This document provides an introduction and overview of common methods for processing and analyzing next generation sequencing (NGS) data, including mapping NGS reads and de novo assembly of NGS reads. It discusses various NGS applications such as RNA-Seq, epigenetics, structural variation detection, and metagenomics. Key steps in read alignment such as choosing an alignment program and viewing alignments are outlined. Considerations for choosing an alignment program based on library type, read type, and platform are also reviewed. Popular alignment programs including Bowtie, BWA, TopHat, and Novoalign are mentioned.