What Is Node JS? Why Should You Use It?
If you are in the initial stage of your website development and researching the technologies and platforms to be used in your project, you most probably have come across Node JS. Node JS has taken the web development world by storm right now.
It has become a favourite to web developers for offering custom web development services. And with continuous up-gradation in the technology, Node JS is becoming more prevalent in the web development industry. This sometimes raises a question: why Node JS. So, to answer that, we have curated this little introductory article describing Node JS and why you should use it in your next web development project. So let's get started.
What is Node JS?
Node JS is often referred to as a framework or library of JavaScript programming language. However, that is incorrect, as it is neither a library nor a framework. Instead, the official website of Node JS refers to it as a JavaScript runtime built on Google Chrome's V8 engine.
To be more precise, Node JS is a server-side JavaScript-based technology that brings the potential of JavaScript to build backend systems. This enables developers to build robust websites and applications with a single code base used in both client-side and server-side aspects of the development.
So, now you have an idea about what Node JS is, let's move to the reasons why you should use Node JS.
Features of Node JS
Non-blocking I/O
Node JS adheres to a non-blocking request execution method, which is one of the most notable features of the technology. Non-blocking is a request handling method where the website creates a single thread to handle requests. This makes Node JS more speedy, eliminating the need for synchronisation and related risks.
Libuv
Libuv is a multi-platform C library, mainly used for the Node JS environment. Libuv helps Node JS to run endless cycles of single threads. It creates a pool of up to four threads that are simultaneously processed. On top of this, it also sends requests to the operating system, which takes care of the timing.
Node Package Manager (NPM)
As its name suggests, node Package Manager or NPM is a package manager of Node JS. NPM helps you access over a million free and paid packages and dependencies stored in an npm Registry database. And these packages make your development process more seamless.
Event-driven programming
Node JS generously uses events, which is why the technology is faster than its competitors. It instantly initialises variables and functions and listens to event occurrences. Moreover, the event-driven programming approach of the technology makes the program as simple as possible.
Applications of Node JS
Real-time chat applications
As Node JS has a single-threaded synchronous nature, it makes a well-suited choice for real-time communication. Furthermore, scaling is always easier with Node JS and is often used in building chatbots. Moreover, Node JS also makes creating additional chat features like multi-person chat and push notifications easier.
Internet of Things apps
The technology must be fast for an IoT system as these devices continuously send small bits of data that can pile into a large chunk of requests. Therefore, node JS is a perfect choice for IoT-based apps as it can rapidly respond to these concurrent requests.
Data streaming
Big tech giants like Netflix use Node JS to stream videos because the technology is faster and lightweight and offers a native streaming API. In addition, node JS has readable and writable streams. These stream instances allow users to channel data to each other and stream data directly to its final destination.
eCommerce Website
Node JS is also a great option for eCommerce web development services. This is because the technology has proven itself in aspects of high-traffic load, scalability, and concurrent request handling. These characteristics are most important in eCommerce websites. And for these reasons, Node JS is a good choice for building eCommerce websites.
Single Page Applications (SPA)
Single Page Applications renders an entire site on a single page. And Node JS could be a good option for this as it is efficient at handling asynchronous calls and heavy I/O workloads of such applications. In addition, the event loop allows the delay of multiple concurrent requests, ensuring a smooth page transition.
Rest API-based Apps
Thanks to Node JS, JavaScript can be used for both the frontend and backend sides of a website. And hence the server can easily communicate with the frontend through REST APIs using Node JS. Moreover, Node JS also offers packages like Express.js and Koa, making web development even easier.
Advantages of Node JS
Slow learning curve
As Node JS is based on JavaScript, you can quickly get started with it and have first-hand experience in the technology within a few weeks. Node JS could also be a good start for programming learners. However, to be able to develop a website, you have to have knowledge of backend development.
Single code-base
Node JS is based on JavaScript and used to build the backend side of the website. And JavaScript is predominantly used in the frontend aspect as well. This allows developers to keep a single code-base for the entire website. As a result, your website development can be more robust and compatible.
Scalability
This is one of the reasons startups who want to scale their apps throughout the time prefer building websites using Node JS. The technology's scalability can be achieved with load balancing and the ability to handle multiple requests concurrently. Moreover, Node apps can support both vertical and horizontal scaling.
Efficient caching
Node JS has a powerful ability to cache data. When requests are made to the client, the data is cached in the application's memory. So, when requests cycle through execution and re-execution, the nodes can still run efficiently and not be delayed by historical data.
Vast community
Node JS has a vast developer community spread across the globe and can be accessed from various Node JS forums. This community of expert and novice programmers ensures that the Node JS open source projects keep updated with multiple resources and tools.
Hire NodeJS Developer Online
In the article, we have discussed the features, applications, and advantages of Node JS, which suggests the potential of technology in varied fields of web development. If you are further interested to know more about Node JS, you can freely contact us and get a quick free consultation from our board of expert Node JS developers.
Moreover, if you are looking to hire a Node JS programmer online, our developers can help you team up with you to build your dream website. To hire dedicated developers from us, write to us at info@hkinfoway.com, or ring us at +91 9408382596.
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