Topic 1 - Programming for the web

(HTML is not explicitly in syllabus)

(Secure software architecture)

§ Design, develop and implement code using defensive data input handling practices, including input validation, sanitisation and error handling

§ Investigate cascading style sheets (CSS) and its impact on the design of a web application

Including:

§ consistency of appearance

§ flexibility with browsers or display devices

§ CSS maintenance tools

Data transmission using the web

§   Explore the applications of web programming

Including:

§   interactive website/webpages

§   e-commerce

§   progressive web apps (PWAs)

§ Investigate and practise how data is transferred on the internet

Including:

§ data packets

§ internet protocol (IP) addresses, including IPv4

§ domain name systems (DNS)

§ Investigate and describe the function of web protocols and their ports

Including:

§ HTTP, HTTPS

§ TCP/IP

§ DNS

§ FTP, SFTP

§ SSL, TLS

§ SMTP, POP 3, IMAP

§ Explain the processes for securing the web

Including:

§ Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates

§ encryption algorithms

§ encryption keys

§ plain text and cipher text

§ authentication and authorisation

§ hash values

§ digital signatures

(Secure software architecture)

Designing software

§ Describe the benefits of developing secure software

Including:

§ data protection

§ minimising cyber attacks and vulnerabilities

§ Investigate the effect of big data on web architecture

Including:

§ data mining

§ metadata

§ streaming service management

Designing web applications

§ Investigate and explain the role of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in the development of applications for the web

Including:

§ Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

§ internationalisation

§ web security

§ privacy

§ machine-readable data

§ Model elements that form a web development system

Including:

§ client-side (front-end) web programming

§ server-side (back-end) web programming

§ interfacing with databases that are based on Structured Query Language (SQL) or non-SQL

§ Explore and explain the influence of a web browser on web development, including the use of developer (dev) tools

§ Develop a web application using an appropriate scripting language with shell scripts to make files and directories, and searching for text in a text file

§ Explore the types and significance of code libraries for front-end web development

Including:

§ frameworks that control complex web applications

§ template engines

§ predesigned CSS classes

§ Explain the use and development of open-source software in relation to web development

§ Apply a web-based database and construct script that executes SQL

Including:

§ selecting fields

§ incorporating ‘group by’

§ common SQL queries

§ constraints using WHERE keyword

§ table joins

§ Compare Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) to SQL

§ Explore the types and significance of code libraries for front-end web development

Including:

§ frameworks that control complex web applications

§ template engines

§ predesigned CSS classes

§ Explain the use and development of open-source software in relation to web development

Continuation of lessons 6-10.

§ Research, experiment with and evaluate the prevalence and use of web content management systems (CMS)

§ Investigate methods to support and manage the load times of web pages/applications

(Secure software architecture)

Developing secure code

§ Explore fundamental software design security concepts when developing programming code

Including:

§ confidentiality

§ integrity

§ availability

§ authentication

§ authorisation

§ accountability

(Secure software architecture)

§ Apply and evaluate strategies used by software developers to manage the security of programming code

Including:

§ code review

§ static application security testing (SAST)

§ dynamic application security testing (DAST)

§ vulnerability assessment

§ penetration testing

§ Design, develop and implement secure code to minimise vulnerabilities in user action controls

Including:

§ broken authentication and session management

§ cross-site scripting (XSS) and cross-site request forgery (CSRF)

§ invalid forwarding and redirecting

§ race conditions

§ Design, develop and implement a progressive web app (PWA)

Including:

§ the application of design and user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) principles of font, colour, audio, video and navigation

§ a UI that considers accessibility and inclusivity

§ Investigate the reasons for version control and apply it when developing web application

§ Observe and describe the back-end process used to manage a web request

Including:

§ role of webserver software

§ web framework

§ objects

§ libraries

§ databases

§ Assess the contribution of back-end web development to the success of a web application