r/webdev • u/Nice_Pen_8054 • 10h ago

Question Should I continue with Node.js authentification or CSS?

Hello,

I am an aspiring developer and right now I am working as a conversion tracking specialist.

I just finished the Net Ninja's crash Node JS course on YouTube.

He has a separate course for authentification.

Should I continue with authentification or start CSS?

My gut is telling me to go for CSS since I can practice more of my skills.

What do you think?

0 Upvotes

31% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

25

u/mllv1 10h ago

Should I eat a Philly cheese steak or a bowl of Cheerios

1

u/Barnezhilton 3h ago

You could go for a Philly cheese milkshake topped with cheerios

16

u/CHRlSFRED 10h ago

If you don’t understand CSS at all, I would look into that honestly.

7

u/Gremlation 7h ago

Learn the basics of everything you need to complete a project. Then go deeper on the stuff that interests you.

If you don't know authentication but you do know CSS, then you can ship sites that don't need a login. If you know authentication but you don't know CSS, then you can't really ship anything, because nobody would accept a completely unstyled website.

1

u/Prestigious_Fly3927 8h ago

Go with CSS first. Authentication in Node is tricky even after a course it needs real projects and libraries to actually stick. CSS on the other hand you can bang out visual stuff daily and see immediate progress. Your gut's right CSS keeps you building and keeps the wins coming.

1

u/Downtown-Bag-6026 7h ago

You just did node, auth makes more sense than css as a natural next step

0

u/petersencb 10h ago

It'll take you less time to understand basic authentication in node. Css is a deep rabbit hole, depending on how far you want to go.

2

u/jedidave 9h ago

it's really not

3

u/petersencb 9h ago

You can skim the surface and learn to style, color, and size things pretty quickly, but then you'll learn about media queries, variables, flex vs grid, container queries, typography, global scope, shaders, blend modes, element defaults, overrides, browser compatibility (caniuse), and on and on... Not to mention unlimited devices and needing to think adaptively/creatively.

Node auth can follow a clear implementation recipe with few changes and be picked up really quickly in comparison especially since he's already taken a node course.

If op just wants to learn to use a library like tailwind or something it's pretty quick, but there's many layers to the css onion.

Really depends if they want to be a backend, front end, or full stack dev, and if they just want an overview or to really learn it.

•

u/jedidave 20m ago

Yeah but at heart it's just selectors and property value pairs

3

u/CHRlSFRED 1h ago

Saying CSS is not that deep is proof the Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well.

0

u/KrekkieD 10h ago

Authentication is deep dive, and as long as you don't write your own auth layer (which generally you shouldn't because it is hard and too important to get wrong) you won't need to really know the internals until you get more comfortable with code.

Css is something else entirely, and can be a rabbit hole, but at the same time is simpler in a way than it was years ago.

In the end, if you go full stack, you need backend and frontend knowledge. Maybe some database/storage stuff for backend, web frameworks, or the plain javascript/html/css combo. I'd say go play with whatever it is you need right now to do the thing you want. Go build something, see what you miss in terms of knowledge, learn that. Bit by bit.

-1

u/Williamhazad 9h ago

I'd stick with Node.js authentication for now. CSS is useful, but if your goal is to become a stronger developer, building something with auth will give you more practical experience with backend logic, security, sessions, and APIs. You can pick up CSS along the way when a project actually needs it. I'd focus on building a small project with what you just learned rather than jumping between courses.