Node.js plays a crucial role in application development. You might be aware that AliExpress and eBay use Node.js as their primary backend programming language.
A Statista survey shows that Node.js was the most used programming language in the development ecosystem in 2020. This proves how much Node.js is vital for developers.
For better understanding, let’s dive deep into the concept of Node.js, its architecture and understand whether it is worth the investment, time, and resources in an upcoming project.
What is Node.js?
Node.js is one of the most acceptable open-source programming languages that follow JavaScript runtime settings on Chrome V8 and allow the effortless development of scalable and fast web applications.
What is Node.js Architecture?
Node.js architecture uses an event-driven and non-blocking I/O model to make it more efficient and lightweight for building data-intensive and real-time applications to run across all shared devices.
Unlike conventional techniques of web serving, where a request creates a new thread only to cramp up the RAM, the Node.js architecture operates on a single thread. As a result, it supports thousands of simultaneous connections handling the event loops.
How does Node.js function?
Node.js architecture is the true example of an incredibly scalable and customizable tech. As mentioned before, its server engine uses an I/O model that is event-based and non-blocking. This makes JavaScript the obvious choice for any machine language that provides execution of super-fast code. Due to Node.js and JavaScript, codes operate faster in the server-to-client environment.
Node.js runs on the Google V8 JavaScript engine. Node.js platform also uses a “single-threaded event loop.”
So how does Node.js handle simultaneous requests together with one single-threaded model?
Multi-threaded request response is a different architecture in the slower event loop, and it fails to handle many concurrent threads at once.
Moreover, the platform also does not maintain a similar response/request multi-threaded stateless prototype. Instead, it follows a simplified single-threaded event loop framework. According to Node.js developers, “Libuv” is an explicit library that provides the event loop mechanism. Node.js architecture and processing model has been based on JS event-based model with callback mechanism.
What is Node Package Manager?
Also called NPM, Node Package Manager is an integral part of Node.js architecture. While we discuss the fundamentals of this programming language, we also want to know more about the built-in support it received from NPM managed packages.
NPM is one of the most sought-after package libraries and is the most prized part of the community. It contains millions of downloadable libraries as per specific requirements. The massive libraries are now getting more prominent, thus making Node.js a stronger community.
Open-source Node.js developers from different continents use NPM for sharing or borrowing packages. Many enterprises use them for private development projects too.
The latest version. Node.js 11.0 utilizes native Node to make it more stable, has more interval time; the error codes enhance performance and ensures spontaneous diagnosis.
What is Node.js Used For?
The most significant advantage of using Node.js is to build business solutions. It allows you to beat the competition using Node.js based solutions for business. Here are some of the popular uses of the programming language:
- Backend Purpose for Social Media Platforms: Medium and LinkedIn are the two most popular social networks built on Node.js. It essentially combines nodes and creates a backend for social media sites. Node.js also provides speedy routing with a V8 engine and secure authentication.
- SPA (Single Page Application) Development: As single page portals, Node.js also builds dynamic websites, social networks, and mailing solutions. Moreover, the quality of asynchronous data flow on the Node.js backend makes the most promising single page application development feature.
- Data Streaming: OTT biggies like Netflix chose Node.js to cater to 190 countries and more than 100 million streaming hours across approximately 120 million OTT users, and still counting. It has an edge on file processing at high speed, with feather-light uploads and encodes. Many online applications and fashion e-stores encash upon this for massive video data streaming.
- Chatbots: Node.js also offers advanced functionalities when it comes to chatting applications and real-time chatbots. Its key features like intensive data, multi-user applications, heavy traffic capabilities, and multiple device compatibility make it a popular choice for chatbots. Node.js hits the jackpot when it is used to run across various devices, covering different paradigms in chat apps and chatbots. It becomes easier to execute the server-side event loops and push notifications commonly used in real-time apps and IMs.
- IoT Application Development: Since its popularity, Node.js has been the most preferred programming language for companies to build public and private IoT solutions. The core benefit of this language is the innate ability to seamlessly process concurrent requests with thousands of actions released by several billion devices on the network. Node.js architecture is driven by events, having asynchronous processing relevant to heavy I/O operations on the IoT networks. Moreover, it also operates on a readable and writeable channel while streaming, making it a promising platform for developing IoT.
Why Should You Consider Node.js?
This is one the most popular questions arises while hiring node js development team. Node.js offers some of the most prominent features, which makes it unique for businesses.
- Scalability: Node.js developers find this platform to be highly scalable, both horizontally and vertically. Whereas vertical scaling allows you to add resources to the existing nodes, the horizontal scaling feature enables you to include new nodes quickly. In addition, Node.js development does not require a significant block on the development process, for it also performs along with other modules and microservices. It is a straightforward platform that perfectly fits with startups that want to grow.
- Better Performance: Google V8 engine runs Node.js. It complies directly with JavaScript code straight into machine code. As a result, it is efficient and accelerates the speed of the Node.js framework. Google invests heavily in this engine to constantly improve performance.
- Greater Community Support: Node.js foundation was established back in 2015. It is a joint effort by the incredible founders from various enterprises such as Fidelity, Microsoft, SAP, and IBM. Many developers and active fans of Node.js are consistently contributing to this ever-evolving community and supporting fellow developers. In addition, Github also supports Node.js, which makes it faster and easier to develop.
- Boost Speed of Development: Node.js allows developers to speed up web app development with various lightweight tools. NPM Registry has innumerable solutions, libraries, and modules for creating web apps to acquire more value while investing in lesser effort. Together with the NPM libraries, Node.js helps reduce errors and bugs and minimize web application size with reusable templates. Development speed influences marketing time too!
- Freedom of App Development: One the major advatange of hiring node js developers is that they have the freedom to develop cross-platform applications. With frameworks such as NW.js and Electron, developers can build cross-platform apps since it is highly compatible with all the devices like desktop, laptop, and mobile. Node.js is also the best choice for IoT solutions.
- One Programming Language: Node.js is a cocktail of multiple programming languages on the front-end and the backend of JavaScript. Developers enjoy the accessibility and flexibility of the platform, which makes the cycle of app development more seamless and robust. Most importantly, it saves time, resources, and energy. It makes app development more convenient and ensures it is the most favored tech in business.
- Excellent Ecosystem: When richness and sustainability are concerned, NPM is one word that describes it all. NPM boasts 836,000 libraries with 10,000+ published weekly. More than 475,000 registries and packages are available with 11,000 new weekly tools. It reduces a lot of cost and time involved in the process of development and marketing.
Read More: The Cost to Build a Node.js Web App: An Overview
Conclusion
Node.js is efficient and effective in managing multiple task requests simultaneously. It is more cost and time-efficient in handling the application traffic than most tech stacks. To leverage the full benefits of this platform, you should only work with experienced and dedicated Node.js programmers.
Node.js technology can be effective for startups in terms of quick and simple development. It can also work well in a sophisticated ecosystem that leading enterprises use. A top Node.js development company that has experience in both types of projects should be your ideal choice.
