Node.JS 22: New Features and Latest Updates You Don't Want to Miss!

Quick Summary: Explore how the latest of Node.JS - Version 22 has brought a colossal leap forward for the JavaScript runtime environments. Find out how it enables the developer community to craft robust, high-speed, and more practical applications. In this blog, we have covered all the latest features and updates that the Node.js development team has brought us. Keep reading to get valuable insights!

Node.js 22 has arrived, sparking transports of delights with its long-awaited features and updates. Released in April 2024, this version is presently known as the "Current" release worldwide, offering developers a more enhanced development experience.

It is anticipated that this "Current" version will soon transition to the "Long-Term Support (LTS)" in October 2024. Moreover, the release announcement advises the community to switch to Node.js 20 (LTS) or Node.js 22 (soon to be LTS) from Node.js 18, provided it will be redundant in April 2025.

This brings us to learn more about the latest version of Node.js, right!! Well, it has brought us many functionalities and fixes, including WebSocket client, require () for ES modules, and updates within the V8 JavaScript engine, amongst many others. So, let's discover what Node.js v22 has in store for us and how we can leverage it to strive better in our application development endeavors.

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Node.js 22: Everything You Need to Know

Node.js has introduced Node.JS 22 replacing its version 21 as their current release line. Node.js 22 was released on April 23, 2024, introducing enhanced performance, an updated V8 engine, better security features, and improved compatibility for modern web applications. This latest release of Node.js brings in loads of interesting features and essential enhancements, including the Maglev compiler, add-on APIs, and updates on running package.json scripts. Hence, it is promising to enable the developer community to have more scale-friendly applications in the coming times.

With the rise in the demand for more trustworthy and scale-fit applications, the demand for Node.js amongst the developer community is at its peak. With version NodeJS 22, it strives to enhance and offer functionalities that make it simple for over 242797 enterprises (as in 2024 globally) to develop their backend seamlessly.

This even-numbered version is about tiny yet substantial improvements that ease enterprise deployments using JS for server-side scripting and writing command-line tools. With the long-term support bound to join the league in the near future, it is wise and the right time to test Node.JS 22 and get ready for deployment.

Now, let's learn what NodeJS 22 holds at its crux!

What are The Latest Features and New Enhancements of Node.JS 22?

Node.JS 22 brings exciting stuff, including cool array methods, a few helpers of iterators, and the latest set methods to its community. Check out the latest features and new enhancements below that version 22 offers. And get installing the latest version of Node.js to seal in a promising boost in your app's performance and user satisfaction.

1. V8 Upgraded to 12.4

Node.js 22 has solid enhancements for the V8 engine with the 12.4 release. It brings remarkable feature additions, including set methods, Array.fromAsync, Web Assembly Garbage Collection, and iterator helpers enable developers with robust tools to improve application's performance.

2. Maglev Compiler

The latest version introduces default activation of the V8 Maglev (the latest JIT compiler) on supported architectures. Maglev compiler is placed around Sparkplug and Turbofan, allowing developers to maximize the performance of short-term CLI programs and leading to ultimate efficiency.

3. ESM Compatibility Enhancement

v.22 has enhanced the ESM compatibility with an unparalleled focus on tech preview additions comprising import.meta.filename and import.meta.dirname, introduced earlier in the Node.JS 21 lifecycle. It has also eased the migration path from CJS to ESM using the experimental-detect-module flag, facilitating developers to run the ES modules automatically when their syntax is detected.

In case, if the file has a .js or no extension or no mentioned type in package.json, it evaluates the file syntax. If there are chances of uncertainty, it considers that as CommonJS, though. Moreover, Node 22 has replaced the import assertions with the import attributes. This would require you to update your code to the latest syntax by replacing the "assert" with "with".

4. Deprecations in util

The newest release offers an apt platform to developers for addressing redundant APIs. It provides a systematized depreciation process having three stages namely documentation-only, runtime, and end-of-life.

Remarkably, many util APIs have been depreciated at the runtime level within Node.js 22. Developers are advised to check for already depreciated APIs by running their applications with the –throw-deprecation flag. Doing this will provide for a smoother transition.

Also, while leveling up with Node.js 22, it is beneficial to analyze and replace depreciated APIs to improve your applications' efficacy and compatibility.

5. Web Socket

If you're a Web Socket client, Node.js 22 brings you an important update. You would know the pain of activating the browser-compatible feature using the –experimental-websocket flag. Now, you'll see that the browser-compatible implementation is enabled as default, automatically, hence cutting-off external dependencies.

6. Add-on APIs and Better Defining of Environment Variables

You get a pallet of new APIs with this new release for bettering core functionalities and eliminating additional dependencies. These add on APIs include test runner, WebSocket, and argument parser. You also get Text Styling API that facilitates text formatting with util.inspect.colors, providing versatility in text presentation.

Furthermore, version 22 offers tremendous improvements in defining file environment variables. You can use this functionality using –env-file command-line option. You can also run commands such as process.loadEnvFile and util.parseEnv. These improvements rationalize the content in the .env format, providing a more frictionless development experience.

7. glob and glogSync

The node:fsmodule introduces the latest features parallel to glob and globSync functions for pattern matching. These updates help the development teams to precisely match file paths as per specified patterns. Hence, their ability to handle and manipulate file systems within Node.js applications is improved.

8. Support require () ESM Graphs

Node.JS 22 incorporates require () support for the ESM graphs under the flag -experimental-require-module. When this flag is activated, and the ECMAScript module – the set standard for scripting languages including JavaScript is run by require () matches the following conditions -

• It is solely flagged as an ES module with a "type: "module" field in the nearest package.json or a .mjs extension
• It is entirely synchronous in nature

In such a scenario, require () considers the requested module as an ES Module while returning the module namespace object. Moreover, it acts just as a dynamic import () but operates synchronously, directly returning the namespace object.

9. Running package.json scripts

This is an experimental feature by Node.js V22 that facilitates the execution of the script from the package.json. It uses the CLI flag node –run <script-in-package-json> for the same. Further, it empowers the node-run test that is used to run the test command within the package.json scripts.

10. Stream Default High Water Mark

Version 22 of Node.js has elevated the standard High Water Mark for streams from 16KiB to 64KiB. This increase is bound to improve the overall performance scale, obviously with marginally higher memory usage. Also, developers who operate in a memory-sensitive environment would be required to set - setDefaultHighWaterMark

11. Stable Watch Mode Command Line

The new version has brought stability for the Watch Mode Command Line option. It also has other options, such as -

• watch
• watch-path
• watch-preserve-output

This new feature's main benefit lies in the fact that it allows the application development process to emerge as more effective, as the application would reboot automatically as and when the developers change the watched files.

12. AbortSignal Creation Performance Improvement

The process of running AbortSignal instances has been enhanced and improvised in the latest Node.js version. It will tremendously improve the performance of the fetch and test runner functions.

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What Should Be Your Next Step?Version 22 of Node.js has been hailed by the developers and the community given its classic mix of enhancements in tools, updates in language features, and additions in the standard library. Hence, providing for improved performance levels and higher efficiency, making it even better for modern-day application development.The best thing you can do today is transition to Node.js 22 and leverage the latest advancements to better your development experience. For this, you must partner with a trustworthy and experienced Node.js development team that can offer you support and expertise to implement the updates seamlessly.Contact us today to benefit from a qualified team of Node.js experts and leverage the complete potential of Node 22.