Questions About Cache and React in Node.JS

As I move forward learning Node and the technologies surrounding it, I am becoming more and more lost regarding what to do "next."I plan to create a very basic social network simply for the purpose of learning the technologies involved in creating something such as this.Most Recent SiteMy most recent site is fairly simplistic. The common pattern is a user visits the route, Node uses MySQL to draw data from the database [1]. The data drawn out is inserted into a Jade template [2] and the Jade template is rendered and sent back to the client. This pattern can be seen at http://ift.tt/1Nrdpgb the user wants to submit an issue, the page must be refreshed [3]. I have no done anything with dynamic reloading or AJAX.The IssueThis is where the problem comes in. I could create a simplistic social network using the same method as described above, but I know there are better ways to create sites such as these and I am having trouble choosing which path to take going forward.[1] Recently I have heard about caching on the server side, though I know close to nothing about it. Instead of drawing from the database I would like to use a cache of some sort, and if it is not in the cache, then draw from the database and possibly add it to the cache. I do not know where to get started learning and do not know if the patterns I am thinking about are idiomatic. Is cache like this just on the server side or is there a similar pattern for use on the client side?[2] Should I be using something more than this to allow for dynamic UIs (such as a simplistic chat in my next site)? I have heard a lot about React paired with Flux and this seems like a good choice. Are there any good tutorials for React and Flux and pairing it with Node? Should I render on the client or the server, and what even is rendering on the server if React is a front-end tool?[3] This issue also melds with the previous. Do I use AJAX or socket.io or something else? Does this integrate with the Flux architecture?TLDR: I have learned the "basics" of Node, Passport, MySQL, Express, etc and have no clue where to go "next." "Next" seems like a step off a huge cliff and I have no idea where to startAny tips, advice, patterns, resources, things to google, etc, are appreciated. Thank you all!

Submitted November 24, 2015 at 11:32PM by MysteryForumGuy