Implement intelligent agents using PyTorch to solve classic AI problems, play console games like Atari, and perform tasks such as autonomous driving using the CARLA driving simulator Key Features *Explore the OpenAI Gym toolkit and interface to use over 700 learning tasks *Implement agents to solve simple to complex AI problems *Study learning environments and discover how to create your own Book Description Many real-world problems can be broken down into tasks that require a series of decisions to be made or actions to be taken. The ability to solve such tasks without a machine being programmed requires a machine to be artificially intelligent and capable of learning to adapt. This book is an easy-to-follow guide to implementing learning algorithms for machine software agents in order to solve discrete or continuous sequential decision making and control tasks. Hands-On Intelligent Agents with OpenAI Gym takes you through the process of building intelligent agent algorithms using deep reinforcement learning starting from the implementation of the building blocks for configuring, training, logging, visualizing, testing, and monitoring the agent. You will walk through the process of building intelligent agents from scratch to perform a variety of tasks. In the closing chapters, the book provides an overview of the latest learning environments and learning algorithms, along with pointers to more resources that will help you take your deep reinforcement learning skills to the next level. What you will learn *Explore intelligent agents and learning environments *Understand the basics of RL and deep RL *Get started with OpenAI Gym and PyTorch for deep reinforcement learning *Discover deep Q learning agents to solve discrete optimal control tasks *Create custom learning environments for real-world problems *Apply a deep actor-critic agent to drive a car autonomously in CARLA *Use the latest learning environments and algorithms to upgrade your intelligent agent development skills Who this book is for If you’re a student, game/machine learning developer, or AI enthusiast looking to get started with building intelligent agents and algorithms to solve a variety of problems with the OpenAI Gym interface, this book is for you. You will also find this book useful if you want to learn how to build deep reinforcement learning-based agents to solve problems in your domain of interest. Though the book covers all the basic concepts that you need to know, some working knowledge of Python programming language will help you get the most out of it.

Learn about cryptography and cryptocurrencies, so you can build highly secure, decentralized applications and conduct trusted in-app transactions. About This Book ? Get to grips with the underlying technical principles and implementations of blockchain ? Build powerful applications using Ethereum to secure transactions and create smart contracts ? Explore cryptography, mine cryptocurrencies, and solve scalability issues with this comprehensive guide Who This Book Is For This book will appeal to those who wish to build fast, highly secure, transactional applications. It targets people who are familiar with the concept of blockchain and are comfortable with a programming language. What You Will Learn ? Master the theoretical and technical foundations of the blockchain technology ? Understand the concept of decentralization, its impact, and its relationship with blockchain technology ? Master how cryptography is used to secure data - with practical examples ? Grasp the inner workings of blockchain and the mechanisms behind bitcoin and alternative cryptocurrencies ? Understand the theoretical foundations of smart contracts ? Learn how Ethereum blockchain works and how to develop decentralized applications using Solidity and relevant development frameworks ? Identify and examine applications of the blockchain technology - beyond currencies ? Investigate alternative blockchain solutions including Hyperledger, Corda, and many more ? Explore research topics and the future scope of blockchain technology In Detail A blockchain is a distributed ledger that is replicated across multiple nodes and enables immutable, transparent and cryptographically secure record-keeping of transactions. The blockchain technology is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, and it has applications in finance, government, media and almost all other industries. Mastering Blockchain, Second Edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to provide a detailed description of this leading technology and its implementation in the real world. This book begins with the technical foundations of blockchain technology, teaching you the fundamentals of distributed systems, cryptography and how it keeps data secure. You will learn about the mechanisms behind cryptocurrencies and how to develop applications using Ethereum, a decentralized virtual machine. You will also explore different other blockchain solutions and get an introduction to business blockchain frameworks under Hyperledger, a collaborative effort for the advancement of blockchain technologies hosted by the Linux Foundation. You will also be shown how to implement blockchain solutions beyond currencies, Internet of Things with blockchain, blockchain scalability, and the future scope of this fascinating and powerful technology. Style and approach This comprehensive guide allows you to build smart blockchain applications and explore the power of this database. The book will let you quickly brush up on the basics of the blockchain database, followed by advanced implementations of blockchain in currency, smart contracts, decentralization, and so on.

Get a solid understanding of Java fundamentals to master programming through a series of practical steps About This Book ? Enjoy your first step into the world of programming ? Understand what a language is and use its features to build applications ? Learn about a wide variety of programming applications Who This Book Is For Introduction to Programming is for anybody who wants to learn programming. All you’ll need is a computer, internet connection, and a cup of coffee. What You Will Learn ? Understand what Java is ? Install Java and learn how to run it ? Write and execute a Java program ? Write and execute the test for your program ? Install components and confgure your development environment ? Learn and use Java language fundamentals ? Learn object-oriented design principles ? Master the frequently used Java constructs In Detail Have you ever thought about making your computer do what you want it to do? Do you want to learn to program, but just don't know where to start? Instead of guiding you in the right direction, have other learning resources got you confused with over-explanations? Don't worry. Look no further. Introduction to Programming is here to help. Written by an industry expert who understands the challenges faced by those from a non-programming background, this book takes a gentle, hand-holding approach to introducing you to the world of programming. Beginning with an introduction to what programming is, you'll go on to learn about languages, their syntax, and development environments. With plenty of examples for you to code alongside reading, the book's practical approach will help you to grasp everything it has to offer. More importantly, you'll understand several aspects of application development. As a result, you'll have your very own application running by the end of the book. To help you comprehensively understand Java programming, there are exercises at the end of each chapter to keep things interesting and encourage you to add your own personal touch to the code and, ultimately, your application. Style and approach This step-by-step guide will familiarize you with programming using some practical examples.

IT service management automation at your fingertips About This Book ? Learn to leverage ServiceNow’s capabilities for improved IT automation by following step-by-step, practical instructions ? Build core administration, development, and maintenance skills with IT service management in ServiceNow ? Improve your workflow efficiency by designing and creating responsive and automated workflows, business logic, and front-end automation Who This Book Is For This book is for IT professionals and administrators who are planning to or are already trying to implement ServiceNow in their organization for Enterprise IT service management tasks. Some familiarity with web technologies (JavaScript) would be helpful. Prior ServiceNow experience is not necessary. What You Will Learn ? Read and write clear, effective code for the ServiceNow platform ? Identify and avoid common pitfalls and missteps that could seriously impact future progress and upgradeability ? Use debugging tools to troubleshoot when things go wrong ? Discover tips and tricks from top ServiceNow developers, architects, and administrators. Find out what the pros wish they knew when they were starting out In Detail This book is an updated version of Learning ServiceNow, that will cover the new and updated features of the ServiceNow platform. It will show you how to put important ServiceNow features to work in the real world, while introducing key concepts via examples of managing and automating IT services. It'll help you build a solid foundation of knowledge, and will demonstrate how to effectively implement and configure modules within ServiceNow. We'll show you how to configure and administer your instance, and then move on to building strong user interfaces and creating powerful workflows. We also cover other key elements of ServiceNow, such as notifications, security, reporting, and custom development. You will learn how to improve and automate your business' workflow and processes. By the end of this book, you will be able to successfully configure and manage ServiceNow like a pro. Style and approach This book is a step-by-step practical tutorial to help you quickly deploy and configure ServiceNow in your organization. It guides you through the process of building applications and understanding the underlying systems, to help you become a more effective ServiceNow/ITSM administrator and/or developer.

Leverage the power of Hyperledger Fabric to develop Blockchain-based distributed ledgers with ease About This Book ? Write your own chaincode/smart contracts using Golang on hyperledger network ? Build and deploy decentralized applications (DApps) ? Dive into real world blockchain challenges such as integration and scalability Who This Book Is For The book benefits business leaders as it provides a comprehensive view on blockchain business models, governance structure, and business design considerations of blockchain solutions. Technology leaders stand to gain a lot from the detailed discussion around the technology landscape, technology design, and architecture considerations in the book. With model-driven application development, this guide will speed up understanding and concept development for blockchain application developers. The simple and well organized content will put novices at ease with blockchain concepts and constructs. What You Will Learn ? Discover why blockchain is a game changer in the technology landscape ? Set up blockchain networks using basic Hyperledger Fabric deployment ? Understand the considerations for creating decentralized applications ? Learn the process of creating good business networks using Hyperledger ? Write Smart Contracts quickly with Hyperledger Composer ? Design transaction model and chaincode with Golang ? Deploy Composer REST Gateway to access the Composer transactions ? Discern how business network impacts your Hyperledger Fabric solutions In Detail Blockchain and Hyperledger technologies are hot topics. Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperledger Composer are open source projects that help organizations create private, permissioned blockchain networks. Applications that exploit them include finance, banking, supply chains, IoT, and much more. This book will be an easy reference to explore and build blockchain networks using Hyperledger technologies. This book will start by explaining the blockchain evolution, including an overview of relevant blockchain technologies. You will learn how to configure Hyperledger Fabric on a cloud platform. Understand the architectural components of Hyperledger Fabric, and how they are configured to build private blockchain networks, and applications that connect to them. You'll build up a network and application from scratch, starting with first principles. You'll learn how to implement smart contracts in chaincode and much more on the Hyperledger network. By the end of this book, you will be able to build and deploy your own decentralized applications using Hyperledger, addressing the key pain points encountered in the blockchain life cycle. Style and approach An easy-to-follow step by step guide which will help you get to grips with real world application of Hyperledger

Learn how to execute web application penetration testing end-to-end About This Book ? Build an end-to-end threat model landscape for web application security ? Learn both web application vulnerabilities and web intrusion testing ? Associate network vulnerabilities with a web application infrastructure Who This Book Is For Practical Web Penetration Testing is for you if you are a security professional, penetration tester, or stakeholder who wants to execute penetration testing using the latest and most popular tools. Basic knowledge of ethical hacking would be an added advantage. What You Will Learn ? Learn how to use Burp Suite effectively ? Use Nmap, Metasploit, and more tools for network infrastructure tests ? Practice using all web application hacking tools for intrusion tests using Kali Linux ? Learn how to analyze a web application using application threat modeling ? Know how to conduct web intrusion tests ? Understand how to execute network infrastructure tests ? Master automation of penetration testing functions for maximum efficiency using Python In Detail Companies all over the world want to hire professionals dedicated to application security. Practical Web Penetration Testing focuses on this very trend, teaching you how to conduct application security testing using real-life scenarios. To start with, you’ll set up an environment to perform web application penetration testing. You will then explore different penetration testing concepts such as threat modeling, intrusion test, infrastructure security threat, and more, in combination with advanced concepts such as Python scripting for automation. Once you are done learning the basics, you will discover end-to-end implementation of tools such as Metasploit, Burp Suite, and Kali Linux. Many companies deliver projects into production by using either Agile or Waterfall methodology. This book shows you how to assist any company with their SDLC approach and helps you on your journey to becoming an application security specialist. By the end of this book, you will have hands-on knowledge of using different tools for penetration testing. Style and approach In this book, you will learn and understand the workflow of application security testing. Starting from analysis using threat modeling until the testing phase and before the web project goes into production, you will be able conduct effective penetrating testing using web intrusion tests , network infrastructure tests, and code review.

Develop, test, and deploy decentralized applications for Ethereum platform About This Book ? Build your first Ethereum Dapp with Truffle: the most popular Ethereum development framework ? Build, compile, and deploy smart contracts in your development environment ? Embrace Blockchains and utilize it to create new generation of secured and scalable apps Who This Book Is For This book is for web developers who are interested in the new world blockchain. Some basic understanding of JavaScript and web services is required. No prior knowledge of Decentralized applications or blockchain is required. What You Will Learn ? Understand the fundamentals of Truffle and Web3 ? Build a decentralized application with Truffle, while choosing the correct Ethereum client ? Connect your Dapp to Ethereum clients including Geth, Parity, and Ganache ? Migrate and test your Dapp with the correct networks such as Ropsten and Rinkeby ? Package a decentralized application into a user-friendly product by integrating Truffle with JavaScript frameworks such as Angular, React and Vue ? Explore tools including Ethereum Package Manager, the Registrar and browser wallets, and exploit third-party smart contract libraries. ? Evaluate the common migration pitfalls and how to mitigate them In Detail Truffle is a world-class development environment, testing framework and asset pipeline for Ethereum, aiming to make life as an Ethereum developer easier. If you are a web developer wanting to try your hand at developing Dapps with Truffle, then this is the book for you. This book will teach you to write smart contracts and build Dapps with Truffle. You will begin with covering the basics of Truffle, briefly explaining how it integrates Solidity and Web3, in orderto start building a mini decentralized application. Also, you will dive into migration, testing and integrating Truffle with the use of popular JavaScript frameworks. Lastly, you will ship your decentralized application and package it into a product. Moreover, you will go through the best practices in Truffle,so as to increase your proficiency in building Dapps with Truffle. By the end of the book, you will be able to write smart contracts and build decentralized applications with Truffle on Ethereum blockchains. Style and approach An intuitive, step-by-step and engaging guide that will teach you to build a real-world, decentralized application with Truffle.

Learn the most powerful and primary programming language for writing smart contracts and find out how to write, deploy, and test smart contracts in Ethereum. About This Book ? Get you up and running with Solidity Programming language ? Build Ethereum Smart Contracts with Solidity as your scripting language ? Learn to test and deploy the smart contract to your private Blockchain Who This Book Is For This book is for anyone who would like to get started with Solidity Programming for developing an Ethereum smart contract. No prior knowledge of EVM is required. What You Will Learn ? Learn the basics and foundational concepts of Solidity and Ethereum ? Explore the Solidity language and its uniqueness in depth ? Create new accounts and submit transactions to blockchain ? Get to know the complete language in detail to write smart contracts ? Learn about major tools to develop and deploy smart contracts ? Write defensive code using exception handling and error checking ? Understand Truffle basics and the debugging process In Detail Solidity is a contract-oriented language whose syntax is highly influenced by JavaScript, and is designed to compile code for the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Solidity Programming Essentials will be your guide to understanding Solidity programming to build smart contracts for Ethereum and blockchain from ground-up. We begin with a brief run-through of blockchain, Ethereum, and their most important concepts or components. You will learn how to install all the necessary tools to write, test, and debug Solidity contracts on Ethereum. Then, you will explore the layout of a Solidity source file and work with the different data types. The next set of recipes will help you work with operators, control structures, and data structures while building your smart contracts. We take you through function calls, return types, function modifers, and recipes in object-oriented programming with Solidity. Learn all you can on event logging and exception handling, as well as testing and debugging smart contracts. By the end of this book, you will be able to write, deploy, and test smart contracts in Ethereum. This book will bring forth the essence of writing contracts using Solidity and also help you develop Solidity skills in no time. Style and approach Solidity is a high-level programming language best understood using examples. After covering basic concepts of Ethereum and Solidity, programming constructs will be explained with help of examples. As chapters progress, deployment, usage and testing of contacts will form major aspect of the book. Troubleshooting and unit testing is an important exercise and skill to master this language will also be covered in this book.

Leverage the power of Python and its de facto GUI framework to build highly interactive interfaces About This Book ? The fundamentals of Python and GUI programming with Tkinter. ? Create multiple cross-platform projects by integrating a host of third-party libraries and tools. ? Build beautiful and highly-interactive user interfaces that target multiple devices. Who This Book Is For This book is for beginners to GUI programming who haven’t used Tkinter yet and are eager to start building great-looking and user-friendly GUIs. Prior knowledge of Python programming is expected. What You Will Learn ? Create a scrollable frame via theCanvas widget ? Use the pack geometry manager andFrame widget to control layout ? Learn to choose a data structurefor a game ? Group Tkinter widgets, such asbuttons, canvases, and labels ? Create a highly customizablePython editor ? Design and lay out a chat window In Detail Tkinter is a modular, cross-platform application development toolkit for Python. When developing GUI-rich applications, the most important choices are which programming language(s) and which GUI framework to use. Python and Tkinter prove to be a great combination. This book will get you familiar with Tkinter by having you create fun and interactive projects. These projects have varying degrees of complexity. We'll start with a simple project, where you'll learn the fundamentals of GUI programming and the basics of working with a Tkinter application. After getting the basics right, we'll move on to creating a project of slightly increased complexity, such as a highly customizable Python editor. In the next project, we'll crank up the complexity level to create an instant messaging app. Toward the end, we'll discuss various ways of packaging our applications so that they can be shared and installed on other machines without the user having to learn how to install and run Python programs. Style and approach Step by Step guide with real world examples

Create succinct and expressive implementations with functional programming in Python About This Book ? Learn how to choose between imperative and functional approaches based on expressiveness, clarity, and performance ? Get familiar with complex concepts such as monads, concurrency, and immutability ? Apply functional Python to common Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) programming problems Who This Book Is For This book is for Python developers who would like to perform Functional programming with Python. Python Programming knowledge is assumed. What You Will Learn ? Use Python's generator functions and generator expressions to work with collections in a non-strict (or lazy) manner ? Utilize Python library modules including itertools, functools, multiprocessing, and concurrent features to ensure efficient functional programs ? Use Python strings with object-oriented suffix notation and prefix notation ? Avoid stateful classes with families of tuples ? Design and implement decorators to create composite functions ? Use functions such as max(), min(), map(), filter(), and sorted() ? Write higher-order functions In Detail If you’re a Python developer who wants to discover how to take the power of functional programming (FP) and bring it into your own programs, then this book is essential for you, even if you know next to nothing about the paradigm. Starting with a general overview of functional concepts, you’ll explore common functional features such as first-class and higher-order functions, pure functions, and more. You’ll see how these are accomplished in Python 3.6 to give you the core foundations you’ll build upon. After that, you’ll discover common functional optimizations for Python to help your apps reach even higher speeds. You’ll learn FP concepts such as lazy evaluation using Python’s generator functions and expressions. Moving forward, you’ll learn to design and implement decorators to create composite functions. You'll also explore data preparation techniques and data exploration in depth, and see how the Python standard library fits the functional programming model. Finally, to top off your journey into the world of functional Python, you’ll at look at the PyMonad project and some larger examples to put everything into perspective. Style and approach This book provides a general overview of functional concepts and then delves deeper into the functional features, showing you how the Python standard library fits the functional programming model. It also demonstrates how to implement common functional programming design patterns and techniques in Python.

Design accessible and creative games across genres, platforms, and development realities About This Book ? Implement the skills and techniques required to work in a professional studio ? Ace the core principles and processes of level design, world building, and storytelling ? Design interactive characters that animate the gaming world Who This Book Is For Whether you are a student eager to design a game or a junior game designer looking for your first role as a professional, this book will help you with the fundamentals of game design. By focusing on best practices and a pragmatic approach, Practical Game Design provides insights into the arts and crafts from two senior game designers that will interest more seasoned professionals in the game industry. What You Will Learn ? Define the scope and structure of a game project ? Conceptualize a game idea and present it to others ? Design gameplay systems and communicate them clearly and thoroughly ? Build and validate engaging game mechanics ? Design successful business models and prepare your games for live operations ? Master the principles behind level design, worldbuilding and storytelling ? Improve the quality of a game by playtesting and polishing it In Detail If you are looking for an up-to-date and highly applicable guide to game design, then you have come to the right place! Immerse yourself in the fundamentals of game design with this book, written by two highly experienced industry professionals to share their profound insights as well as give valuable advice on creating games across genres and development platforms. Practical Game Design covers the basics of game design one piece at a time. Starting with learning how to conceptualize a game idea and present it to the development team, you will gradually move on to devising a design plan for the whole project and adapting solutions from other games. You will also discover how to produce original game mechanics without relying on existing reference material, and test and eliminate anticipated design risks. You will then design elements that compose the playtime of a game, followed by making game mechanics, content, and interface accessible to all players. You will also find out how to simultaneously ensure that the gameplay mechanics and content are working as intended. As the book reaches its final chapters, you will learn to wrap up a game ahead of its release date, work through the different challenges of designing free-to-play games, and understand how to significantly improve their quality through iteration, polishing and playtesting. Style and approach A practical step by step guide to get you up and running with Game Design from scratch

Build applications and infrastructures that leverage Function-as-a-Service and Docker About This Book ? Implement containerization in Serverless/FaaS environments ? Utilize Docker as a functional unit of work for Serverless/FaaS platforms ? Use Docker as a portable infrastructure for Serverless Applications Who This Book Is For If you are a Developer, a Docker Engineer, a DevOps Engineer, or any stakeholder interested in learning the use of Docker on Serverless environments then this book is for you. What You Will Learn ? Learn what Serverless and FaaS applications are ? Get acquainted with the architectures of three major serverless systems ? Explore how Docker technologies can help develop Serverless applications ? Create and maintain FaaS infrastructures ? Set up Docker infrastructures to serve as on-premises FaaS infrastructures ? Define functions for Serverless applications with Docker containers In Detail Serverless applications have gained a lot of popularity among developers and are currently the buzzwords in the tech market. Docker and serverless are two terms that go hand-in-hand. This book will start by explaining serverless and Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) concepts, and why they are important. Then, it will introduce the concepts of containerization and how Docker fits into the Serverless ideology. It will explore the architectures and components of three major Docker-based FaaS platforms, how to deploy and how to use their CLI. Then, this book will discuss how to set up and operate a production-grade Docker cluster. We will cover all concepts of FaaS frameworks with practical use cases, followed by deploying and orchestrating these serverless systems using Docker. Finally, we will also explore advanced topics and prototypes for FaaS architectures in the last chapter. By the end of this book, you will be in a position to build and deploy your own FaaS platform using Docker. Style and approach A practical guide that offers a simple way to easily understand Serverless Applications utilizing Docker as the development environment.

Use Java features such as JAX-RS, EJBs, and JPAs to build powerful middleware for newer architectures such as the cloud About This Book ? Explore EJBs to build middleware solutions for enterprise and distributed applications ? Understand middleware designs such as event-based and message-driven web services ? Learn to design and maintain large-scale systems and vendor disputes Who This Book Is For Enterprise architects, designers, developers, and programmers who are interested in learning how to build robust middleware solutions for enterprise software will find this book useful. Prior knowledge of Java EE is essential What You Will Learn ? Implement the latest Java EE 8 APIs and manage dependencies with CDI 2.0 ? Perform CRUD operations and access databases with JPA 2.1 ? Use bean validation API 2.0 to validate data ? Develop business logic with EJB 3.2 ? Incorporate the REST architecture and RESTful API design patterns ? Perform serialization and deserialization on JSON documents using JSON-B ? Utilize JMS for messaging and queuing models and securing applications ? Test applications using JUnit and Mockito and deploy them using Docker In Detail Middleware is the infrastructure in software based applications that enables businesses to solve problems, operate more efficiently, and make money. As the use of middleware extends beyond a single application, the importance of having it written by experts increases substantially. This book will help you become an expert in developing middleware for a variety of applications. The book starts off by exploring the latest Java EE 8 APIs with newer features and managing dependencies with CDI 2.0. You will learn to implement object-to-relational mapping using JPA 2.1 and validate data using bean validation. You will also work with different types of EJB to develop business logic, and with design RESTful APIs by utilizing different HTTP methods and activating JAX-RS features in enterprise applications. You will learn to secure your middleware with Java Security 1.0 and implement various authentication techniques, such as OAuth authentication. In the concluding chapters, you will use various test technologies, such as JUnit and Mockito, to test applications, and Docker to deploy your enterprise applications. By the end of the book, you will be proficient in developing robust, effective, and distributed middleware for your business. Style and approach Learn how to design and implement professional enterprise middleware solutions using the latest techniques and features provided by the Java EE 8 platform.

Connect things to create amazing IoT applications in minutes About This Book ? Use Blynk cloud and Blynk server to connect devices ? Build IoT applications on Android and iOS platforms ? A practical guide that will show how to connect devices using Blynk and Raspberry Pi 3 Who This Book Is For This book is targeted at any stakeholder working in the IoT sector who wants to understand how Blynk works and build exciting IoT projects. Prior understanding of Raspberry Pi, C/C++, and electronics is a must. What You Will Learn ? Build devices using Raspberry Pi and various sensors and actuators ? Use Blynk cloud to connect and control devices through the Blynk app ? Connect devices to Blynk cloud and server through Ethernet and Wi-Fi ? Make applications using Blynk apps (App Builder) on Android and iOS platforms ? Run Blynk personal server on the Windows, MAC, and Raspberry Pi platforms In Detail Blynk, known as the most user-friendly IoT platform, provides a way to build mobile applications in minutes. With the Blynk drag-n-drop mobile app builder, anyone can build amazing IoT applications with minimal resources and effort, on hardware ranging from prototyping platforms such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi 3 to industrial-grade ESP8266, Intel, Sierra Wireless, Particle, Texas Instruments, and a few others. This book uses Raspberry Pi as the main hardware platform and C/C++ to write sketches to build projects. The first part of this book shows how to set up a development environment with various hardware combinations and required software. Then you will build your first IoT application with Blynk using various hardware combinations and connectivity types such as Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Then you'll use and configure various widgets (control, display, notification, interface, time input, and some advanced widgets) with Blynk App Builder to build applications. Towards the end, you will learn how to connect with and use built-in sensors on Android and iOS mobile devices. Finally you will learn how to build a robot that can be controlled with a Blynk app through the Blynk cloud and personal server. By the end of this book, you will have hands-on experience building IoT applications using Blynk. Style and approach A step-by-step guide that will help you build simple yet exciting project in no time.

Develop, deploy, and streamline your data science projects with the most popular end-to-end platform, Anaconda About This Book ? Use Anaconda to find solutions for clustering, classification, and linear regression ? Analyze your data efficiently with the most powerful data science stack ? Use the Anaconda cloud to store, share, and discover projects and libraries Who This Book Is For Hands-On Data Science with Anaconda is for you if you are a developer who is looking for the best tools in the market to perform data science. It’s also ideal for data analysts and data science professionals who want to improve the efficiency of their data science applications by using the best libraries in multiple languages. Basic programming knowledge with R or Python and introductory knowledge of linear algebra is expected. What You Will Learn ? Perform cleaning, sorting, classification, clustering, regression, and dataset modeling using Anaconda ? Use the package manager conda and discover, install, and use functionally efficient and scalable packages ? Get comfortable with heterogeneous data exploration using multiple languages within a project ? Perform distributed computing and use Anaconda Accelerate to optimize computational powers ? Discover and share packages, notebooks, and environments, and use shared project drives on Anaconda Cloud ? Tackle advanced data prediction problems In Detail Anaconda is an open source platform that brings together the best tools for data science professionals with more than 100 popular packages supporting Python, Scala, and R languages. Hands-On Data Science with Anaconda gets you started with Anaconda and demonstrates how you can use it to perform data science operations in the real world. The book begins with setting up the environment for Anaconda platform in order to make it accessible for tools and frameworks such as Jupyter, pandas, matplotlib, Python, R, Julia, and more. You’ll walk through package manager Conda, through which you can automatically manage all packages including cross-language dependencies, and work across Linux, macOS, and Windows. You’ll explore all the essentials of data science and linear algebra to perform data science tasks using packages such as SciPy, contrastive, scikit-learn, Rattle, and Rmixmod. Once you’re accustomed to all this, you’ll start with operations in data science such as cleaning, sorting, and data classification. You’ll move on to learning how to perform tasks such as clustering, regression, prediction, and building machine learning models and optimizing them. In addition to this, you’ll learn how to visualize data using the packages available for Julia, Python, and R. Style and approach This book is your step-by-step guide full of use cases, examples and illustrations to get you well-versed with the concepts of Anaconda.

Enhance your skills in expert module development, deployment, security, DevOps, and cloud Key Features *A step-by-step guide to get you started with PowerShell Core 6.0 *Harness the capabilities of PowerShell Core 6.0 to perform simple to complex administration tasks *Learn core administrative concepts such as scripting, pipelines, and DSC Book Description Beginning with an overview of the different versions of PowerShell, Learn PowerShell Core 6.0 introduces you to VSCode and then dives into helping you understand the basic techniques in PowerShell scripting. You will cover advanced coding techniques, learn how to write reusable code as well as store and load data with PowerShell. This book will help you understand PowerShell security and Just Enough Administration, enabling you to create your own PowerShell repository. The last set of chapters will guide you in setting up, configuring, and working with Release Pipelines in VSCode and VSTS, and help you understand PowerShell DSC. In addition to this, you will learn how to use PowerShell with Windows, Azure, Microsoft Online Services, SCCM, and SQL Server. The final chapter will provide you with some use cases and pro tips. By the end of this book, you will be able to create professional reusable code using security insight and knowledge of working with PowerShell Core 6.0 and its most important capabilities. What you will learn *Get to grips with Powershell Core 6.0 *Explore basic and advanced PowerShell scripting techniques *Get to grips with Windows PowerShell Security *Work with centralization and DevOps with PowerShell *Implement PowerShell in your organization through real-life examples *Learn to create GUIs and use DSC in production Who this book is for If you are a Windows administrator or a DevOps user who wants to leverage PowerShell to automate simple to complex tasks, then this book is for you. Whether you know nothing about PowerShell or just enough to get by, this guide will give you what you need to go to take your scripting to the next level. You’ll also find this book useful if you’re a PowerShell expert looking to expand your knowledge in areas such as PowerShell Security and DevOps.

Optimize the powerful techniques of Java 9 to boost your application's performance About This Book ? Tackle all kinds of performance-related issues and streamline your development ? Dive into the new features of Java 9 ? Implement highly efficient and reliable codes with the help of new APIs of Java ? Embedded with assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book Who This Book Is For This book is targeted at developers who would like to build reliable and high-performance applications with Java. What You Will Learn ? Familiarize with modular development and its impact on performance ? Learn various string-related performance improvements, including compact string and modify string concatenation ? Explore various underlying compiler improvements, such as tiered attribution and Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation ? Learn security manager improvements ? Understand enhancements in graphics rasterizers ? Use of command-line tools to speed up application development ? Learn how to implement multithreading and reactive programming ? Build microservices in Java 9 ? Implement APIs to improve application code In Detail Java 9 which is one of the most popular application development languages. The latest released version Java 9 comes with a host of new features and new APIs with lots of ready to use components to build efficient and scalable applications. Streams, parallel and asynchronous processing, multithreading, JSON support, reactive programming, and microservices comprise the hallmark of modern programming and are now fully integrated into the JDK. This book focuses on providing quick, practical solutions to enhance your application's performance. You will explore the new features, APIs, and various tools added in Java 9 that help to speed up the development process. You will learn about jshell, Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation, and the basic threads related topics including sizing and synchronization. You will also explore various strategies for building microservices including container-less, self-contained, and in-container. This book is ideal for developers who would like to build reliable and high-performance applications with Java. This book is embedded with useful assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book. Style and approach This book is a fast-paced guide that provides practical solutions to enhance your application’s performance. Note: This book is a blend of text and quizzes, all packaged up keeping your journey in mind. It includes content from the following Packt product: ? Java 9 High Performance by Mayur Ramgir and Nick Samoylov

Delve deep into various security aspects of AWS to build and maintain a secured environment About This Book ? Learn to secure your network, infrastructure, data, and applications in AWS cloud ? Use AWS managed security services to automate security ? Dive deep into various aspects such as the security model, compliance, access management and much more to build and maintain a secured environment ? Explore Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and its components ? Embedded with assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book Who This Book Is For This book is for all IT professionals, system administrators, security analysts, solution architects, and chief information security officers who are responsible for securing workloads in AWS for their organizations. What You Will Learn ? Get familiar with VPC components, features, and benefits ? Learn to create and secure your private network in AWS ? Explore encryption and decryption fundamentals ? Understand monitoring, logging, and auditing in AWS ? Ensure data security in AWS ? Secure your web and mobile applications in AWS ? Learn security best practices for IAM, VPC, shared security responsibility model, and so on In Detail With organizations moving their workloads, applications, and infrastructure to the cloud at an unprecedented pace, security of all these resources has been a paradigm shift for all those who are responsible for security; experts, novices, and apprentices alike. This book focuses on using native AWS security features and managed AWS services to help you achieve continuous security. Starting with an introduction to Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to secure your AWS VPC, you will quickly explore various components that make up VPC such as subnets, security groups, various gateways, and many more. You will also learn to protect data in the AWS platform for various AWS services by encrypting and decrypting data in AWS. You will also learn to secure web and mobile applications in AWS cloud. This book is ideal for all IT professionals, system administrators, security analysts, solution architects, and chief information security officers who are responsible for securing workloads in AWS for their organizations. This book is embedded with useful assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book. Style and approach This book follows a practical approach delving into different aspects of AWS security. It focuses on using native AWS security features and managed AWS services to help you achieve continuous security. Note: This book is a blend of text and quizzes, all packaged up keeping your journey in mind. It includes content from the following Packt product: ? Mastering AWS Security by Albert Anthony

Explore powerful R packages to create predictive models using ensemble methods Key Features *Implement machine learning algorithms to build ensemble-efficient models *Explore powerful R packages to create predictive models using ensemble methods *Learn to build ensemble models on large datasets using a practical approach Book Description Ensemble techniques are used for combining two or more similar or dissimilar machine learning algorithms to create a stronger model. Such a model delivers superior prediction power and can give your datasets a boost in accuracy. Hands-On Ensemble Learning with R begins with the important statistical resampling methods. You will then walk through the central trilogy of ensemble techniques – bagging, random forest, and boosting – then you'll learn how they can be used to provide greater accuracy on large datasets using popular R packages. You will learn how to combine model predictions using different machine learning algorithms to build ensemble models. In addition to this, you will explore how to improve the performance of your ensemble models. By the end of this book, you will have learned how machine learning algorithms can be combined to reduce common problems and build simple efficient ensemble models with the help of real-world examples. What you will learn *Carry out an essential review of re-sampling methods, bootstrap, and jackknife *Explore the key ensemble methods: bagging, random forests, and boosting *Use multiple algorithms to make strong predictive models *Enjoy a comprehensive treatment of boosting methods *Supplement methods with statistical tests, such as ROC *Walk through data structures in classification, regression, survival, and time series data *Use the supplied R code to implement ensemble methods *Learn stacking method to combine heterogeneous machine learning models Who this book is for This book is for you if you are a data scientist or machine learning developer who wants to implement machine learning techniques by building ensemble models with the power of R. You will learn how to combine different machine learning algorithms to perform efficient data processing. Basic knowledge of machine learning techniques and programming knowledge of R would be an added advantage.

Unlock the power of Spring Boot to build and deploy production-ready microservices About This Book ? Get to know the advanced features of Spring Boot in order to develop and monitor applications ? Use Spring cloud to deploy and manage microservices on the cloud ? Look at embedded servers and deploy a test application to a PaaS Cloud platform ? Embedded with assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book Who This Book Is For This book is aimed at Java developers who knows the basics of Spring programming and want to build microservices with Spring Boot. What You Will Learn ? Use Spring Initializr to create a basic spring project ? Build a basic microservice with Spring Boot ? Implement caching and exception handling ? Secure your microservice with Spring security and OAuth2 ? Deploy microservices using self-contained HTTP server ? Monitor your microservices with Spring Boot actuator ? Learn to develop more effectively with developer tools In Detail Microservices helps in decomposing applications into small services and move away from a single monolithic artifact. It helps in building systems that are scalable, flexible, and high resilient. Spring Boot helps in building REST-oriented, production-grade microservices. This book is a quick learning guide on how to build, monitor, and deploy microservices with Spring Boot. You'll be first familiarized with Spring Boot before delving into building microservices. You will learn how to document your microservice with the help of Spring REST docs and Swagger documentation. You will then learn how to secure your microservice with Spring Security and OAuth2. You will deploy your app using a self-contained HTTP server and also learn to monitor a microservice with the help of Spring Boot actuator. This book is ideal for Java developers who knows the basics of Spring programming and want to build microservices with Spring Boot. This book is embedded with useful assessments that will help you revise the concepts you have learned in this book. Style and approach This book follows a practical approach to teach you how to build, monitor, and deploy microservices with Spring Boot. Note: This book is a blend of text and quizzes, all packaged up keeping your journey in mind. It includes content from the following Packt product: ? Mastering Spring 5.0 by Ranga Rao Karanam

Build smarter and efficient database application systems for your organization with SQL Server 2017 About This Book ? Build database applications by using the development features of SQL Server 2017 ? Work with temporal tables to get information stored in a table at any time ? Use adaptive querying to enhance the performance of your queries Who This Book Is For Database developers and solution architects looking to design efficient database applications using SQL Server 2017 will find this book very useful. In addition, this book will be valuable to advanced analysis practitioners and business intelligence developers. Database consultants dealing with performance tuning will get a lot of useful information from this book as well. Some basic understanding of database concepts and T-SQL is required to get the best out of this book. What You Will Learn ? Explore the new development features introduced in SQL Server 2017 ? Identify opportunities for In-Memory OLTP technology ? Use columnstore indexes to get storage and performance improvements ? Exchange JSON data between applications and SQL Server ? Use the new security features to encrypt or mask the data ? Control the access to the data on the row levels ? Discover the potential of R and Python integration ? Model complex relationships with the graph databases in SQL Server 2017 In Detail Microsoft SQL Server 2017 is the next big step in the data platform history of Microsoft as it brings in the power of R and Python for machine learning and containerization-based deployment on Windows and Linux. Compared to its predecessor, SQL Server 2017 has evolved into Machine Learning with R services for statistical analysis and Python packages for analytical processing. This book prepares you for more advanced topics by starting with a quick introduction to SQL Server 2017’s new features and a recapitulation of the possibilities you may have already explored with previous versions of SQL Server. The next part introduces you to enhancements in the Transact-SQL language and new database engine capabilities and then switches to a completely new technology inside SQL Server: JSON support. We also take a look at the Stretch database, security enhancements, and temporal tables. Furthermore, the book focuses on implementing advanced topics, including Query Store, columnstore indexes, and In-Memory OLTP. Towards the end of the book, you’ll be introduced to R and how to use the R language with Transact-SQL for data exploration and analysis. You’ll also learn to integrate Python code in SQL Server and graph database implementations along with deployment options on Linux and SQL Server in containers for development and testing. By the end of this book, you will have the required information to design efficient, high-performance database applications without any hassle. Style and approach This book is a detailed guide to mastering the development features offered by SQL Server 2017, with a unique learn-as-you-do approach. All the concepts are explained in a very easy-to-understand manner and are supplemented with examples to ensure that you—the developer—are able to take that next step in building more powerful, robust applications for your organization with ease.