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Last week, I described how to add a dynamic watermark to your images on the JVM. I didn't find any library, so I had to develop the feature, or, more precisely, an embryo of a feature, by myself. Depending on your tech stack, you must search for an existing library or roll up your sleeves. For example, Rust offers such an out-of-the-box library. Worse, this approach might be impossible to implement if you don't have access to the source image. Another alternative is to use ready-made components, namely imgproxy and Apache APISIX. I already combined them to resize images on-the-fly. Here's the general sequence flow of the process: When APISIX receives a specific pattern, it calls imgproxy with the relevant parameters
imgproxy fetches the original image and the watermark to apply
It watermarks the original image and returns the result to APISIX Let's say the pattern is /watermark/*. We can define two routes: routes:
  - uri: "*"                                                                     #1
    upstream:
      nodes:
        "server:3000": 1
  - uri: /watermark/*                                                            #2
    plugins:
      proxy-rewrite:                                                             #3
        regex_uri:
          - /watermark/(.*)
          - /dummy_sig/watermark:0.8:nowe:20:20:0.2/plain/http://server:3000/$1  #4
    upstream:
      nodes:
        "imgproxy:8080": 1                                                       #5 Catch-all route that forwards to the web server
Watermark images route
Rewrite the URL...
...with an imgproxy-configured route and...
...forward to imageproxy You can find the exact rewritten URL syntax in imgproxy documentation. The watermark itself is configured via a single environment variable. You should buy imgproxy's Pro version if you need different watermarks. As a poor man's alternative, you could also set up different instances, each with its watermark, and configure APISIX to route the request to the desired instance. In this post, we implemented a watermarking feature with the help of imgproxy. The more I think about it, the more I think they make a match made in Heaven. The complete source code for this post can be found on GitHub: https://github.com/ajavageek/watermark-on-the-fly?embedable=true To go further: Digital watermarking
imgproxy documentation
imgproxy interactive demo Originally published at A Java Geek on July 7th, 2024 Last week, I described how to add a dynamic watermark to your images on the JVM . I didn't find any library, so I had to develop the feature, or, more precisely, an embryo of a feature, by myself. Depending on your tech stack, you must search for an existing library or roll up your sleeves. For example, Rust offers such an out-of-the-box library. Worse, this approach might be impossible to implement if you don't have access to the source image. how to add a dynamic watermark to your images on the JVM Rust Another alternative is to use ready-made components, namely imgproxy and Apache APISIX . I already combined them to resize images on-the-fly . imgproxy Apache APISIX resize images on-the-fly Here's the general sequence flow of the process: Here's the general sequence flow of the process: When APISIX receives a specific pattern, it calls imgproxy with the relevant parameters imgproxy fetches the original image and the watermark to apply It watermarks the original image and returns the result to APISIX When APISIX receives a specific pattern, it calls imgproxy with the relevant parameters imgproxy imgproxy fetches the original image and the watermark to apply imgproxy It watermarks the original image and returns the result to APISIX Let's say the pattern is /watermark/* . /watermark/* We can define two routes: routes:
  - uri: "*"                                                                     #1
    upstream:
      nodes:
        "server:3000": 1
  - uri: /watermark/*                                                            #2
    plugins:
      proxy-rewrite:                                                             #3
        regex_uri:
          - /watermark/(.*)
          - /dummy_sig/watermark:0.8:nowe:20:20:0.2/plain/http://server:3000/$1  #4
    upstream:
      nodes:
        "imgproxy:8080": 1                                                       #5 routes:
  - uri: "*"                                                                     #1
    upstream:
      nodes:
        "server:3000": 1
  - uri: /watermark/*                                                            #2
    plugins:
      proxy-rewrite:                                                             #3
        regex_uri:
          - /watermark/(.*)
          - /dummy_sig/watermark:0.8:nowe:20:20:0.2/plain/http://server:3000/$1  #4
    upstream:
      nodes:
        "imgproxy:8080": 1                                                       #5 Catch-all route that forwards to the web server Watermark images route Rewrite the URL... ...with an imgproxy-configured route and... ...forward to imageproxy Catch-all route that forwards to the web server Watermark images route Rewrite the URL... ...with an imgproxy -configured route and... imgproxy ...forward to imageproxy imageproxy You can find the exact rewritten URL syntax in imgproxy documentation. The watermark itself is configured via a single environment variable. You should buy imgproxy 's Pro version if you need different watermarks. As a poor man's alternative, you could also set up different instances, each with its watermark, and configure APISIX to route the request to the desired instance. imgproxy imgproxy In this post, we implemented a watermarking feature with the help of imgproxy . The more I think about it, the more I think they make a match made in Heaven. imgproxy The complete source code for this post can be found on GitHub: https://github.com/ajavageek/watermark-on-the-fly?embedable=true https://github.com/ajavageek/watermark-on-the-fly?embedable=true To go further: To go further: Digital watermarking imgproxy documentation imgproxy interactive demo Digital watermarking Digital watermarking imgproxy documentation imgproxy documentation imgproxy interactive demo imgproxy interactive demo Originally published at A Java Geek on July 7th, 2024 Originally published at A Java Geek on July 7th, 2024 A Java Geek

Dynamic Image Watermarking Made Simple with imgproxy and Apache APISIX

182 Stories To Learn About Product Design

IBM 1401 Programming Systems by Anonymous is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . IBM 1401 Programming Systems here IBM 1401 Programming Systems P PR PRO SYSTEMS PROG YSTEMS PROGR STEMS PROGRA TEMS PROGRAM EMS PROGRAMM MS PROGRAMMI S PROGRAMMIN PROGRAMMING When companies order an IBM 1401 Data Processing System, methods-programming staffs are given the responsibility of translating the requirements of management into finished applications. 1401 Programming Systems are helping cut the costs of getting the computer into operation by simplifying and expediting the work of these methods staffs. Modern, high-speed computers, such as the 1401, are marvelous electronic instruments, but they represent only portions of data processing systems. Well-tested programming languages for communication with computers must accompany the systems. It is through these languages that the computer itself is used to perform many of the tedious functions that the programmer would otherwise have to perform. A few minutes of computer time in translating the program can be equal to many, many hours of staff time in writing instructions coded in the language of the computer. The combination of a modern computer plus modern programming languages is the key to profitable data processing. This brochure explains modern IBM Programming Languages and their significance to management. : Here an operator points to machine language instructions for a new application being generated by the 1401 system on the 1403 high-speed printer. Statements about the application which were written by the programmer are being translated internally to machine-coded language. Page 2 " " What Is A 1401 Program? A program is a series of instructions that direct the 1401 as it solves an application. " " What Is A Stored Program Machine? A stored program machine is one which stores its own instructions in magnetic form and is capable of acting on those instructions to complete the application assigned. The 1401 uses a stored program. " " What Are 1401 Programming Systems? There are two types: (1) Systems that provide the programmer with a simplified vocabulary of statements to use in writing programs, and (2) Pre-written programs, which take care of many of the everyday operations of the 1401. What 1401 Programming Systems Mean To Management: INCREASED PROGRAMMING EFFICIENCY Programmers can concentrate on the application and results rather than on a multitude of "bookkeeping" functions, such as keeping track of storage locations. FASTER TRANSLATION OF MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS INTO USABLE RESULTS Simplified programming routines allow programmers to write more instructions in less time. SHORTER TRAINING PERIODS Programmers use a language more familiar to them rather than having to learn detailed machine codes. REDUCED PROGRAMMING COSTS Many pre-written programs are supplied by IBM, eliminating necessity of customers' staffs writing their own. MORE AVAILABLE 1401 TIME Pre-written programs have already been tested by IBM, reducing tedious checking operations on the computer. EASIER TO UNDERSTAND PROGRAMS Programs are written in symbolic or application-oriented form instead of computer language. This enables management to communicate more easily with the programming staff. FASTER REPORTS ON OPERATIONS Routines such as those designed for report writing permit faster translation of management requirements into usable information. IBM Programming Systems Symbolic Programming Systems These systems permit programs to be written using meaningful names (symbols) rather than actual machine language. Autocoder This is an advanced symbolic programming system. It allows generation of multiple machine instructions from one source statement, free-form coding, and an automatic assembly process through magnetic tape. COBOL COBOL is a problem-oriented programming language for commercial applications. COBOL permits a programmer to use language based on English words and phrases in describing an application. [A] Input/Output Control System This system provides the programmer with a packaged means of accomplishing input and output requirements. Utility Programs These are pre-written instructions to perform many of the everyday operations of an installation. Subroutines These are routines for multiplication, division, dozens conversion, and program error detection aids. Tape Utilities These are generalized instructions, particularly useful to 1401 customers who also use larger data processing systems. They facilitate the transfer of data between IBM cards, magnetic tapes, and printers. They also provide for some 1401 processing while the transfer of data is taking place. Tape Sort Programs Data can be sorted and classified at high speed for further processing by use of these generalized sorting routines. Report Program Generator The programmer uses simplified, descriptive language with which he is already familiar to obtain reports swiftly and efficiently. FORTRAN ( FOR TRAN ) Contraction of mula slator Engineers and mathematicians state problems in familiar algebraic language for solution by the computer. RAMAC® File Organization Routines are supplied for simplifying organization of records for storage in the 1401 Random Access File. Here's how one of the 1401 programming systems—Report Program Generator—works to increase programming efficiency 1401 computers produce important reports for management in record time because of their outstanding processing and printing abilities. In addition to this rapid machine processing of used in reports, still more speed is achieved by the rapid preparation of to produce the reports. This is possible because of the IBM Report Program Generator, a unique system which permits programs to be created with a minimum of time and effort. input data programs This example illustrates how the Report Program Generator simplifies the preparation of one part of an Expense Distribution Report (The Major Total Line): Without the Report Program Generator, the program to get the Major Total Line would be written out in detail, step by step: But with the Report Program Generator, all the programmer has to write are these two statements: It's just as easy to write the statements to generate the rest of the report! The 1401 itself does the work of converting the programmers' statements into the detailed instructions. The Report Program Generator is an example of what IBM Programming Systems can accomplish. With IBM you can be certain of total systems support for maximum profitability. IBM® Stands For Service Service that begins long before the delivery of a computer ... and continues in depth long after. Service that has been by years of data processing experience. proven New IBM Services include: Programmed Applications Library Pre-tested computer programs designed to handle various major data processing functions common to firms within a specific industry. Programming Systems Support To keep customers up-to-date on the availability and use of all new programming systems. To assist the IBM programming staff in reflecting customer requirements in the specification of new programming systems. Other services available to every IBM customer: Program Library A library of 1401 programs will be established to aid all 1401 customers in solving specific applications, scientific as well as commercial. These will include programs written by customers and programs written by IBM. Schools and Seminars Executive schools for management personnel. Programming schools for methods personnel. Industry seminars where customers meet to discuss subjects of common interest. Branch Offices More than 200 branch offices serve customer needs promptly and efficiently. Sales and Systems Representatives Experienced, highly trained individuals work with customers in applying IBM methods to their requirements. These are just a few of the many IBM services. Your IBM Sales Representative will be pleased to discuss all of them with you. International Business Machines Corporation Data Processing Division, 112 East Post Road White Plains, New York About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Anonymousan (2008). IBM 1401 Programming Systems. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/27468/pg27468-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

IBM 1401 Programming Systems

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On my current project, I work with protobuf not only for GRPC, but also as message format. While the advantages of protobuf are not limited to its speed, I was wondering if it's really so fast compared to libraries, especially in the ruby world. I decided to make some benchmarks to check it, but first I want to add a brief introduction to each format. RabbitMQ JSON What is protobuf? It's a fast, compact cross-platform message system, designed with forward-and backward compatibility in mind. It consists of a definition language and language-specific compilers. It works perfectly for small object-like data, has great backward and forward compatibility, is fast(we are not sure yet), and is more compact than JSON, for example, but have some limitations like not supporting direct comparison(you need to deserialize objects to compare). It's not compressed and some specific formats can work better for their data(for example JPEG). It's not self-describing. See for more details. Official docs What is JSON JSON is an abbreviation for . A text-based data format, which was originally used in JavaScript, but later got widely spread as a communication format not only between JS apps and backend but even between microservices and has multiple other usages. JavaScript object notation It uses strings as keys and has a string, number, boolean, object, array and nul as available types for value. The main advantage of it is that it is human-readable, and pretty easy to serialize and parse for programming language. See the for more details. site Benchmarks I picked up three popular ruby JSON libraries. They are Oj, Yajl, and standard JSON library. For protobuf, I use standard google protoc with google ruby gem. I will measure different specific types of payload to see which data type we will show the most difference, as long as complex payload with a mix of field types. You can see all the code here . https://github.com/alexstaro/proto-vs-json Benchmark setup As a hardware I use laptop with AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5450U and 16gb of ddr4 ram. As an operating system, I use Ubuntu 22.10 kinetic. Ruby version 3.2.1 was installed via asdf. For benchmarking, I use benchmark/ips gem ( ) https://github.com/evanphx/benchmark-ips The setup looks like this: Benchmark.ips do |x|  
  x.config(time: 20, warmup: 5)  
  
  x.report('Yajl encoding') do  
    Yajl::Encoder.encode(data)  
  end  
  ...
  x.compare!  
end Integers only We will start with only integers. Numbers are pretty hard for JSON so we expect protobuf to be far away from other competitors. The test data: data = {  
  field1: 2312345434234,  
  field2: 31415926,  
  field3: 43161592,  
  field4: 23141596,  
  field5: 61415923,  
  field6: 323423434343443,  
  field7: 53141926,  
  field8: 13145926,  
  field9: 323423434343443,  
  field10: 43161592  
} Benchmark results: protobuf encoding:  4146929.7 i/s
         Oj encoding:  1885092.0 i/s - 2.20x  slower
standard JSON encoding:   505697.5 i/s - 8.20x  slower
       Yajl encoding:   496121.7 i/s - 8.36x  slower There is no doubt that protobuf is an absolute winner, but what if we make the test more closer to the real-world scenario - we almost always create proto messages only for serialization. What would happen if we move model initialization under benchmark? Here are the results: protobuf encoding:  4146929.7 i/s
         Oj encoding:  1885092.0 i/s - 2.20x  slower
standard JSON encoding:   505697.5 i/s - 8.20x  slower
       Yajl encoding:   496121.7 i/s - 8.36x  slower
protobuf with model init:   489658.0 i/s - 8.47x  slower The result is not so obvious. I expected encoding with message initialization would be slower but not the slowest. Let's check deserialization: protobuf parsing:   737979.5 i/s
          Oj parsing:   448833.9 i/s - 1.64x  slower
standard JSON parsing:   297127.2 i/s - 2.48x  slower
        Yajl parsing:   184361.1 i/s - 4.00x  slower There are no surprises here. In terms of payload size, protobuf is almost 4 times more compact compared to json: JSON payload bytesize 201
Protobuf payload bytesize 58 Doubles only Doubles are expected to be the hardest payloads for JSON, let's check this out. Our payload: data = {  
  field1: 2312.345434234,  
  field2: 31415.926,  
  field3: 4316.1592,  
  field4: 23141.596,  
  field5: 614159.23,  
  field6: 3234234.34343443,  
  field7: 53141.926,  
  field8: 13145.926,  
  field9: 323423.434343443,  
  field10: 43161.592  
} Result: protobuf encoding:  4814662.9 i/s
protobuf with model init:   444424.1 i/s - 10.83x  slower
         Oj encoding:   297152.0 i/s - 16.20x  slower
       Yajl encoding:   160251.9 i/s - 30.04x  slower
standard JSON encoding:   158724.3 i/s - 30.33x  slower Protobuf is much faster even with model initialization. Let's check the deserialization: Comparison:
    protobuf parsing:   822226.6 i/s
          Oj parsing:   395411.3 i/s - 2.08x  slower
standard JSON parsing:   241438.7 i/s - 3.41x  slower
        Yajl parsing:   157235.7 i/s - 5.23x  slower Still no surprises here. and the payload size: JSON payload bytesize 211
Protobuf payload bytesize 90 Not four times, but still noticeable. Strings only Strings are expected to be easier for JSON, let's check this out. payload: data = {  
  field1: "2312.345434234",  
  field2: "31415.926",  
  field3: "4316.1592",  
  field4: "23141.596",  
  field5: "614159.23",  
  field6: "3234234.34343443",  
  field7: "53141.926",  
  field8: "13145.926",  
  field9: "323423.434343443",  
  field10: "43161.592"  
} Bench results: Comparison:
   protobuf encoding:  3990298.3 i/s
          oj encoder:  1848941.3 i/s - 2.16x  slower
        yajl encoder:   455222.0 i/s - 8.77x  slower
standard JSON encoding:   444245.6 i/s - 8.98x  slower
protobuf with model init:   368818.3 i/s - 10.82x  slower Deserialization: Comparison:
     protobuf parser:   631262.5 i/s
           oj parser:   378697.6 i/s - 1.67x  slower
standard JSON parser:   322923.5 i/s - 1.95x  slower
         yajl parser:   187593.4 i/s - 3.37x  slower The payload size: JSON payload bytesize 231
Protobuf payload bytesize 129 Integer array Despite we have separated integers bench it's interesting how protobuf handles collections. Here is the data: data = {  
  field1: [  
    2312345434234, 31415926, 43161592, 23141596, 61415923, 323423434343443, 53141926, 13145926, 323423434343443, 43161592  
  ]  
} Serialization bench: Comparison:
   protobuf encoding:  4639726.6 i/s
          oj encoder:  2929662.1 i/s - 1.58x  slower
standard JSON encoding:   699299.2 i/s - 6.63x  slower
        yajl encoder:   610215.5 i/s - 7.60x  slower
protobuf with model init:   463057.9 i/s - 10.02x  slower Deserialization bench: Comparison:
           oj parser:  1190763.1 i/s
     protobuf parser:   760307.3 i/s - 1.57x  slower
standard JSON parser:   619360.4 i/s - 1.92x  slower
         yajl parser:   414352.4 i/s - 2.87x  slower To be honest, the deserialization results are pretty unexpected here. Let's check payload size: JSON payload bytesize 121
Protobuf payload bytesize 50 Array of doubles I decided to check if an array of doubles shares the same behavior. data: data = {  
  field1: [  
    2312.345434234, 31415.926, 4316.1592, 23141.596, 614159.23, 3234234.34343443,
    53141.926, 13145.926, 323423.434343443, 43161.592  
  ]  
} Serialization: Comparison:
   protobuf encoding:  7667558.9 i/s
protobuf with model init:   572563.4 i/s - 13.39x  slower
         Oj encoding:   323818.1 i/s - 23.68x  slower
       Yajl encoding:   183763.3 i/s - 41.73x  slower
standard JSON encoding:   182332.3 i/s - 42.05x  slower Deserialization: Comparison:
          Oj parsing:   953384.6 i/s
    protobuf parsing:   883899.0 i/s - 1.08x  slower
standard JSON parsing:   452799.0 i/s - 2.11x  slower
        Yajl parsing:   356091.2 i/s - 2.68x  slower We got similar results here. It seems that protobuf has some issues with arrays. Payload size: JSON payload bytesize 131
Protobuf payload bytesize 82 Complex payload As a "complex" payload I mocked some user data with posts and comments for those posts to make it more like real life application. data = {  
  user_id: 12345,  
  username: 'johndoe',  
  email: 'johndoe@example.com',  
  date_joined: '2023-04-01T12:30:00Z',  
  is_active: true,  
  profile: {  
	full_name: 'John Doe',  
	age: 30,  
	address: '123 Main St, Anytown, USA',  
	phone_number: '+1-555-123-4567'  
  },  
  posts: [  
	{  
    	post_id: 1,  
    	title: 'My first blog post',  
    	content: 'This is the content of my first blog post.',  
    	date_created: '2023-04-01T14:00:00Z',  
    	likes: 10,  
    	tags: ['blog', 'first_post', 'welcome'],  
    	comments: [  
          {  
    	    comment_id: 101,  
    	    author: 'Jane',  
    		content: 'Great first post!',  
    		date_created: '2023-04-01T15:00:00Z',  
    		likes: 3  
    	  },  
    	  ... 
        ]  
    },  
    ...
  ] 
} The results: Comparison:
   protobuf encoding:  1038246.0 i/s
         Oj encoding:   296018.6 i/s - 3.51x  slower
       Yajl encoding:   125909.6 i/s - 8.25x  slower
protobuf with model init:   119673.2 i/s - 8.68x  slower
standard JSON encoding:   115773.4 i/s - 8.97x  slower


Comparison:
    protobuf parsing:   291605.9 i/s
          Oj parsing:    76994.7 i/s - 3.79x  slower
standard JSON parsing:    64823.6 i/s - 4.50x  slower
        Yajl parsing:    34936.4 i/s - 8.35x  slower And payload size: JSON payload bytesize 1700
Protobuf payload bytesize 876 We see here the expected behavior with pure protobuf encoding on the first place, however, if we look at our “real-world” example we see it is not faster that the standard JSON encoding. Conclusion If you are switching from JSON to Protobuf just for the speed, it's may not worth it. The reason to use Protobuf should be the awesome cross-language schema definition for data exchange — not a performance boost. The lead image for this article was generated by HackerNoon's via the prompt "programming language". AI Image Generator

Protobuf vs JSON in The Ruby World

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Ruby 世界中的 Protobuf 与 JSON

Unemployment Insurance Fraud Rose During the Pandemic 

Are you a starting front end developer's journey? Then this roadmap is for you. You'll get to know all the essential aspects and steps required for frontend web developer.🤩 What Is a Front-End Developer? Generally, a front end web developer executes web designs through coding languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which run on the Open Web Platform or act as compilation input for non-web platform environments (i.e., React Native). In a way, a front-end web developer is responsible for implementing visual elements that users see and interact within a web application. But that's not the scene anymore. Nowadays front-end developers are not limited to specific. You can see their work everywhere—in the navigation, layouts, even the way that a site looks different from your phone (thanks to mobile-first or responsive design). Now, let's head to the roadmap first. Below is the chart demonstrating the paths that you can take to become a pro frontend developer. This chart is made by . Kamran’s work is excellent so be sure to star the repo and subscribe to his newsletter to support his efforts. Kamran Ahmed Note: This roadmap will give you an idea about the landscape and guide you if you are confused about where to begin or what to learn next. In the end, it depends on your experience as you will grow some understanding of why one tool is better suited for some cases than the other one. It is not necessary that handy and trendy one is always perfect. So, go through the map and start developing. Roadmap to kickestart your journy as a front end developer: Image Credit: https://roadmap.sh/frontend Now, here we go in detail. Internet and how it works? Basic: HTML,CSS & JS General Development Skills Styling: CSS Preprocessor & Architecture Get familiar with the tools CSS Frameworks Front-end Framework Testing your app Server-Side Rendering Static Site Generator Mobile Application Desktop Application Web Assembly Keep Learning Resources 1. Internet and how it works? As we all know, the Internet is ruling the world. So, it is important to know the basics of the internet and how it works as it is the key knowledge that every developer should have. Internet is a global network of computers connected to each other which communicates through a standardized set of protocols. i. HTTP: Standard protocol using which the webpages are transferred over the internet. You can check some detailed blogs here. HTTP in depth HTTP/3: the past, the present, and the future What Is HTTP/3 – Lowdown on the Fast New UDP-Based Protocol ii. Browsers: A software application for accessing the information on the World Wide Web. Browsers are a very important part of the current era. And why not? It literally brings the whole world to your fingertips. So, it'll be great to know a bit about them as you are using them on a daily basis..!! Right? Here is an amazingly detailed article By and . You'll surely find this article excellent and helpful How Browsers Work: Behind the scenes of modern web browsers Tali Garsiel Paul Irish . iii. Domain name A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control within the Internet. They are used to identify one or more IP addresses For further details check this article on . How to register a domain name for your website iv. Web Hosting Web hosting is a service provided by companies (the web host) that sell or lease space on a server where you store the files that make your website accessible on the internet. For detailed information on web hosting you can check this article on What is Web Hosting v. DNS (Domain Name System): One of the fundamental blocks of the internet Here is a useful guide for DNS: DNS in one picture 2. Basics: HTML, CSS & JS Front end web developers use three primary coding languages to code the website and web app designs created by web designers: HTML CSS JavaScript i. HTML: First pillar & the most important skill for web developers as it provides the structure for a web page. Learn the basics of HTML Make a few pages as an exercise You can check Tutorial For . HTML ii. CSS: Second pillar of web development and used to style web pages so that they look good. Learn the basics of CSS Style pages from the previous step Build a page with grid and flexbox You can check Tutorial For . CSS iii. JS Basics: Third pillar of web development and used to make your web pages interactive. Get familiar with the syntax Learn basic operations on DOM Learn mechanisms typical for JS (Hoisting, Event Bubbling, Prototyping) Make some AJAX (XHR) calls Learn new features (ECMA Script 6+) Additionally, get familiar with the jQuery library You can check tutorials for JavaScript 3. General Development Skills Following are some skills you will require as by learning these skills you'll be able to start your journey as a front-end developer with ease. Learn GIT, create a few repositories on GitHub, share your code with other people. Know HTTP(S) protocol, request methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, OPTIONS). Don't be afraid of using Google, Power Searching with Google Get familiar with the terminal, configure your shell (bash, zsh, fish) Read a few books about algorithms and data structures Read a few books about design patterns. Git and Version Control Git is the tool used to save code and create different versions, allowing you to collaborate with other developers. The top place to store code and collaborate on open source software is GitHub. Learn Git from GitHub Ranked Git tutorials Git Complete: The definitive, step-by-step guide to Git Here is an awesome article for . Skiils to become a Front End Developer 4. Styling: CSS Preprocessor & Architecture i. CSS Preprocessor A CSS preprocessor is a program that lets you generate CSS from the preprocessor's own unique syntax. preprocessors can make CSS code more organized. Sass/CSS PostCSS Less Stylus ii. CSS Architecture BEM CSS Modules Atomic OOCSS SMACSS SUITCSS The following are some good articles on CSS Architecture, that you might find helpful. CSS Architecture CSS Modular Architecture Styling Modern Web Apps iii. CSS in JS CSS-in-JS is a collection of ideas to solve complex problems with CSS. It is NOT a particular library, but different libs might solve a different subset of problems and use different approaches, depending on their implementation details. Styled Components Radium Emotion JSS Aphrodite You should go through the article . It'll help you to understand it in a better way. What actually is CSS in JS 5. Get familiar with the tools that you will be using. To become a front-end developer, you should spend some time on learning tools that you will use as a web developer like built tools, unit testing tools, debugging tools, etc. Well, users are going to interact with your websites through a web browser. The way your site is rendered by these browsers is going to be a big part of whether your work is successful or not. So, it'll be great to know about the tools that can help you to develop a satisfying app/website/product. All modern web browsers come equipped with developer tools. These tools allow you to test and fine-tune your pages in the browser itself, in ways specific to how the browser is interpreting your code. Here are some of the useful tools: i. Package Managers npm yarn pnpm ii. Task Runners npm scripts gulp Webpack Rollup Parcel iii. Modular Builder Webpack Parcel Rollup v. Linter & Formatter Prettier JSlint ESlint JSHint JSCS For more amazing Formatter and Linter check out 🤩 🛠 24 Coolest VSCode Extensions That Will Rock Your World 6. CSS Frameworks The CSS framework is a code library that abstracts common web designs and makes the designs easier for a developer to implement in their web apps. In simple terms, a CSS framework is a collection of CSS style-sheets that are prepped and ready to use. Bootstrap , Materialize Material Design Lite Bulma Semantic UI 7. Frameworks These are packages containing pre-written, standardized code in files and folders. They give you a base to build on while still allowing flexibility with the final design. Typically, front-end frameworks contain the following components: A grid that makes it simple to organize the design elements of your website Defined font styles and sizing that varies based on its function (different typography for headings versus paragraphs, etc.) Pre-built website components like side panels, buttons, and navigation bars Following are some of the most used front-end frameworks i. : The Progressive JavaScript Framework Vue.js Vue.js is an open-source model–view–ViewModel front end JavaScript framework for building user interfaces and single-page applications. You can check the guide on the official site of . VueJS Also, there is a detailed article on that you'll find useful. Trending VueJS UI Components Library and frameworks ii. : A JavaScript library for building user interfaces. React React is an open-source, front end, JavaScript library for building user interfaces or UI components. It is maintained by Facebook and a community of individual developers and companies. You can check the tutorial on the official site of . React.js iii. Angular Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source web application framework led by the Angular Team at Google and by a community of individuals and corporations. You can check the tutorial on the official site of Angular 8. Testing Your App Front End Testing is a testing technique in which Graphical User Interface (GUI), functionality, and usability of web applications or software are tested. The goal of Front end testing is testing overall functionalities to ensure the presentation layer of web applications or software is defect-free with successive updates. It is a vital skill for any Developer. i. Unit Testing Unit testing generally refers to the process of performing, either manually or in an automated way, a set of tests on a single “unit” of code. It mainly consists of testing isolated parts of the code, as units. These units usually take the form of methods, properties, UI element actions, etc. It is the fastest and cheapest to apply. Jest Enzyme Sinon Mocha Chai AVA Tape ii. End to End Testing In E2E testing, the developer tests the whole application together and test it as a user would do. Basically, here developer tests the application’s workflow from beginning to end. The aim is to replicate real user scenarios so that the system can be validated for integration and data integrity. The following are some helpful tools: Selenium Webdriver Cypress Puppeteer Cucumber.js Nightwatch.js You can check this detailed guide on . End to End Testing iii. Integration Testing Integration tests make sure that various parts of the app work together. It is one of the crucial and most important tests. Karma Cypress Nightwatch WebDriver.io For detailed info check the article on . Frontend Testing 9. Server-Side Rendering Server-side rendering (SSR), is the ability of an application to contribute by displaying the web-page on the server instead of rendering it in the browser. The Server-side sends a fully rendered page to the client; the client’s JavaScript bundle takes over and allows the SPA framework to operate. Next.js After.js Rogue 10. Static Site Generator A static site generator is a publishing tool, which is essentially a set of tools for building static websites based on a set of input files. They apply data and content to templates and generate a view of a page that can be served to the visitors of a site. The following are some best static site generators: Gatsby Jamstack staticsitegenerators Nuxt.JS HUGO Here is a detailed article on . What is a static site generator and 3 ways to find the best one 11. Mobile Application Front-end development for mobile application Well, here the front end interacts directly with the user including design elements such as wireframes, mockups, caching, and database synchronization. It gives a smooth user experience across various screen sizes and orientations. Below are some helpful frameworks for mobile app development. Flutter React Native Nativescript Ionic Technical Aspects of Front-End Development i. Native App Development ii. Cross-Platform Mobile Application Development Both Native and Cross-platform mobile apps come with their own pros and cons. Where native leads in terms of interface, performance, reliability, and speed. Whereas Cross-platform holds an edge in terms of the marketplace, cost, and reusability. However, it's your choice and your business concern to choose the platform. For more detail check this amazing article on . Ultimate guide to mobile app development 12. Desktop Application Even though mobile and tablets have the perks of being handy, you simply can't ignore PC and desktop apps. Because there are still many users who prefer PC a better option to explore the apps and websites. It's just desktop apps that have their own perks..!! Isn't it..!? So, the following are the Useful frameworks for desktop app development that you can use. Electron NW.js Proton Neutralino.js DeskGap You can check this helpful article on . Desktop apps for front end development 13. Web Assembly is an open standard that defines a portable binary-code format for executable programs, and a corresponding textual assembly language, as well as interfaces for facilitating interactions between such programs and their host environment. WebAssembly It has huge implications for the web platform. It provides a way to run code written in multiple languages on the web at near-native speed, with client apps running on the web that previously couldn’t have done so. You can visit the following articles for further details. Webassembly What is webassebly- The next generation web platform 14. Keep Learning So, after going through this guide, you can kickstart your journey as a front-end web developer for sure. Although, learning is the only key to success. For that, you have to practice and learn consistently. We have mentioned some relevant articles above which you can refer to for details and some basics. We highly recommend you to go through them. Here is a complete guide that you can go through Front-end Developer Handbook 2019 - Learn the entire JavaScript, CSS and HTML development practice! The following are some excellent courses for front end developers: Become a Front-End Web Developer Beginners Javasript Modern JavaScript From The Beginning Advanced Javascript HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT for Web Developers React — The Complete Guide (incl. Hooks, React Router, Redux) React For Beginners Angular The Complete Guide Conclusion: So, that's the . It's very detailed for sure, but there is a good chance that many of you may already know most of the stuff. Even if you don't know, no need to be confused or overwhelmed by this roadmap; you can start small and then follow along. Roadmap🗺 to kickstart your journey as a front-end web developer👨‍💻 There are many ways to becoming a Front-end Developer and by the experience, you can achieve excellence. So, begin with this roadmap and see how you become a pro front-end developer. Happy Developing..!! 😎 Also published here. About Themeselection: , provide selected high quality, modern design, professional and easy-to-use premium and , and UI Kits. ThemeSelection free bootstrap admin template You can check which is one of the best free bootstrap admin templates. Chameleon Free Bootstrap Admin Template

How to Become a Front-End Developer: Skills, Resources, and Career Roadmap 

FinTech is a growing industry at the intersection of technology and financial services. This is a powerful incentive for technological progress, which expands its influence on different sectors of the economy, allowing them to develop. For example, FinTech has been most active in consumer services, banking, money transfers, payments, insurance, asset and capital management. The industry is revolutionizing the way businesses and consumers conduct financial transactions. In 2020, businesses continue to develop in digital-native scenarios: the consumer lives the digital experience, and businesses are built among platforms and ecosystems, companies can influence user behaviour more effectively and faster. Here are 3 main FinTech trends that contributed to these processes. Enhancement of customer experience in banking servicesNew banking products. Crossing of financial products Rising popularity of cryptocurrencies I suggest you quickly review each of them. This will allow us to better understand the looming trends and see the connection in this regard between 2020 and 2021 years. FinTech 2020, a Retrospective: Enhancement of customer experience in banking services In my opinion, nowadays many banks are still in the same position as before when they chose to provide customer service or not and still had a good profit. Gradually they find themselves in a situation where they need to look for a revenue stream and therefore try to maximize the number of their customers, as the margin of their products falls. Today it is not the bank but the client who chooses. The modern client is interested not as much in a good bank rate or the price of banking service, but in the convenience and speed of using the bank, the ability to work with the bank only remotely (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic), the availability of a good mobile application with various services for family, work and study. An important criterion is whether the bank has a high-quality KYC service to recognize the identity of the counterparty. New banking products. Crossing of financial products The S-PRO team is currently developing a product for an American company operating in the African market. And transport paying products are gaining popularity there, for example, special bank cards. The number of such products is growing, as is the competition. This is a trend related to the first trend – customer experience. People need a lighter digital experience, which often involves paying for something. When a person wants to buy a product in instalments online, it’s also a fintech story but it happens at the intersection of eCommerce and fintech. Banks used to hold the whole market, but today they have a lot of competition from startups. Young companies are more flexible, they see customer prospects faster, and they don’t need to do extensive analysis. In addition, there are many young talents who can and want to create something. Banks, in turn, are also interested in this, because they invest in such young companies and then can buy them. Here the issues are in the framework of collaboration with new players – large banks are already able to cooperate with startups. But middle-class banks still need to learn to do the same. Startups are actively becoming distributors of banking services. Of course, banks are still trying to create their own financial products, such as banking products for accountants, for opening a new company, etc. Cryptocurrencies become more popular The third trend is cryptocurrencies, a subsection of trends 1 and 2, I would say. In 2020, this fintech product continued to penetrate the banking sector. And cryptocurrencies appeared precisely because of customer experience. For people who need dynamics, speed and simplicity, such products are more convenient for payments. And in some areas, Bitcoins or Ethereums are best suited for this. There is an increase in the number of companies that conduct their business exclusively through Bitcoins or Ethereums. Cryptocurrencies have good financial turnovers and need strong operating activities and convenient banking services. But at the same time, it’s difficult for them to get legal and to get normal bank accounts. Today there are more and more cryptocurrency startups that work in financial services, payment processing, and software. They work as a wallet service, can securely store cryptocurrency from a range of different attacks, support all cryptocurrencies as well as do a decentralised exchange and provide many different opportunities: Cobo, Javvy, Finhaven, Digital Currency Group, Binance, and others. By the way, among our projects is a digital-bank, which works with large crypto companies, and provides them with various banking services. This is when you can come and put cryptocurrency in the bank. Also, you can get legal financing through a bank, but in cryptocurrency. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the FinTech industry In general, the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the industry depends on how much money banks make from their offline services and how they can operate online. The share of online banks is likely to have increased, while that of offline banks has decreased. Different banks operate in different industries, with their own area of expertise. Some provide B2B services, others have certain products, and others just have a bank for the population. During the first wave of Covid-19, the impact of the pandemic on the banking sector was negative, as turnover, orders and profits fell in many companies. Demand for bank loans decreased, and banks earned less on lending. In this situation, in order to maintain a positive level of profits, banks increase the fee for certain financial activities and services and develop Internet banking, including mobile banking. Citizens are increasingly shopping online and making payments through electronic banking. Among other things, since the beginning of the pandemic, the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends the use of contactless payments. Even before the outbreak of the coronavirus, the demand for digital banking grew due to the lack of time and desire to contact the physical branches of banks. The pandemic has stimulated the development of online banking platforms to make every banking service available online. Fintech trends in 2021. What is expected? 1. Improving customer experience In 2021, in the field of banking, there will be an emphasis on improving the customer experience, KYC, and onboarding processes. Work with mobile applications, chatbots, automation will also be aimed at improving interaction with users. Obviously, banking services will become more and more friendly. A bank that wants to develop should not squeeze money out of the client, but score the client before providing financial products, check their solvency by improving the work with credit ratings. Today, this is a well-worked practice, but credit scoring models will be revised. The bank’s task is to give more value to the customer through various services. Thus, the bank will be able to earn not only on its main services, such as saving money or lending but also on additional ones – insurance sales, delivery, etc. The insurance industry has worked extensively with personal and business transportation and travelling. Now, these areas have fallen due to lockdown. In 2021, insurtech is likely to focus on health insurance and on improving the customer experience. “In 2021, in the field of banking, there will be an emphasis on improving the customer experience, KYC, and onboarding processes.” 2. Increasing investment in the healthcare sector Healthcare is now at the forefront of technological innovation and financial systems, providing investors with promising growth opportunities throughout the market cycle. This growth continues because of the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the ageing population. And of course, COVID-19 isn’t the last reason for this. The healthcare sector is very large and offers a wide range of options for investors. Medical devices, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and biotechnology have fairly reliable, good sales and profit indicators. Therefore, investment in healthcare is expected to increase. People are paying more attention to their physical and mental health and buying more expensive insurance. Obviously, there will be new technological challenges in this industry. And it’s logical that telemedicine will continue to develop. 3. Responsible banking: improvement of working methods with debtors According to my observations, it so happens that people don’t pay the loan because of the lack of money, but because they simply forget. The bank can be more effective in dealing with debtors if it’s able to interact properly with them through mobile applications, chatbots, or automatic write-offs, rather than through collectors. Within the projects we’re working on, the trend of resale of loans is becoming obvious. There are many lending platforms for microcredit. Such small platforms work very effectively with clients, they understand how to sell and collect these loans well. But they have a significant problem – limited access to finance. So they can’t borrow a lot of money and scale. As a result, specialized companies are emerging to help banks and these microcredit platforms, as well as startups in other financial sectors. Among our projects is the scoring of loans issued by lending platforms, and giving other institutions the opportunity to invest in these loans through API. This is what the reselling of loans looks like, and it can be done automatically. Standard mechanisms of interaction in the Intermarket space between small borrowers and banks or investment funds are being created. With the help of these scoring products and automated APIs, you can invest money in one loan or in a set of loans at once. These platforms create a variety of package offers and tools to analyze where it’s best to invest. And the margin of such investments can be quite high. We cooperate with one major sports association and within this project, we make a wallet for athletes, in particular for children. That is, the financial product integrated into the field of sports. Children have access to information on the entire sports infrastructure and can use it through a special mobile application. Parents can financially regulate the child’s access to certain sections. “The bank can be more effective in dealing with debtors if it’s able to interact properly with them: through a mobile application, chatbots, or automatic write-offs, rather than through collectors.” 4. Development of hybrid solutions in fintech Fintechs, which originated as monoproducts, are fighting for a leading role in the entire financial system. To do this, they create multi-solutions. For example, innovative banks are expanding their digital product line to become more versatile and offer hybrid products such as investment cards and smart deposits. For the user, the value of hybrid products is that such solutions help to take the first step towards savings. In particular, hybrid solutions help to use the current account more competently and at the same time not to save too much. Different mechanics are used for this purpose: rounding of purchase and transfer of “change” to the digital account, robotic investment, etc. Hybrid products are more marginal because they are easier to use. They give added value to the customers, for which they are ready to pay more. And for a financial institution, successfully crossed products are an additional revenue stream. 5. Support and digitization of the African region Today most Africans don’t have bank cards or pay in cash. We’re doing one project with a startup – a payment service in the field of urban mobility. People on the streets will receive cards to pay for transport. The registration procedure is simple and is carried out in seconds right at the bus stops. And then the user can pay with this card for other purchases and services. But the mobile application itself is made so that a person can call a taxi or get on the bus in time. In short, it’s created for the convenient use of transport. By and large, there is a tendency to digitize services for the African population. This large region is interesting for investment. The African market is strategically interesting both for countries and for companies, so business goes there from different directions. There are social initiatives to work with the population, as well as to create appropriate conditions for doing business. Africa is the next China. The development of the financial area, social projects, health care, and renewable energy are forecast. “The African market is strategically interesting both for countries and for companies, so business goes there from different directions.” I know how hard it is sometimes to overcome a long read. So today I will save your time and leave a little intrigue. The next 5 fintech trends in 2021 we will discuss in more detail very soon in the second part of this article. Also published here .

FinTech: A 2020 Retrospective, and 5 Finance Trends for 2021

In marketing, as with anything else, without the proper tools, no matter how much effort you put in, the results will never be up to the mark. When marketing, getting the users’ attention can be typically hard. In the era of information, where people’s attention span is being grabbed from all sides, it is getting harder for marketers to come up with something interesting that can grab the consumers’ attention for mere seconds. To get the best results in marketing, and especially online marketing, you need to not only put in a lot of effort but also get your hands on the proper and effective tools to channel your efforts through. Compromising with the tools will only end up giving you sub par results. That said, today we bring you a list of best marketing tools 2020 to get the best results out of your marketing methods. BuzzSprout The way marketers engage with users these days has changed. Gone are the days when they used to rely on text-based content. Marketers now rely more on . audio-visual content While videos have been in fashion for a long time now, audio has just popped up also in demand these days, especially in the form of podcasts. Podcasts help you get more of the users’ attention as these audio-based offerings require users’ total engagement and attention. The emerging problem with podcasts is what used to happen with videos: Hosting your videos takes a lot of time, space, and cost. This is where YouTube came in and solved all the problems faced by creators and even helped sprout new creators. For audios, you now have BuzzSprout. With the help of BuzzSprout, you have a platform to host your podcasts. You don’t have to worry anymore about the hosting and other backend technical stuff; all you have to focus on now is the content you are creating. It provides essential features like the following: Ability to see stats about your listeners like where users come from, what apps people are using, and so on. Automatic submission to different directories like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Ability to schedule your episodes. Plus an easy-to-use interface. "My current favorite content marketing tool for 2020 is Buzzsprout. While long-form blogging is dominating right now in the content world as a whole, podcasting is another amazing avenue with untapped potential. Buzzsprout is generally known for podcast hosting, but it's far more diverse. They have a unique set of tools focused on marketing your podcast to drive organic traffic, upload instantly to directories, and some of the most detailed podcast analytics on the market," opined Jeremy Moser. Ahrefs Ahrefs is the holy grail when it comes to backlinks and search traffic. It provides you with a suite of seven different applications: Site Explorer Keyword Explorer Site Audit Rank Tracker Content Explorer SEO‌ Toolbar Site Explorer This feature helps you to and what strategies your competitors are using. The keywords they are using, which pages are linked to external web pages, check out whether they are doing paid search advertising or not, etc. Knowing what your competitors are doing is a smart move that can help you to devise your plans in a more effective manner. find the keywords Keyword Explorer This feature helps you to find details about the keywords you are planning to target:‌ volume of searches, unique keyword difficulty score, other keyword suggestions, and so on. Site Audit This feature gives you a general view of what your website’s on-page SEO performance looks like so that you can work to optimize your on-page SEO performance even more. Rank Tracker This feature helps you to compare the keyword rankings with your competitors. Not only that, you can also see your progress with their interactive graphs on average position and traffic, visibility, and where your position is located. Content Explorer This feature helps you to find the top content in your niche. It can help you give a brief idea of what type of content you should be writing about. SEO‌ Toolbar This feature provides you with a toolbar located at the top of the webpage. For every webpage you visit, it will display the relevant data like Ahrefs domain rating, rank, URL rating, and so on. "For my work leading an SEO team, the tools that have made the most impact for me are Clearscope and Ahrefs on the research side of things, but also Drift in starting conversations when people come to our site from Google," says , SEO for the Rest of Us. Brendan Hufford Grammarly If you worry about wrong now and then, you should definitely check out Grammarly. punctuation or spelling Grammarly is one of the breakout applications of 2019, . having raised $90 million Thanks to its AI-powered technology, it reviews your content and constantly checks for any error present in the form of typos and incorrect grammar structure. Not only that, but it also offers you better word suggestions, which helps you deliver crisp and concise content. You can use it for writing emails, blog posts, social media posts, and so on. It is available for use as a plugin, which you can incorporate both with Chrome or Word. You can also review contents on the website itself. “Grammarly. It’s great for a basic clarity and grammatical check. But the new tone and sentiment analysis tools they’ve been testing have been interesting to play around with,” says Brent Trotter, Content Strategist at s. Clique Studio Constant Contact is one of the tried and tested methods to connect with users effectively. Constant Contact, with an experience of twenty years in the industry, makes the entire process of email marketing much easier and more fruitful. E-mail marketing With the help of drag-and-drop builders and different mobile-optimized templates, you don’t have to worry about the coding and focus more on customizing and effectively targeting your audience. Further, you can monitor your mail stats, such as the number of emails opened; time spent on each mail; click, open, and bounce rate; etc. It also has options for e-commerce email marketing for converting leads into loyal customers. "When it comes to marketing tools, we love Constant Contact. Their format is clean and classy and allows for easy link pasting. Their automation allows us to create a warm and inviting email series for those contemplating our counseling or continuing education programs. People need time to get to know you and your company and with well-timed campaigns (one instantly at sign up and then weekly, but not more), you can give new prospects the information and engagement that will allow them to decide if your company is a match for their needs. It also opens up for great conversations and referral opportunities as people discover your amazing content and programs and easily share them with others," believes . Joseph Tropper SEMrush SEMrush is one of the most trusted tools in the industry.  It gives you a plethora of useful features like market explorer—which helps you to find new markets and niches and see what the top websites in each niche are doing when it comes to links and keywords. Other tools help you to find the right keywords, keyword position tracking, and so on. In total, it provides twenty-five different features spread into three different categories: analytics reports, tools, and projects. Analytics reports, as the name suggests, will provide you with a report on different backgrounds like backlinks, advertising research on competitors (what their ad strategy is), and so on. Tools feature helps you with a different task, like creating SEO-friendly content, domain comparison with competitors, creating charts for your website and that of your competitors, among other tools. Projects feature include options like position tracking, site audit, social media tracker, content analyzer, and so on. It is a feature-packed tool, and you would rarely feel the need to use any other tools for your marketing needs in general. Canva Images are an of any marketing campaign. integral part While Photoshop is famous and undoubtedly provides a lot of features to edit the image according to your needs, you have to install it separately, which takes up lots of space and time to load as well. This is where Canva can come in handy. You can directly edit images on the website, which makes the entire process convenient and efficient. Further, you get different layouts for presentation, posters, banners, flyers, etc. so that you can easily edit and customize it. All the basic features like cropping, adding texts, and fade and blur are included. With Canva, you can also make graphs and infographics. Clearscope It is a tacit knowledge among writers that integrating SEO and content can be a hard job at times. You either compromise on content while focusing on implementing SEO‌ techniques or the other way around. Some writers also hold the misconception that SEO is all about writing the keywords two to three times in the post, in the URL, and in the meta description. It cannot be further from the truth. Also, incorporating keywords unnecessarily may come off looking unprofessional to read. This is where Clearscope comes in handy. With the help of its own search data and natural language processing, it helps you to increase the overall SEO of your content without compromising readability. After writing the content, you can put it into Clearscope for a review and suggestions to make it more SEO-friendly content. It also provides you with content grading to give you an idea of how much your content can be improved. "One tool we plan to use more in 2020 is Clearscope. It’s a fantastic on page SEO tool which provides detailed analysis on what you need to write to rank for competitive keywords. The tool scrapes the first page of Google and looks at common factors these sites have from a on page point of view. The tool provides analysis in the correct titles to use, copy and other elements. It’s very easy for content teams to use Clearscope and see a positive ranking increase." says James Norquay, the founder & SEO Director . Prosperity Media Pixabay As we mentioned earlier, images are an integral part of any marketing plan. But getting images for your campaigns is a tough job. You have to look for images that are copyright-free but look visually appealing. Pixabay is one such place. It provides you with free-to-use images that you can easily incorporate into your posts. You also get free illustrations, vectors, and videos if you want to include other multimedia as well. BuzzSumo Before you start writing any piece of content, you should make sure that it is on trend. People want to stay up-to-date with all the latest happenings; thus, providing them with stale content will certainly not work. BuzzSumo helps you to discover what is trending right now and target your marketing plan accordingly. It offers four different features: Discovery Research Influencers Monitoring Discovery, as the name suggests, helps you to see what type of content is trending right now so that you can deliver more engaging content. Research helps you to know more about the type of content you are planning to target and how it is working on social media platforms. Influencers help you to find the people important in your niche; this can come handy when building strong networking. Monitoring helps you to track comments, brand mentions, and other tools like creating alerts for certain keywords and topics. Buffer If you find managing different social media accounts hectic, Buffer can help you out with that. With Buffer, you can control social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. from a single place. You can further schedule posts for different platforms and create posts with the help of different team members. It not only helps you manage multiple accounts but also brings your team members together to help publish better content. It offers you two more tools: Reply Analyze Reply allows you to reply to different comments from a shared inbox. Analyze enables you to figure out your social media performance through generated reports. CoSchedule CoSchedule offers you two different products for two different sets of users. For individuals and startups, it offers Editorial Calendar. With this tool, you can plan all your blog posts as well as social media posts from the same place. You can get done more multiple types of content and schedule it in advance. Posting regularly helps you get ranked better in search engines and keep in touch with your users on social media websites. For businesses and enterprises, it provides the Marketing Suite. Marketing Suite has tools like asset, social media, work, content, and marketing organizer to take care of all your business needs on the marketing front. Convert Pro With the help of Convert Pro, you can build in pop-ups and opt-in forms to better engage with your viewers. There are various types of templates available for use, which with the help of a drag-and-drop builder can help you build your pop-ups in a quick time. With the help of advanced targeting, you can make sure that the pop-ups are being targeted at the right time for more conversions. You also get advanced features like exit intent pop-ups (which, as the name suggests, will give the readers a pop-up whenever they are about to exit your website). CrazyEgg CrazyEgg is an innovative tool that helps you get new insights other than numeric data, like the average time present on the web page and other data. It helps you get a visual idea of where your customers tend to look and click. For this, they make use of scroll maps, heat maps, and confetti reports. With the help of these reports, you can accordingly plan where to place your content for more maximum optimization. It also offers you other advanced features like user recordings and A/B reports. With user recordings, you can see what a typical user does when the user goes through your website. With the help of A/B reports, you can try multiple layouts to figure out which styles work, like choosing different color variants for buttons. HubSpot HubSpot is a reputed service used for inbound marketing. It offers three different services: Marketing, Sales, and Service. Marketing helps you with increasing traffic and converting more users to customers. They provide tools like lead generation and marketing automation for this. Sales helps you drive sales from potential customers. It helps you get insights about people who are interested in your product. Tools like e-mail tracking and e-mail automation are included. Service helps you create and maintain a better relationship with the users. This includes post-sales and pre-sales support. For this, they offer tools like tickets and customer feedback. Trello For effective marketing, you need the help of various people such as writers, editors, proofreaders, and so on. Managing a team of people can be hard. Relying on platforms like WhatsApp and Gmail will not always help you get the best out of your team. This is where apps like Trello come in. With Trello, you can divide the main task among members and track the progress through boards, lists, and cards. You can keep the entire team on the same page and let each other know what the progress is in each department. It also enables you to add files for more effective collaboration. Bonus Tool- InScope With over a billion users, YouTube has become the third most popular website after Google and Facebook. This rapidly increasing user base of YouTube and brought videos into the limelight. However, creating videos is not an easy job, you need to have the right tools by your side. If you're someone who is looking for a handy video editing tool that doesn't need any expertise, InScope is the right fit for you. Here is what Nick Eubanks has to say about InScope- "I've been using InScope for all my video editing (for 4 different projects) for over a year now. We also used them to shoot and edit all the content from Traffic Think Tank LIVE 2019 (and will be using them again for TTT Live 2020) - the amount attention, care, and professionalism they bring to projects is worth easily 10x what they charge. I can't recommend the service enough to help support your content marketing efforts." Conclusion These are the best marketing tools that you can make use of in 2020. You don’t need to make use of all of them, as your priorities and requirements may differ from others. Hence, it is advised that you make a list of what you think you lack to and can improve in to make your marketing more successful; then you can accordingly choose one of these tools to help you out!

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