# Prerequisites for Learning MERN Stack
Before starting the MERN stack development course
- you should have a basic understanding of fundamental languages used by the browser and the server.
- You should be confident in designing and stlying web pages using HTML & CSS.
- Fundamental concepts of Javascript should be clear and should also be familier with DOM(Document Object Model) in browser.
- You should be able to work with unix based shell commands.
- Basic understanding of Node/express will speed up the learning process but is not recommended.
Here, I am going to list few fundamental concepts from Unix, HTML, CSS and Javascript for developers who want to start their journey as MERN Stack devs.
### 1. Unix Shell Commands
These are few unix commands which every developer should be familiar with. They help in adding, listing, navigating, editing and deleting files and folders through command line.
- ls
- cd
- cat
- mkdir
- rm/rmdir
- touch
- grep
### 2. HTML/ Fundamentals
- Introduction to Web and HTML & CSS
- Box Model
- Positioning
- Flexbox
- Typography
- Adding Media, Lists, Tables, Forms
- Responsive Web Design
### 3. Javascript Fundamentals
- Value, Variable and types
- Functions
- Data Structure (Arrays and Objects)
- Array and String methods
- Debugging & Chrome Developer Tools
- Introduction to DOM
- DOM and Events
- Higher order functions
- Scope & Closure
Once you have covered these topics then you are ready to [learn entire MERN stack](./roadmap-to-MERN-stack.md).
If you are someone who is new to all of this, take a look at [our course](https://altcampus.school) which takes you from absolute scratch to becoming a full-stack developer.