mongodb-cover photo

Antoniya Ivanova

books-cover-photo

Nikola

Tailwind CSS-cover photo

Scrum-cover photo

Dilyan Georgiev

Ivan Todorov

knowledge-cover photo

Radoslav

postman-cover photo

cover photo-movies

chatgtp

Mira

cover photo-extenstions

Nikola Popov

PHP / LARAVEL / DATABASES / SASS

Radoslav Kosev

QA Engineer

Software Developer

Mira Ereeva

Growth Manager

PHP Developer

 C# .Net Developer, Knowledge Management PHD

Scrum is a simple yet powerful framework (a set of rules) that many organizations widely use to help teams work collaboratively and more efficiently. It involves different roles, activities, and tools to ensure all members know what to do to complete a project. 

Scrum is an iterative and incremental methodology that breaks down complex projects into smaller, more manageable pieces. It comprises specific roles, activities, and tools that help the project management team plan and manage projects with greater accuracy and efficiency.

Scrum's structure consists of short sprints, during which developers focus on completing specific tasks within a given timeframe, providing a sense of accomplishment. Successful sprint completion leads to fulfillment and motivation for the next one. Additionally, developers are given autonomy and flexibility to decide how to complete their assigned tasks, giving them a sense of ownership over the project. 

## Тhe Scrum process

The essential part of the Scrum framework is the Sprint. The Sprint is a time-boxed period in which the team works together to complete tasks. During the Sprint, the team works to meet the project's goals and complete the tasks assigned by the Product Owner. The Sprint is composed of 4 essential activities (also called ceremonies):

- __Sprint Planning:__ The team plans the primary goal, the time frame, and the tasks that should be added to the Sprint. 

- __Daily Scrums:__ The team meets daily to discuss progress and potential issues that may arise.

- __Sprint Review:__ At the end of the Sprint, the team reviews the progress and makes changes or improvements to the project. 

- __Sprint Retrospective:__ The team reviews the process used during the Sprint and identifies what went well and what could be improved. 

## Roles in Scrum 

### Scrum involves three leading roles:

- __The Product Owner__ (PO) is responsible for defining the product vision, goals, and standards and establishing the tasks and their priority.

- __The Scrum Master__ is responsible for coordinating the team and facilitating the Scrum procedures. 

- __The Development Team__ comprises all individuals responsible for developing and delivering the product (developers/designers/testers, etc.).

## Scrum Tools 

There are 3 main tools (also called artifacts) that are essential for the Scrum process: 

- __Product Backlog:__ A list of all tasks that need to be completed. Anyone can add a task, but the PO  is responsible for prioritizing and/or extending them.

- __Sprint Backlog:__ A list of tasks that will be completed during a sprint and is defined during the sprint planning. 

- __Burndown Chart:__ A graphical representation of the progress (most Scrum-based management software generate this automatically).

- __Product increment:__ A list of the deliverables that were achieved by completing the tasks during a sprint (usually represented by the approved merge requests).

## Benefits of using Scrum 

### Here are some of the main benefits of using Scrum:

- __Increased productivity and motivation:__ Scrum encourages teams to focus on short, achievable goals and continuously track progress. Тthis allows teams to be more agile in their approach and have a smaller scope, which reduces their cognitive load.

- __Improved team collaboration and transparency:__ The Scrum framework facilitates teams to openly communicate and collaborate, which helps to reduce any misunderstandings or surprises that may arise during the project.

- __Increased Adaptability:__ The methodology allows teams to adjust to changes and adapt to new requirements quickly. 

- __Improved customer satisfaction and product quality:__ Because of frequent testing, feedback, and incremental improvement, the quality is quickly ramping up until it meets the customer's expectations.

## Downsides of using Scrum

As the framework is based on a set of predefined rules and processes, teams may sometimes find it difficult to adapt to certain customer requirements or new technologies. Additionally, as it is impossible to predict the amount of work necessary for a given sprint, teams may find themselves under or over-allocating resources during project planning. Scrum is also not suitable for projects with large teams, as the complexity of coordinating such a large number of stakeholders can be too much for the Scrum framework to handle.

## Conclusion

Scrum is a popular agile methodology in software development because it promotes collaboration, fosters creativity, and encourages experimentation. With its focus on teamwork, innovation, and experimentation, Scrum encourages developers to push themselves further and strive for more significant accomplishments. The Scrum methodology provides an ideal environment to keep developers motivated and engaged in projects.


Discover the power of Scrum - a simple yet effective framework that helps teams work collaboratively and efficiently to achieve project goals.

Scrum: A Comprehensive Overview

## Not a human

The [product](https://www.lexis.solutions/services/react-development) of the company OpenAI [ChatGPT](https://chat.openai.com/chat) is a text-based chatbot that can compose pretty much everything - blog posts, even poetry, or a computer code on command. It is powered by generative artificial intelligence that creates new content after learning from massive amounts of data.

No personal beliefs, emotions, or experiences are involved in ChatGPT, even if you ask him - it always specifies to you - 'I am not a human.'

Its primary function is to assist all of us, the users, by providing information and answering all kinds of questions. ChatGPT's [knowledge](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/why-does-knowledge-matter) cut-off is 2021 - so note that this is the most recent information it has.

To generate content with ChatGPT, you will need to provide some initial input, such as a prompt or a question, and then let it generate text based on your information.

## How does it work

A language model is machine learning trained to understand and generate natural language. It uses neural networks and large text datasets to learn the patterns and structure of speech and can be fine-tuned for various natural language processing tasks.

This chatbot is based on transformer architecture, a neural network that uses attention mechanisms to weigh the importance of different input parts. This allows the model to understand the context and meaning of the text.

Language models have a wide range of applications and use cases, including text generation, language translation, text classification, text summarization, image and video captioning, chatbots, and question answering. 

## Chatbot in need is a chatbot indeed? 

Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, there has been an ongoing discussion about whether the chatbot makes our lives easier - from writing emails to brainstorming. 

*But what might the potential liabilities that A.I. brings?*

![АI](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/3FVjRAU3jwyrgZEGRH1jXn/4efd9283756b5acb4755c7f4f5672c26/Screenshot_2023-01-19_at_13.27.25.png)

ChatGPT is a great helper when searching for widespread questions - how to write an article, prepare Carbonara, ask someone out on a dating app, or get better after divorce. But the truth is; it gives you generalized answers that you can find easily on the first page of Google, and sometimes even faster. 

![dating](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/525mIpocRfTLz8E1nbhoPz/1eb754af6fe8ba7468c8e3aece363ed6/Screenshot_2023-01-18_at_16.34.13.png)

## 'As a language model, I am not capable of causing harm'

Language models like ChatGPT can be used to create fake news, impersonation, and other malicious activities.

As we know, ChatGPT can create various types of content. Lately, big media names like [Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-essays-college-cheating-professors-caught-students-ai-plagiarism-2023-1) have followed different stories on how students have been turning in AI-generated essays to their professors. 

Darren Hick, a philosophy professor at Furman University, revealed that his doubts were aroused when a student submitted an essay that was relevant to the topic but included a few inaccuracies. 

Aumann, a philosophy and religious studies professor at Northern Michigan University, told Insider that he caught two students submitting essays generated by ChatGPT. The professor became suspicious because of the writing style and ran the papers through the chatbot, which confirmed with 99% certainty that the essays were written by the program.

On the other hand, the chatbox could be used to boost your creativity. There always be someone looking for a way to cut it short, but many educators see the positives of ChatGPT -  when students are short on ideas, they can see what ChatGPT comes up with and draw inspiration. Or get help with math solving. 

![math problem](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/5KNpkEzjhJC0DFPCEXQ1KI/e7e8bd0decdb30cab5b493508b56ed4e/math_problem.png)

[According to a new study](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.23.521610v1), fake scientific and research papers generated using the highly advanced chatbox fooled scientists into thinking they were accurate nearly one-third of the time. The researchers noted that all texts were original, and __no plagiarism was detected__. 

Still, the boundaries of ethical and acceptable use of large language models to help scientific writing remain to be determined.

*P.S.: ChatGPT doesn't give specific answer to any questions related to illegal activities. But there are some [ways](https://twitter.com/davisblalock/status/1602600453555961856?s=12&t=jktsqr3qXhY13nzdgzVn1w?utm_source=tldrnewsletter) to get around its safeguards. And many have succeeded.*

![bank](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/4mKLiXMNayTKjfjADvP4ZO/0be7fbe6eaaa8a3431a2d7140b78ae6f/Screenshot_2023-01-18_at_16.18.04.png)

## New horizons

The American technology concern Microsoft Corp said it is expanding access to the hugely popular software of OpenAI.

The startup's technology, which used to be only available to customers in the cloud in a program called Azure OpenAI Service, is now generally available, which is expected to lead to many new users.

Microsoft is considering increasing its $1 billion stake in OpenAI, which it announced in 2019. Microsoft could invest $10 billion, but the company has declined to comment on the potential deal.

## Conclusion

Creating unique content is a challenging task, and ChatGTP comes in handy. Yes, sometimes it takes longer to give you an answer (which OpenAI justifies with the high demand for the product). Still, it could be used for more than inspiration or advice: writing marketing copy, translating text from one language to another, and many more. 

And, even though the future of ChatGPT is still widely discussed, considering the technology constantly changing and improving, it will surely be brighter than ever.


An introduction about ChatGPT - the 'revolutionary' AI chatbot. 


ChatGPT: The New Content Creator or Ultimate Cheating Tool?

## Introduction

Many developers start with relational databases and are familiar with them because they have been around for decades. Nowadays, though, [programmers](https://www.lexis.solutions/services/next-js-development) use NoSQL databases alongside (or instead) traditional ones, as they perform better in specific scenarios.

MongoDB is one of the most used NoSQL (non-relational structured query language) databases, and you are bound to meet it in person sooner or later. Let`s explore what MongoDB is, when it is used and what its features are.

## Comparison

The structure of a relational database looks like a spreadsheet. Data is stored in rows and columns, where each row is a record, and each column is a record field. Tables connect via primary keys. For example, table User has ID and Name. Table Sport has User_id and Name. The user_id from table Sport corresponds to ID field from Users.

![example4](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/1RlabK87aNMJDnZItuwvMJ/0176b351bb2a72206c57691688fad998/mongo-example2.jpg)

In the MongoDB, this example can be represented as follows by merging the data from the two tables:

![example3](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/50w7SEWyKyNy0GTI4ftiz6/f1d8cfd3fe2b0c08c7de3a698a65b1da/mongo-example.jpg)

The idea of MongoDB is to collect all the data in one place instead of in separate tables. In the example, three documents are presented, each with a different ID so that each can be identified, adn the data is stored in key-value pairs. Keys correspond to column names in relational databases, and their values compare to records. 

> MongoDB`s greatest strengths are that it scales easily and accepts any data without defining its type, therefore, we can have records of the same model that have different data pieces (keys) and different values types for the same key. This cannot happen in relational databases. 

## Terminology

### Document 

A document is a basic unit in MongoDB - that's why it is a document-based storage. Each document consists of key-value pairs, and it is optional to state in advance how many such pairs there will be and what type of data they will contain - numbers, text, array, etc. They are similar to JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) but use a variant called Binary JSON (BSON). 

### _id 

It is a mandatory field in every MongoDB document because documents are identified with it and is used as a primary key. If you create a new document without an _id field, MongoDB will automatically create the field. The default format is the ObjectId of the document. See its description here  [https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/reference/method/ObjectId/](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/reference/method/ObjectId/)

### Collection 

This is a combination of documents that may have its schema. It's equivalent to a table in the relational database.

### Database 

A database in MongoDB holds a set of collections. Each database may contain zero or more collections. 

The following table shows the correspondences in terminology between relational databases with MongoDB.

![example7](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/01H1geEZ8aVwSRIzTaklgd/09c7ca9bed98708054be0ecb71eda29f/mongo-example3.jpg)

## Use cases

MongoDB is suitable if your data could become extensive and there are no connections between it as in SQL. 

### A few use cases might be:

- A product catalog where each product can have different features and can't be grouped.  
- An application consisting of varying data formats that you don't need to store data in a particular way or hierarchy.  
    - For example, mobile or social networking applications by which data comes from multiple sources and have highly dynamic growth.
- Real-time data, like periodic sensors
    - Marine thermometers/current indicator
    - Wind/humidity sensors
- Logs
    - Access/error logs
    - Performance logs

> Trying to model relations in MongoDB will result in poor performance and is an anti-pattern. 

## MongoDB Features

### Document-oriented model

All the data is stored in documents in fields (key-value pairs) instead of rows and columns, making the data much more flexible than in RDBMS. Each document has its unique ID, and they are grouped into collections.

### Ad-hoc Queries

When we design a database schema, we don't know in advance about the queries we will perform. MongoDB supports ad-hoc queries, which is one of the most significant benefits. Ad-hoc queries are the queries not known while modeling the database. They are short-lived and are created at runtime. For example, suppose a company monitors its average sales daily and one day finds that sales are lower than the previous day. In that case, admins can write a series of ad hoc queries to identify the reasons for the decrease.

### Replication

Replication protects a database and recovers it from server crashes, computer network service interruptions, and even hardware failure. The replication process includes copying data from a primary database on one server to a second database on another server. 

MongoDB achieves replication by using replica sets. A replica set contains a single primary database (branch) and one or more secondary databases (branches). At a time of failure or maintenance, whenever the primary branch dies, the system elects one of the secondary branches as the primary. After recovery, the failed branch joins the replica set and works as a secondary branch.

### Load balancing

MongoDB replication helps the whole client traffic and requests to be well distributed across the different servers to improve performance and reduce congestion. To do so, you can instruct clients to read from secondaries instead of the primary server. This will reduce the load on the primary server, which will only take care of writing queries.

### Schema-less database

MongoDB is a schema-less database that can store different types of data in documents in a single collection. MongoDB usually focuses on keeping everything in just one document by reducing the number of relations between data, in contrast to SQL. 

These two factors allow developers to be flexible, which is one of MongoDB's leading powers.

### Sharding

In MongoDB, sharding splits the data sets and distributes them across multiple machines. Each machine is called a database shard and contains only a portion of the database. Breaking the data this way allows for the smaller size of each shard which might be crucial if your database is enormous and cannot be handled by a single server.  

> By adding more servers, sharding can automatically balance the load across the various shard servers and increase the database speed.
> Sharding can also be paired with replication. In this scenario, each document is replicated in two or more shards making the database setup fault tolerant at the expense of taking up more storage.

![mongo-example](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/6B3iXtXMhG03tRJSVvaB2w/7f82e78a1d497870ef5fe68ac6bdb901/example4.jpg)

### Indexing

MongoDB uses indexes to sieve out information rather than searching each document, one after the other, for a particular entry. This indexing feature of MongoDB reduces the time in solving queries and improves performance. Indexes are defined at the collection level and are supported on any field or subfield of the documents in a collection.

### Change streams

MongoDB’s Change Streams are an abstraction over "oplog" (operations log) - the collection that records all CRUD operations. Change streams watch for data changes to documents in real-time and emit events to which you can subscribe and take action. 

> Change streams serve the same function as triggers in popular SQL databases.

## Conclusion

MongoDB is a superb schemaless document database that saves time by allowing rapid development. It is a high-performing, cost-effective database that scales horizontally across multiple servers and works easily with large amounts of scattered data. 

It is suitable for Mobile Applications, high-traffic applications, real-time applications, and big data analysis which makes it a big hit in the IT world. You already know the basics, so go ahead and build your next passion project with MongoDB. It will surely help you stand out from the crowd when looking for a new job.


A guide on how to improve your database knowledge. 

What is MongoDB?

In the fast-changing digital world everything becomes more accessible and easier to do on your computer - from editing to design - there is a [tool](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/powerful-and-free-tools-for-content-creation) or a specific [resource](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/free-resources-for-resourceful-UI-designers) for everything, and even - *extensions*. So, Lexis Solutions has selected the best Google Chrome extensions to improve work productivity. 

## [АdBlock](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock-%E2%80%94-best-ad-blocker/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamgkkbiglidom)

AdBlock is said to be the best ad blocker and one of the most popular Chrome extensions with over 300+ million downloads! It blocks the annoying ads and pop-ups on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and all your favorite websites.

### Alternatives:

- [TotalAdblock](https://www.totaladblock.com/) tool is known for blocking all ads and trackers automatically across the internet. It can easily detect and remove ads on popular platforms like YouTube, Facebook, CNN, etc.

## [The Great Suspender](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-great-suspender/jaekigmcljkkalnicnjoafgfjoefkpeg?hl=en)

The Great Suspender is your savior, especially if you have 83 open tabs at all times. The extension puts the unused ones to sleep after some time you designate, suspending them in the background until you’re ready to use them again.

### Alternatives: 

- [Tabby](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabby/bloclegocjpjjaandifppeocigahekjg) is a simplistic Chrome tab suspender, allowing you to close older Chrome tabs when you open new ones. It has three modes: Focus Mode, Relax Mode and Customize Mode. 

## [Checker Plus for Gmail](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/checker-plus-for-gmail/oeopbcgkkoapgobdbedcemjljbihmemj)

Checking your email is a must, but sometimes it can get emotional. So Checker Plus will be your friend in need. The extension collects all your emails in a tidy dropdown - even from multiple accounts - and lets you read, respond, archive, mark as spam, move messages into folders, and more from the dropdown window. 

### Alternatives:

- [Notifier for Gmail](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/notifier-for-gmail/dcjichoefijpinlfnjghokpkojhlhkgl?hl=en) is one of the easiest ways to manage everything in your email. It notifies you about incoming emails and orders multiple accounts, giving you a better view of what’s going on in your email with its email management features. 

## [Productivity Owl](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/productivity-owl/eoagmdboiealblmpaahjlhajggndaahi)

Of all the animals, dogs usually end up helping us humans, but what about the owls? The Productivity Owl sits on a little branch in the lower-left corner of any site you visit, waiting to swoop up and close the tab after a predetermined time. 

### Alternatives: 

- [Cold Turkey](https://getcoldturkey.com/support/extensions/chrome/) can be used to limit yourself off of social media, addicting websites, and games so that you can get your work done! 

## [Clockify Time Tracker](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/clockify-time-tracker/pmjeegjhjdlccodhacdgbgfagbpmccpe)

Clockify's extension is the best and Lexis Solutions approved! It can track the time from anywhere on the web and improve productivity. Remember to download it! 

### Alternatives:

- [ClickUp](https://clickup.com/chrome-extension) is one of the best Clockify alternatives on the market. It allows users to track time from anywhere via any device - all within a non-invasive pop-out or through its Chrome browser extension.

## [Grammarly](https://www.grammarly.com/browser/chrome) 

Even though we already recommended you Grammarly in our article devoted to [content creation](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/powerful-and-free-tools-for-content-creation), we must mention again how useful it is. The cloud-based typing assistant reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery mistakes in English texts; the platform also detects plagiarism.

### Alternatives: 

- [Ginger](https://www.gingersoftware.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAh9qdBhAOEiwAvxIokzwz0_NzMgUZ2voFaX9BY95g7IyYzBjyW_NAjdnO2l4AcrE5luw0uRoC6D0QAvD_BwE) corrects all types of mistakes, from grammar and spelling to punctuation and syntax, with unmatched accuracy. 

## [Save to Pocket ](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/save-to-pocket/niloccemoadcdkdjlinkgdfekeahmflj?hl=en)

Sometimes bookmarks or tab managers aren’t enough. If saving something to read later is essential for your work, why not Save to Pocket? This extension organizes every content that you wish to keep at hand in a clean, distraction-free space that you can access from all devices. 

### Alternatives:

- [Booky](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bookyio-extension/pmcpkkipiedakcaolhnbijibndfemckf?hl=en) is not precisely similar, but it's so far the best bookmarking service to keep links organized. It can transform new tab pages, and it supports every web browser. The great thing is that it allows users to create custom Dashboards based on preference.


Want to increase your productivity? Check out these 7 Google Chrome extensions! 

7 Google Chrome Extensions for Higher Productivity

## Let's talk about: Tailwind CSS

When it comes to [web development](https://www.lexis.solutions/services/next-js-development), there are so many CSS frameworks out there, including Bootstrap, Foundation, Tailwind CSS, and Materialize, etc. with so many frameworks, and figuring out which and when to use them can be challenging.

## What is Tailwind CSS?

Tailwind CSS is entirely utility-first and provides users with low-level CSS classes that can be used to define components and designs independently. Instead of delivering pre-designed elements as Bootstrap does, Tailwind gives building blocks that provide flexibility & customization; due to that, it has gained popularity in recent years mainly because of its simplicity and ease of use.

## Why I like Tailwind CSS

I love using Tailwind, and it's made my development workflow so much better. Here are some benefits I've gained from using Tailwind over a traditional framework or custom CSS.

### Customization

Tailwind was built from the ground up to be super customizable. You can customize all the elements from there, be it colors, spacing sizes, styling, themes, etc. It comes with a default configuration, but it's straightforward to override the default configuration with a `tailwind.config.js` file in your project.

![screenshot-css](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/3jbXnO4dtWRT2RoKXRypQX/31e30b12c71daac71d0d71b8875bf3cf/screenshot-css.png)

In the above example, I added new color called `gunpowder` and new max width and height values, and you can apply them within the HTML, e.g., `bg-gunpowder` to set the background color of an element, and you can say `max-w-4` to restrict its width.

### No Naming Things

With traditional CSS, organizing each class can be a tedious task. Which courses should be specific? Which classes should be more generic? How do you manage them all and make sure they cascade in the correct order? This is where Tailwind CSS steps in, and the library provides utility classes for you, so you don't have to name anything.

### Development Speed

Because you don't need to name things, you don't have to switch context as much, and you're not fighting the framework to make customizations, prototyping and implementing custom designs is fast using Tailwind. Much faster than most other CSS frameworks and quicker than writing custom CSS.

### Well Documented

Tailwind comes with excellent in-depth, well-written, and easy-to-navigate documentation. Internal links are provided throughout all the documentation pages to make it easy for a user to expand on a piece of information. Also, it allows for going back to a prerequisite page or chapter that is essential to understand the insights provided on the current page.

### Tailwind CSS compared to other frameworks

Much like other frameworks, Tailwind CSS aims to ease creating a website. Websites can be built faster thanks to predefined classes and general CSS rules. Because the principle is always the same, experienced users can switch between frameworks more rapidly. While conventional solutions provide fixed components such as buttons or navigation bars, Tailwind CSS delivers the tools to create such components.

## Pros & Cons

### Pros:

- It promotes a consistent design style across a project.
- It allows you to create custom designs without writing custom CSS.
- It can help you to build a design system faster.
- It has a large and active community.
- It is well-documented and easy to learn.

### Cons:

- If not configured properly, it can result in larger CSS files because it generates a lot of utility classes (However, JIT solves this).
- It may not be suitable for projects that require a lot of design work, as it does not have built-in components like other CSS frameworks (However, tailwindui solves this). 
- Default styles may not suit your needs, and you have to override them.
- Requires a learning curve. Tailwind has a different approach to styling compared to traditional frameworks.
- Not great for beginners, as they might miss out on CSS fundamentals

## Final Thoughts

Tailwind has become my preferred styling solution. It has solved most of the drawbacks I have encountered in my journey through different CSS solutions. It has increased my productivity, made me more consistent, and changed my development paradigm.

Overall, it is a powerful and flexible tool that can help developers create custom, responsive designs quickly and easily. If you're looking for a CSS framework that allows you to focus on building great designs rather than writing complex stylesheets, Tailwind is definitely worth considering.

The answer to "Why is Tailwind CSS worth considering?". 

What I love about Tailwind CSS

Lexis Solutions has already recommended the most valuable [books to read ](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/working-in-software-development-7-%20books-to-colour-your-success)and [podcasts to listen to](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/all-about-the-european-tech-7-podcasts-we-listen-to) regarding technology and software development. But if you want to chill and still learn about the tech world or wonder what to watch during the upcoming holidays, let's dive into the following list: 

*The article might contain spoilers. 

__'[Jobs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrvkCS0ZGPU)' (2013):__ The movie is about Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. It follows from his 1976 invention of the Apple 1 computer in his parent's garage to his ousting from the company he co-founded.

__'[Steve Jobs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEr6K1bwIVs)' (2015):__ The film follows the life of Steve Jobs - from a professional point of view to his relationship with his daughter, his conflicts with Steve Wozniak, and his generally mercurial and callous disposition.

__'[Triumph of the Nerds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1yzXkH5Pfo)' (1996):__ A three-part-90s documentary featuring interviews from Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and others and follows the development of the personal computer. 

__'[The Imitation Game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuPZUUED5uk)' (2014):__ The movie shows the invention of the first computer by the British mathematician Alan Turing, considered to have laid the foundation for modern computing and artificial intelligence,  and his team. It also depicts how they were able to come up with a way to decode the German Enigma Code.

__'[The Social Network](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB95KLmpLR4)' (2010):__ The movie is about the founding of Facebook (Meta) and its founder Mark Zuckerberg's participation in the legal battles with the Winklevoss twins and Divya Narendra, claiming Zuckerberg stole their idea. 

__'[Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCv29JKmHNY)' (2019):__ A 3-part Netflix original documentary about Bill Gates, including insight from his wife Melinda, exploring the brilliant mind of the former tech CEO and the goals he has for his post-Microsoft future, including striving for climate change solutions.

__'[Tron](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3efV2wqEjEY)' (1982):__ The story follows an abducted computer hacker into the digital world and forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program.

__'[Antitrust](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7hhqX1PANU)' (2001):__ The programmer Milo Hoffman starts being a part of the software development company NURV (a fictionalized version of Microsoft). The idea behind the firm is to create a network of satellites to [develop](https://www.lexis.solutions/services/node-js-development) a global communications system called Synapse that is intended to "fuel business for the next 30 years" and "change the world." But then Hoffman's best friend is murdered...

__'[Ex Machina](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoQuVnKhxaM)' (2015):__ The movie focuses on artificial intelligence and its applications in humankind, helping people live better lives. It depicts the struggles of programmers in developing software and also shows the harmful effects if not used correctly.

__'[The Internship](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jir62_ptloI)' (2013):__ Two salesmen start their internship at Google;  they compete with a young group of tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment.

__'[The Great Hack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX8GxLP1FHo)' (2019):__ The documentary film delves into the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica 2018 scandal that centers around mining data from millions of Facebook users without their consent. 

__'[Hackers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn2cf_wJ4f4)'(1995):__ A cult classic all about geeky teens who are 'too cool for their age'; the hackers break into a supercomputer that belongs to a mineral corporation but unfortunately get caught by the security officer and former hacker, The Plague. The Plague lies to the authorities that the hackers stole a virus to capsize the company's oil fleet to cover up his diabolical plan.

__'[Hidden Figures](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wfrDhgUMGI)' (2016):__ Based on a true story, 'Hidden Figures' revolves around three African-American female mathematicians who were crucial figures in John Glenn's orbit launch in 1962.

__'[CodeGirl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRb5iel-3Ck)' (2015):__ A documentary film following teams of high school girls across the globe as they try to solve their community's problems by creating a mobile app for the annual Technovation.

__'[WarGames](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbqMuvnx5MU)' (1983):__ A classic that tells the story of an 80s adolescent hacker in a single word. The film portrays the boy's unintended entry into WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) while thinking it was a game and the consequences.

Another day, another recommendation from Lexis Solutions - this time, it is all about the tech movies!

What the Hack? 15 must-watch Tech Movies 

## Introduction 

Hello guys! Welcome to the "[In the shoes of a QA](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/into-the-shoes-of-a-QA-the-FAQ)" series for my second article! Last time we discussed the primary difficulties that a QA faces once they enter the IT field, we mentioned some methods and tips on tackling them effectively. 

This time we will discuss our work from a practical point of view. The task ahead of us today will be to test a REST-ful API via Postman. So before we begin with the request walkthrough itself, let's first clarify several things that will ease the process of understanding:

- What is an API
- What is a REST API
- What is Postman

## Let's start!

## Covering some basics

### What is an API?

"API" stands for Application Program Interface and is a paradigm that defines a way of communication between independent systems. An API gives two programs or apps the necessary tools to connect.
A software system can utilize an API by sending a request and receiving a [response](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/beginner-frienly-http-requests). 

### What is a REST API?

REST stands for Representational State Transfer, and it precisely sends a representation of the state with each request or response. When we want to get data from a REST API, the form is sent back to us within the answer, and when we want to create or change data - we send the desired state in the request. 

REST leverages a variety of HTTP methods that we can employ through the CRUD - create, read, update, and delete operations that RESTful APIs provide. The GET method reads data from the API, POST makes it in the first place, and PATCH updates and DELETE deletes.

The HTTP method names have already been discussed in a previous article. ([https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/beginner-frienly-http-requests](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/beginner-frienly-http-requests)) 

### What is Postman?

Postman is a tool used to test, create and share APIs. It's widely used by teams and individuals, greatly simplifying working with an API. Through Postman, you can build and submit API queries, fetch or alter data on a web server, try the operations of an API, or send a request to a specific endpoint.

### Trying it first hand

We will follow through with a simple POST request using the TMDB platform to see how exactly a REST API works with Postman. Mainly, we will use Postman's help to add the movie "Inception" to our Watchlist.

### The first step - Getting acquainted with the docs

Where do we find the elements necessary to build our request in Postman? The answer is fundamentally always the same – documentation, in our case - the documentation in TMDB. We have to visit [https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/getting-started/introduction](https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/getting-started/introduction) for starters because this is the page from where we will generate our API key, which is needed all the time and is a crucial part of the tests.

![introduction](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/7w9nAWDmv3iGq6O6pj8vm1/cb33cd47215d58d99022b7776950bc03/Screenshot_2022-12-16_at_13.58.13.png)

### The second step - Generating API Key

The API key is generated from the account settings page. This is how you do it in a couple of steps:
- From the account settings page, you click on your avatar
- From the menu that will appear - click on API
- Click on "Create"

The API Key should look something like this: 6b9b694299a12306eaeb1a8c5a2d7866

It'll be generated instantly, after which you must authenticate it. The point of the API Key authentication is to validate ourselves as legit users of the system. The validation itself we do from this endpoint: https://api.themoviedb.org/3/movie/76341?api_key=<<api_key>>

### The third step - Checking the requirements for our request

Once we generate the API key and complete its authentication after that, our next step is to check the docs and find out how to add a movie to our Watchlist:

[https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/account/add-to-watchlist](https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/account/add-to-watchlist)

![aut](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/4GZkVyHu0hZaBmMUw9i3vX/7dd1a0d5cb92ac60f4e61ea04bddf8e9/Screenshot_2022-12-16_at_14.02.35.png)

As we can see – the required attributes that we have to fulfill are the Content-Type within Headers, api_key & session_id within Query Strings, and media_type, media_id, and Watchlist within the Request body.

- *The query strings are optional parameters at the URL's end. They have various use cases; in this example, they are used for authentication.* 
- *The request body is optional and the preferred place to put a more significant amount of data. It is also hidden from the generic users in contrast to the query params that everybody has seen trailing in the URL. To keep the Params section neat, we add query parameters into the request body, making the URL manageable.*

Also, let us mention that the media_id changes with every movie. For example, 27205 is the ID for the film "Inception." This means that when we want to access the movie "Inception" - 27205 will be our value in our URL. If we want to access "Fight Club" then we need "Fight Club"  's ID of 550. 

### The fourth step - Creating a collection in Postman

Our next task is to open Postman and create a new collection called "TMDB API Testing."

![ТМBD](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/4BT3pW4xCrvzJdQ8LC6r31/cc32233628978b8f7cfb92e9474fe9b4/unnamed__3_.png)

The collection we created will contain three requests: one GET and two POST requests. 

- The GET request will fetch us a request token. This token is a temporary passport allowing us to communicate with the TMDB API freely.
- The Create Session POST request translates to the login functionality of the average user flow. The session_id we get out of it is yet another passport that authenticates us as a specific user. This user has a watchlist that we ultimately want to update.
- Add Movie to My Watchlist POST request adds the desired movie to a user's Watchlist. To do that via the API, we need both the token (which allows us to use the API) and the session_id (lets the server know which user we are) that we got beforehand.

Let's review more about how the documentation translates into Postman and how we can use it effectively.

### Fifth step - Tips for orientation in the docs and Postman

We already generated an API key, and according to TMDB's platform - the media type for "Inception" is "movie," and the media_id is 27205. In contrast, the watchlist field is a boolean, so logically, it'll be "true" because we want to add our movie. What's left is the session_id, and we already know how to get it too.

![the movie](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/7tTZaWP3nJea9uVqmPtZ46/0522cd6657a38916692c975c32b02e11/unnamed__4_.png)

However, we have a primary URL that doesn't change 
([https://api.themoviedb.org/3](https://api.themoviedb.org/3)) and an API key that does not change. So the params that do not change are constants. We can have Postman remember them for us by double-clicking on them, choosing Set as variable➜Set as a new variable➜Type name, Choosing the current collection, and saving, after which when we build requests in this collection in the future - they can be generated automatically by typing "{{"(shown below).

![media type](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/CXAnJl7goBp6FjIa90sGN/d157aaa3bb37b6350419e6e4eee8a743/unnamed__5_.png)

![media id](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/dYsnpob871p0gAqQJxJBp/52cca3365e2c5bc162fbb89499c1e0d3/unnamed__6_.png)

We'll begin by creating a new GET request which will generate a token, and after that, we will use the token to make our session. That session will contain the session_id required for our Add to Watchlist POST request, as we mentioned before.

Now what's left is to go through all three thoroughly and explain them in the process.

### The sixth step - Let the execution begin with a token!

1) First comes generating our token. 

([https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/authentication/create-request-token](https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/authentication/create-request-token))

Checking the required query params for it shows that we only need our API 
key ↓

![GET](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/xJzmgcwUdXAOEFfHVstfj/60c1e6c1683f1bcc474b30b99e965029/unnamed__9_.png)

After which we execute the GET request ↓

![GET 2](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/23EGikEPfMbdKn2hnLizCr/b757a32c6593128e51685d20dc3a5824/unnamed__7_.png)

- *You noticed how my API Key was already added as a constant, and I inserted it directly from the collection.*

The request token will be generated in the response body, and we can directly copy it from there.

### The seventh step - Creating a session

2)  Now that we have a token, we use it to create our session that will contain our session_id. 
[https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/authentication/create-session](https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/authentication/create-session)

Checking again the needed params shows that we require an API key and 
request token.

![POST](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/iyRR0kCpAJ8FhEyNurMRG/06a76523b990a9109e8876a63ba6700c/unnamed__8_.png)

After which we execute our POST request ↓

![post7](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/bRTEKgw86pY4faWkQDSQm/4f8b993c4a2cbeaeb29dd35602fbdca9/Screenshot_2022-12-16_at_14.31.37.png)

The session_id will be generated in the response body again, from where we can copy it.

Our session is created, and we finally have our `session_id`. Having obtained all the params needed for our `Add to Watchlist` POST request, we go back to the central part of our task.

### Final step - Adding the movie to our Watchlist

Having obtained the needed params for the request, what's left is to add Content-Type in the Headers with the value "application/json" as per the required documentation.

[https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/account/add-to-watchlist](https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/account/add-to-watchlist)

![POST 3](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/4IPXMYvafy5yJfunu80fK5/48a90fd4b473dec2a9fe545f42ee2b35/Screenshot_2022-12-16_at_14.17.37.png)

We have filled every required field necessary to add the movie "Inception" to our Watchlist, and our last and significant request is ready to be executed:

![POST 4](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/6E24l2FPIXvB2OxqKt0JxG/46501182e92b2c356c39e791064a39f3/Screenshot_2022-12-16_at_14.18.26.png)

A quick look at the response reveals that the request was executed successfully, and "Inception" goes directly into our Watchlist as the last movie added to the collection. We can either open our collection on the site before we add the movie, execute all the steps and refresh the page on the site, or execute the actions and then visit the page. Either way, we were able to complete our assignment, and we can check that from here:

![THE MOVIE 2](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/6z18zaESiJEhlQ3fcHwMmI/2aae358986a7f9d322421eac262e2641/unnamed__15_.png)

Replace the crossed field with your Account name, and once you open it, you'll see the last added movie to the Watchlist, Inception. ↓

![inception](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/4u4Lyvnh9o4mJ6XIB36Y6Z/a20b70c3031c8b444ba584c5a350f453/Screenshot_2022-12-16_at_14.21.20.png)

We have found our way around the TMDB documentation and successfully executed the queries necessary to add a movie to our Watchlist. This process happens behind the scenes when you manually click the "Add to watchlist" button in the user interface. The UI is limited to what the API beneath is capable of. That's why it is essential to understand how APIs work and how to utilize them. I hope this tutorial achieved just that.

## See you next time when we will continue with GraphQL API testing!

A straightforward, from A to Z tutorial for you to follow and carry out a successful POST request using Postman.

How To Test REST-ful APIs With Postman

We can all agree that one of the most challenging questions is, "What is your favorite book?". There are just so many, aren't they? Today we will not focus on whether the following books are our favorite but rather valuable to read when working in software development.  

There are seven colours of the rainbow, seven days a week, and seven books you must not miss; so, here is what you should add to your [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/) challenge for 2023:

## Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship (Robert C. Martin)

The book's author Robert C. Martin critically views established programming paradigms and best practices. Some of his conclusions seem radical to inexperienced programmers. But, if you take on board what Martin describes as his lessons learned, you can improve your code quality significantly. The biggest strength of this book is his recommendations on creating better structured and readable code.

## The Pragmatic Programmer (A. Hunt & D. Thomas)

Тhis book is a classic in the genre and is often used as a textbook in university courses; The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and David Thomas offers practical and sound programming advice you can use on any development project.

If you're new to programming, this book will help ensure you're on the right track from the start of a project. It's a series of articles containing a best practice, often explained with a metaphor. The creative use of classic and modern anecdotes, fascinating analogies, and thought-provoking examples makes learning each section exciting and fun.

## Cracking the Coding Interview (Gayle Laakmann McDowell)

"Cracking the Code Interview: 189 Programming Questions & Solutions" is all for those who want or need to take coding interviews. It helps you look for hidden details in questions, break problems into small chunks, and get better at learning concepts. Author Gayle Laakmann McDowell, an experienced software engineer, was both an interviewer and a candidate.

Furthermore, Gayle provides 189 real interview questions and solutions so you can prepare well for your following coding interview!

## Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)

Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual focuses on crucial elements of every developer's life to better prepare them for a successful future. John Sonmez has prepared a stellar career guide for anyone who wants to maximize their growth potential. 

From landing the job and climbing the corporate ladder to lifestyle improvements alongside building your brand, this piece of literature equips you with the ‌resources to excel at each of these essential aspects of life. It emphasizes getting the dream job and being the best suited for 

## Introduction to Algorithms (Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein)

"Introduction to Algorithms" by the authors Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein is an essential guide to algorithms of all kinds. The book is comprehensive and accessible to all readers, beginners, and professionals alike. It is worded and covers a lot of subject matter, but it also is complex and challenging to follow.

"Introduction to Algorithms" also covers data structures, fast algorithms, polynomial-time algorithms for seemingly intractable problems, graph theory, computational geometry, and much more. While it contains some pseudo-code examples, it is still a very theoretical book.

## Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering (Frederick P. Brooks Jr.)

This book is a timeless classic on the software development management process. It is a must-read for programmers and everyone in this industry, including clients. "Mythical Man-Month" shatters the myth that putting more people on a project will be finished more quickly. It is false; you can't complete a task more quickly by using more developers; the opposite will be confirmed.

## Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (T. DeMarco & T. Lister)

"Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams" by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister is the classic golden book that can be considered mandatory reading for software project managers, team leads, higher-level management, and board members of software companies. Suppose you are already excelling at managing developers. In that case, this book can make you even better – it will surely give you crucial [knowledge](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/why-does-knowledge-matter) on how to run successful development teams.

*P.S. After you are done with all the reading, remember to check out the best [15 tech movies to watch](https://www.lexis.solutions/blog/what-the-hack-15-must-watch-tech-movies). *


There are seven colours of the rainbow, seven days a week, and seven books you must not miss!

Working in Software Development: 7 Books to Colour your Success

Over the past 15 years, the Software industry has been through various changes, which positions technological progress under the influence of paradigms regarding software process, product, and resources used during its implementation. However, when comparing [the development](https://www.lexis.solutions/services/node-js-development) itself to the organizational structure, we could elaborate even more on how knowledge becomes a critical asset that a given company values and highly considers when making decisions.

## So why does knowledge matter? 

And more importantly – how does it affect the overall performance on different levels of management? We could see the results of applying knowledge in the first place. For that reason, we could define three types of relationships within a given project: between the process and the product, between the process and the team, and between the product and the team.

In terms of the process-product relationship, when we apply our knowledge, we get client ideas implemented and normed as a ready-to-use product, contributing to the company's connection with the stakeholders involved. This we can call progress since we develop new functionalities via our way of working, and it directly influences the company's performance. Progress can be measured and reported by different metrics, such as the number of successful projects, the number of employees with more than three years of experience in the company, and the reputation on the public market. 

When we talk about the process-team relationship, the result of knowledge application is the organizational culture – from the working environment, through internal bonding experiences and traditions, to knowledge-sharing initiatives and care. Companies with well-established policies and corporate culture tend to be more recognizable among the community and have a better knowledge-sharing process among the employees.

Lastly, we have the team-product relationship, where the focus stays on the applied solution and decisions made regarding functionalities and software architecture. This is critical for the results and makes teams more connected and motivated to bring the project to its successful end. After all, the product you are developing represents the intellectual capital you are working with, not only in terms of technologies but in style, approaches, and ways of managing the upcoming changes.  

![knowledge](//images.ctfassets.net/5gydaotbo8jm/IbmK8iJW1Qo3A1wdbZMuM/f38c57005e8004a4c30c70c3fb1380a0/Knowledge_Influence.drawio.png)

From a management perspective, several critical risks could cause a delay in the software process and potential knowledge loss. What are the chances of not knowing all of this mentioned above? Let's take a look at some of the most common risks managers face during the development processes:

## Personal shortfalls and knowledge loss

From a project management point of view, it is essential to define the technological profile we would be working with during the development phase to cut off any obstacles regarding the implementation itself. However, the technological profile needs to be more noticed or vaguely described. In that case, there is a risk of needing more expertise to tackle the problems we want to solve, which could lead to overall delay, especially in case of dependencies through the software structure and frustration in the team because of low performance. To avoid this kind of risk, we need knowledge not only about the project's domain but also about the company's assets and the expertise it needs, which is essential for morale-building within the team. Having this innovative way of thinking clarified and spread among the employees builds a stable atmosphere where people work with the sense that their contribution is valued. 

## Developing the wrong functionalities

If we talk about business analysis, we should highlight that many projects fail because of bad requirements management – this means miscommunication between the product owners and their stakeholders, which results in knowledge gaps. Developers try to fill these knowledge gaps by applying methods based on their previous experience. However, if those methods are not coordinated with the client, the development process may end up with software users would not use. If your company is product-based, this increases the potential end-users churn. 

If your company is client-based, this harms your reputation and could cost you connections to other possible clients. The solution would be to establish a new communication plan that relies on feedback and introduces shorter sprints for delivery and prototyping in case of developing new UI components.

## Shortfalls in maintenance

Software products with enormous scope need supporting processes that could identify bugs, define possible missed or not implemented functionalities, suggest possible solutions, and pick up the best one based on some predefined criteria. These processes often need to be defined or documented, which could cause bad performance, especially when hiring new employees with less expertise. Another problem is the need for a knowledge-sharing process which is critical when someone with great experience leaves the company. In these cases, a good approach would be establishing an onboarding and knowledge transfer practice. Thus, we can mitigate the potential loss and integrate new employees more quicker.

## Conclusion

Whatever you plan for your projects, you should dedicate some time to identifying what kind of knowledge you would need to fulfill the plan. This may require you to reach out for other people's opinions, but at the end, you will be more aware of possible outcomes when executing the project and take actions beforehand to mitigate risks. Such a way of thinking guarantees a stable environment where you and your colleagues would like to work.

What is the knowledge structure most companies are working with, and why underestimating it could cost you a project's success?

From the front lines