EdPresso shots are a new kind of Espresso shot but, instead of waking your body up with caffeine, they wake your mind up with knowledge. Just like shots of espresso, EdPresso shots are short and concentrated. The time it takes to read one rarely exceeds four minutes, no matter the difficulty of the topic. Also, like espresso shots, EdPressos come in many different flavors, some more popular than others. This month, there are five shots that seem to have won over our viewers. In this post, we will explore the topics they explain and, hopefully, make a fan out of you!

1. What is NPX?

“JavaScript is definitely one of the most interesting, popular, and busiest languages out there.”

This shot defines NPX and explains the language around it (i.e., NPM and Node). Although short, the shot is widely informative, and creator Oluwafemi Damilola does a great job of explaining NPX, while simultaneously filling in any contextual gaps readers may have.

2. How CORS (cross-origin resource sharing) works

“If you are a web developer, you must have seen the CORS error appear on your screen when you try to call the API, but why does that happen?”

This shot prompts readers with a question, answers the question, and then asks another. Through these many questions and answers the reader finds out about the Same Origin Policy, Scheme name, Hostname, and Port number, and learns how they are all connected. With the help of graphics and examples, Deepak Kumar explains how CORS works, explains the CORS preflight request, and explains how to enable CORS.

3. How to get started with Flutter

In Cynthia Peter’s first shot on our platform, she defines Flutter and goes over the basics of how you can begin to use it. With Cynthia’s friendly voice, the reader is able to follow a step-by-step introduction of how to download Android Studio, how to download an editor, how to set up an emulator, how to install Flutter and Dart plugins, and (finally) how to run your first app. This shot is perfect for anyone who wants to get started with Flutter, but doesn’t know how.

4. Understanding Flutter hot reload and hot restart the simplest way

“ I had lots of issues understanding how hot reload and hot restart work. But then, somehow, I figured out a simple way to understand it. So, I thought I’d share.”

Yet another great shot by Cynthia Peter where she manages to easily explain two confusing topics through a real-life metaphor. She begins with the text-book definition of both hot reload and hot restart, and then dives right into her real-world scenario. I won’t say anything else (to avoid spoilers), but this is one shot that you’ve GOT to check out.

5. Array destructuring simplified

With the launch of ES6 came “some awesome features that make complex coding techniques easier to implement. One of these features is Array Destructuring.” Dillion Megida invites you to practice along as he explains what array destructuring is, provides and explains a few examples, and goes through how to assign the rest of an array and swap variables. In less than 5 minutes, Dillion successfully shows “how easy it is to access data from small and big arrays by reducing them through Array Destructuring.”