What Is Node.js?

Before understanding Node.js, we should first understand JavaScript because Node.js is just another JavaScript framework.

There are so many programming languages, like Java, Python, Go, JavaScript, and so on, but JavaScript is one of the most widely used languages for building web applications. JavaScript was introduced in 1995 as a client-side language that was used on browsers only. Other languages, like Java, Python, C++, etc., were often used to execute business logic on the machine, i.e., on the servers.

To give JavaScript the flexibility to be executed on the server side too, Google released the Node.js runtime engineJavaScript runtime environment to execute server-side JavaScript. Node.js is not just another JavaScript engine but rather a runtime environment that allows JavaScript to be executed on the server side. It’s a cross-platform, open-source runtime environment that operates using the V8 JavaScript engine, which is also the engine responsible for managing JavaScript operations in Google Chrome.

Features of Node.js

Node.js is a server-side JavaScript runtime that enables developers to build fast, scalable, and efficient applications. Here are some key features of Node.js:

• Event-driven architecture: Node.js works on an event-driven architecture that allows it to manage different requests at the same time and execute a function depending on the specific event it receives. This makes Node.js an excellent choice for developers who need to build applications that can handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Also, this feature makes it the perfect choice for applications that need to run in real time, like chat applications, multiplayer games, etc.

• Non-blocking I/O: Node.js is built on a non-blocking I/O model, which enables it to efficiently handle multiple requests in parallel. This results in better performance and faster response times for the applications and increased productivity for businesses.

• Performance: Node.js is widely recognized for its lightning-fast performance and is built on the trusted V8 JavaScript engine from Google, which is utilized in the Google Chrome browser. This engine compiles JavaScript into machine code, which offers faster execution as compared to traditional interpreted JavaScript.

• Highly scalable: Node.js is an ideal platform for highly scalable applications that need to handle a great amount of data. It uses a single thread to serve all requests but can still quickly scale up when more traffic is taken into account. Despite this, Node.js uses the libuv module internally to manage and generate individual processes. Additionally, an event loop manages its asynchronous capabilities, providing it with scalability advantages.

Why use Node.js?

Despite its unique features, it's important to understand why Node.js is a good choice for our project.

• Package ecosystem: Node.js is a popular technology that offers a huge repository of tools known as npm (Node Package Manager). With npm, developers are able to quickly and easily add new features to their apps. It’s a great resource for web developers. npm offers a broad range of open-source libraries, allowing us to easily find a suitable package for our project needs.

• Easy to learn: Node.js is one of the most preferred frameworks due to its flexibility and familiarity with JavaScript, which allows developers to easily pick it up. It's great for creating server-side applications with minimal effort, making it a top choice for beginners and experienced tech professionals alike.

• Open source: Node.js is an open-source runtime environment, making it easy to use without any legal complications.

• A huge developer community: JavaScript is the most extensively used programming language in the world, and it has a thriving developer community. No matter what we’re building using Node.js, we can always rely on other developers for support and guidance.