What is Meteor and Why I Should Learn This Framework?
1. What is Meteor?
If you are looking for a framework that allows swift development and adjustment to small-scaled applications without the least amount of hassle, look no further as Meteor would be a superb choice for your project development. So what is Meteor?
Did you know Meteor was originally named Skybreak at its debut release to the public tech community in December 2011 and became Meteor as we know now in April 2012? The web framework was introduced and developed by The Meteor Development Group since 2011, securing more than $30 million in Series B funding thanks to its highly-efficient enterprise-grade hosting environment called Galaxy for its range of open-source applications. Over the course of 2012, Meteor framework quickly earned its large user base thanks to its appealing package of automatic features and an easy-to-adjust system.
Seemingly, people started to ask “what is Meteor?” more and more thanks to its quick adjustment and a large support from its hefty user base.
Meteor is well-known for its in-app features that developers can take advantage of and creating applications as fast as possible, especially when developers have known their way around the framework’s system. Meteor offers the following packages:
- Meteor Toys: in-app development tools,
- Meteor Candy: in-app administration panel,
- Apollo: GraphQL-based server aiding Meteor,
- InjectDetect: database injection attack detection and
- Vulcan.js: React/GraphQL stack built on top of Meteor
2. What’s so cool about Meteor? — Advantages of the framework
Real-time feature
The real-time feature is built in the framework’s core. Along with a set of automatic features, users automatically receive the latest updates right after the database is updated without manual efforts from the developer. Such innovation could help developers save lots of time drafting a development scheme for the upcoming product.
Smartly designed full-stack JavaScript platform
The framework offers an integrated JavaScript stack that stretches from the database to the screen of end-users, cutting down on processing time and generating more value for users.
Cross-device coding
Meteor allows developers to multitask on all of their devices, including Android, iOS and Web. Thanks to the cross-device feature, developers can code and make adjustments to their product development on the go, allowing developers to use the same set of codes everywhere they travel.
Next to no time to publish a minimum viable product (MVP)
The open-source Meteor enables developers, especially newbies, set up their programming with user-friendly tutorials, getting rid of hassles in developers’ learning curve since adapting to a new framework is not always an easy task. The inclusion of tutorials provided within the framework was designed from the perspective of users, aka developers. This would come in handy when developers have limited resources, like time and budget, when in need of creating a brand new application.
A lot of companies have been using Meteor in the production of their application products, including Fashion United — an Amsterdam-headquartered B2B fashion platform, Tech Stack — an international IT service provider, Edools — a SaaS e-learning service provider, Adsia — a Philippines-based logistics company and Hazeorid — an Indonesia-based company providing identity management services.
3. What does it take to master Meteor? Recommended learning sources and studying methods.
Starting a development project does not have to be time-consuming and programming-intense. Meteor could be efficiently taken advantage of if you need a quick launching of your products, you want to save time from going full-on technical. Meteor also can help you go a long way if you need something with automatic features on an open-source platform which allows the website browser and the server to communicate in the same language, which saves the hassle of hiring a specialist in these both ends.
People at Designveloper recommend you check out the following educational materials if you wish to familiarize yourself the way around Meteor the next time you need to build a real-time application:
Or reaching out a tech community like DSV and ask for mentorship.
Along with getting your way around the Meteor framework, you might want to revisit your JavaScript coding skills as it would bring you a comprehensive outlook on the development process of your application. It is “Learning by Doing” which proved to be efficient most of the time we — designers and developers at Designveloper take up new projects. The Internet is an amazing space where you could get basic skills training for free. You could check out the following sources for enhancing your JavaScript coding skills:
Codecademy For coding rookies and those who wish to revisit the fundamentals of JavaScript.
Khan Academy If you are a self-learning junk, you should be familiar with Khan Academy by now. The courses are articulately laid out with graphic examples and relatable case studies.
Java for Cats Face it, cat-obsessed creature. If you have an unwavering passion for your pet meow, you should definitely check out this cat-inspired JavaScript tutorial. Cats and Java have “meo-er” been so intertwined.
JavaScript Garden If you find yourself a little too advanced for the abovementioned training materials, check out JavaScript Garden. You would get to gain a more in-depth understanding of certain aspects of JavaScript that not everyone takes notice of.
4. The urge to create a real-time application (RTA)?
The major social media big guns like Facebook, Google and Twitter have somewhat shifted the user experience trend, from approaching new information to approaching new information instantaneously. Time literally means money in the coming era of digitalization — whoever receives information first holds a competitive advantage. This is also the very why the creation of real-time applications is crucial to the increasing population of mobile users, signaling a huge demand of designers and developers who are capable of developing a real-time software application.
In the on-going and upcoming time of information-hunger and the seemingly-endless frenzy of keeping oneself updated, the launch of a real-time application can substantially earn your users’ loyalty and a high rate of user engagement if you log real-time information onto the application or RTA.
Sharing with his Medium followers, T. Sharma — a developer and a book author on JavaScript did a record of creating an entire RTA from scratch within 4 hours using Meteor framework development. You could check out thousands of stories that answer the question “what is Meteor?”, where designers and developers self-learned the skills of the master Meteor and incorporate the framework into their daily software development.
One of the most common applications that mobile users could not see themselves without on daily basis is RTA providing public transport details such as estimated time of arrivals (ETA), estimated time of departure (ETP), recommended routes, traffic news and the incorporation of Google Maps and Google Weather. One of the content contributors at Designveloper has currently migrated to the Netherlands, where RTA reached a whopping proportion of the Dutch population on a daily basis, considering the Dutch prefer public transport more than any other developed country. From the age of 8 to 80, as long as the Dutch own an iOS, Android or Windows smartphone, there are at least two RTAs, including public transport application and shopping deals in the nearest shops, installed and actively accessed every hour every day. The three most commonly used RTAs in the Netherlands are RET, 9292 and NS.
RET app, 9292 and NS are the transport tracking applications widely used by more than 100,000 users. The application was aimed at tracking information from over 400 train, subway, tram and bus stations across the entire territory of the Netherlands. The application serves 5 percent of the nation’s total Dutch and expat population in their day-to-day travel with the public transport system.
Considering the rising hunger for instant information in the mobile ecosystem, it is pivotal for designers and developers to get on top of the game and master the skills to create such supply ahead of time. This could diversify the mobile development taxonomy and advance user experience which is sustainable and highly recommended among user experience specialists.
We hope this article has answered your question “what is Meteor?” If you are looking for a software development company which masters this framework, Designveloper could be the one. Just simply tell us your idea and we will realize it for you! 😉
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