
    • Custom configuration and themes
  • Advanced Tailwind Patterns:
    • Component extraction
    • Plugin development
    • JIT mode optimization
    • Arbitrary values and modifiers

Resources:

Week 3-4: Component Libraries & Design Systems

Learning Checklist:

  • shadcn/ui Architecture:
    • Component installation and customization
    • Radix UI primitives understanding
    • Theming with CSS variables
    • Accessibility built-in features
    • Component composition patterns
  • Design System Principles:
    • Design tokens
    • Component variants
    • Compound components
    • Controlled vs uncontrolled components
  • Advanced UI Patterns:
    • Modal and dialog management
    • Toast notifications system
    • Data table with sorting/filtering
    • Form validation with react-hook-form
    • Command palette implementation

Resources:

Deliverable:

  • Custom Design System: Extend shadcn/ui with:
    • 10 custom components
    • Complete theme system (light/dark/custom)
    • Storybook documentation
    • Accessibility testing suite
    • Published as npm package
  • Demo Application: Task management app showcasing all components

Phase 4: Full-Stack Architecture with TanStack Ecosystem (Month 4)

Goal: Master TanStack Router, Query, and Start for building production-ready full-stack applications with type-safe routing and data fetching.

Week 1-2: TanStack Router & File-Based Routing

Learning Checklist:

  • TanStack Router Core Concepts:
    • File-based routing conventions
    • Route loaders and actions
    • Search params with validation
    • Nested layouts
    • Route guards and middleware
  • Type-Safe Navigation:
    • Link components with type inference
    • Programmatic navigation
    • Route parameter validation with Zod
    • Search param persistence
  • Advanced Routing Patterns:
    • Parallel routes
    • Route groups
    • Dynamic segments
    • Catch-all routes
    • API routes integration

Resources:

Week 3-4: TanStack Query & Data Synchronization

Learning Checklist:

  • Query Fundamentals:
    • Query keys and functions
    • Stale-while-revalidate strategy
    • Cache management
    • Background refetching
    • Query invalidation
  • Mutations & Optimistic Updates:
    • Mutation functions
    • Optimistic updates patterns
    • Error recovery
    • Mutation side effects
  • Advanced Patterns:
    • Infinite queries
    • Parallel and dependent queries
    • Prefetching strategies
    • Offline support
    • WebSocket integration

Resources:

Deliverable:

  • Full-Stack SaaS Starter: Using TanStack Start with:
    • File-based routing with type safety
    • Data fetching with TanStack Query
    • Optimistic UI for all mutations
    • Real-time updates via WebSocket
    • Search and filtering with URL state
    • Infinite scroll implementation
  • Technical Guide: “Building Type-Safe Full-Stack Apps with TanStack”

Phase 5: Backend Mastery with tRPC & Database (Month 5)

Goal: Build production-ready backends with type-safe APIs using tRPC and modern database patterns with Drizzle ORM.

Week 1-2: tRPC & Type-Safe APIs

Learning Checklist:

  • tRPC Fundamentals:
    • Router definition and composition
    • Procedures (query, mutation, subscription)
    • Input validation with Zod
    • Context and middleware
    • Error handling patterns
  • Advanced tRPC Patterns:
    • Batch queries optimization
    • WebSocket subscriptions
    • File uploads
    • Rate limiting middleware
    • Authentication middleware
  • Testing tRPC APIs:
    • Unit testing procedures
    • Integration testing
    • Type safety testing
    • Mocking strategies

Resources:

Week 3-4: Database Design & Drizzle ORM

Learning Checklist:

  • Drizzle ORM Mastery:
    • Schema definition with TypeScript
    • Relations and joins
    • Migrations management
    • Query builder API
    • Raw SQL with type safety
  • Database Design Patterns:
    • Normalization principles
    • Indexing strategies
    • Transaction management
    • Optimistic locking
    • Soft deletes
  • PostgreSQL Specific Features:
    • JSONB columns
    • Full-text search
    • Materialized views
    • Row-level security
    • Connection pooling

Resources:

Deliverable:

  • Multi-Tenant SaaS Backend: Implementing:
    • Complete tRPC API with 20+ procedures
    • Complex database schema with relations
    • Row-level security for multi-tenancy
    • Background job processing
    • Email notifications
    • Audit logging
  • Migration Guide: “From JPA/Hibernate to Drizzle ORM”

Phase 6: Authentication, Payments & Production Features (Month 6)

Goal: Implement enterprise-grade authentication, payment processing, and production-ready features.

Week 1-2: Authentication & Authorization

Learning Checklist:

  • better-auth Implementation:
    • Email/password authentication
    • OAuth providers (Google, GitHub, Discord)
    • Two-factor authentication
    • Email verification
    • Password reset flow
  • Session Management:
    • JWT vs session cookies
    • Refresh token rotation
    • Session invalidation
    • Device management
  • Authorization Patterns:
    • Role-based access control (RBAC)
    • Attribute-based access control (ABAC)
    • Resource-based permissions
    • API key management

Resources:

Week 3-4: Stripe Integration & Monetization

Learning Checklist:

  • Stripe Fundamentals:
    • Customer management
    • Payment intents
    • Subscription billing
    • Webhook handling
    • Invoice management
  • Advanced Stripe Patterns:
    • Metered billing
    • Usage-based pricing
    • Proration handling
    • Tax calculation
    • Refunds and disputes
  • Production Considerations:
    • PCI compliance
    • Webhook signature verification
    • Idempotency keys
    • Error recovery
    • Testing with Stripe CLI

Resources:

Deliverable:

  • Production SaaS Application: Including:
    • Complete authentication system
    • Three-tier subscription plans
    • Usage-based billing
    • Admin dashboard
    • Customer portal
    • Automated invoicing
  • Security Audit: Document covering OWASP top 10 compliance

Phase 7: Monorepo Architecture & DevOps (Month 7)

Goal: Master monorepo management, CI/CD pipelines, and deployment strategies for production applications.

Week 1-2: Monorepo with pnpm Workspaces

Learning Checklist:

  • pnpm Workspaces Setup:
    • Workspace configuration
    • Dependency management
    • Script orchestration
    • Version management
    • Publishing strategies
  • Monorepo Architecture:
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    apps/
      web/           # Main React app
      admin/         # Admin dashboard
      mobile/        # React Native app
    packages/
      ui/            # Shared components
      api/           # tRPC routers
      db/            # Database schemas
      auth/          # Auth utilities
      config/        # Shared configs
  • Tooling Integration:
    • Turborepo for builds
    • Changesets for versioning
    • ESLint/Prettier shared config
    • TypeScript project references
    • Shared testing setup

Resources:

Week 3-4: Deployment & Monitoring

Learning Checklist:

  • Cloudflare Deployment:
    • Pages for static sites
    • Workers for edge functions
    • D1 for edge databases
    • R2 for object storage
    • Analytics integration
  • CI/CD Pipeline:
    • GitHub Actions setup
    • Automated testing
    • Preview deployments
    • Production deployments
    • Rollback strategies
  • Monitoring & Observability:
    • Error tracking (Sentry)
    • Performance monitoring
    • Log aggregation
    • Custom metrics
    • Alerting setup

Resources:

Deliverable:

  • Production Monorepo Template: With:
    • Complete CI/CD pipeline
    • Multi-environment deployments
    • Automated testing suite
    • Performance budgets
    • Documentation site
  • DevOps Playbook: Covering deployment, rollback, and incident response

Phase 8: React Native & Capstone Project (Month 8)

Goal: Extend to mobile platforms and complete a production-ready full-stack application demonstrating all learned skills.

Week 1-2: React Native Development

Learning Checklist:

  • React Native Fundamentals:
    • Core components vs DOM elements
    • Platform-specific code
    • Navigation with React Navigation
    • Native module integration
    • Debugging tools
  • Expo Ecosystem:
    • Managed vs bare workflow
    • EAS Build and Submit
    • Over-the-air updates
    • Push notifications
    • App store deployment
  • Code Sharing Strategies:
    • Shared business logic
    • Platform-specific UI
    • API client reuse
    • Type sharing
    • Monorepo integration

Resources:

Week 3-4: Capstone Project Completion

Final Project Requirements:

Architecture:

  • Monorepo with pnpm workspaces
  • Shared packages for types, API client, business logic
  • Separate apps for web, admin, and mobile

Frontend (Web):

  • React 19 with Server Components
  • TanStack Router for file-based routing
  • TanStack Query for data fetching
  • shadcn/ui component library
  • Responsive design with Tailwind CSS

Backend:

  • tRPC API with complete type safety
  • Drizzle ORM with PostgreSQL (Neon)
  • better-auth for authentication
  • Stripe for payments
  • Real-time features with WebSockets

Mobile:

  • React Native with Expo
  • Shared API client with web
  • Native features (camera, location)
  • Push notifications

DevOps:

  • Cloudflare Pages for web deployment
  • Cloudflare Workers for API
  • GitHub Actions CI/CD
  • Comprehensive test suite
  • Monitoring and analytics

Deliverable:

  • Complete SaaS Product: “DevTask Pro” - A developer task management platform
  • Technical Documentation: Architecture decisions, API documentation, deployment guide
  • Case Study Blog Series: 5-part series documenting the journey
  • Open Source Template: Extracted starter template for community

Daily Schedule (8 hours)

Morning Block (3 hours):

  • 9:00-10:30: Theory study and documentation
  • 10:30-10:45: Break
  • 10:45-12:00: Video tutorials and courses

Afternoon Block (4 hours):

  • 1:00-3:00: Hands-on coding and exercises
  • 3:00-3:15: Break
  • 3:15-5:00: Project implementation

Evening Block (1 hour):

  • 5:00-6:00: Blog writing, code review, or community engagement

Success Metrics & Milestones

Month 1: Strong TypeScript foundation, published npm package
Month 2: React 19 expertise, portfolio site with modern features
Month 3: Professional UI skills, custom component library
Month 4: Full-stack architecture, TanStack mastery
Month 5: Backend expertise, complex database operations
Month 6: Production features, payment integration
Month 7: DevOps skills, monorepo management
Month 8: Mobile development, complete SaaS product

Learning Resources Summary

Essential Books

  1. “Effective TypeScript” by Dan Vanderkam - Complete book throughout Month 1-2
  2. “Learning React” by Eve Porcello & Alex Banks - Chapters 3-8 in Month 2
  3. “Node.js Design Patterns” by Mario Casciaro - Chapters 1-5 in Month 4
  4. “SQL Antipatterns” by Bill Karwin - Reference throughout Month 5
  5. “Design Systems” by Alla Kholmatova - Chapters 1-4 in Month 3

Key YouTube Channels

  1. Jack Herrington - TypeScript and React deep dives
  2. Theo (t3.gg) - Modern stack opinions and news
  3. Web Dev Simplified - Clear concept explanations
  4. Traversy Media - Practical project tutorials
  5. TkDodo - React Query patterns
  6. Josh Comeau - CSS and React techniques

Online Courses

  1. Epic React by Kent C. Dodds
  2. CSS for JS Developers by Josh Comeau
  3. Total TypeScript by Matt Pocock
  4. T3 Stack Tutorial by Theo