JavaScript, being the most widely used programming language, is also one of the most often used computer programme development techniques. Originally used as a web frontend advancement tool, it has now evolved into a key cross-platform portable advancement device as a basic innovation for a wide range of stages, including Apache Cordova/PhoneGap, Respond Local, NativeScript, and Appcelerator Titanium.
However, JavaScript’s applications do not stop there. There has recently been a lot of discussion over the usage of JavaScript for server-side development. Node.js was one of the technologies that signalled this transition in web development.
What exactly is Node.js?
Node.js is a runtime environment based on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, rather than a framework or library. Ryan Dahl originally unveiled the concept at the annual European JSConf in 2009, and it was quickly regarded as “the most interesting single piece of software in the contemporary JavaScript world.”
Joyent, a cloud computing and hosting solutions company, supported Node.js as an open-source initiative node.js development company. The business also invested in a variety of other technologies, including as the Ruby on Rails framework, and hosted Twitter and LinkedIn.
The latter was also one of the first firms to adopt Node.js as the backend for its mobile application. A number of technological leaders, including Uber, eBay, Walmart, and Netflix, to mention a few, eventually embraced the technique.
However, widespread acceptance of server-side JavaScript with Node.js did not begin until recently. According to Google Trends, interest in this technology peaked in 2017 and continues to be high and they hire node js developer.
Downloads of Node.js Long-Term Support and the most recent versions of Node.js for Windows and MacOS are available here. Also, keep in mind that npm comes standard with Node.js.Documents. The documentation and getting underway guidelines may be found at the URL.
Almost every major code editor has JavaScript and Node.js compatibility and plugins, so the only difference is how you tailor your IDE to your coding needs. Special tools from VS Code, Brackets, Atom, and WebStorm, on the other hand, are highly regarded by many developers.
The pros and cons of Node.js trends that will dominate
JavaScript has established itself as the clear leader among popular programming languages. As a result, Node.js has established itself as a distinct brand in the industry.
According to the Node-by-numbers report 2018, the project appears to be stronger than ever, with a total of 368,985,988 downloads and over 750 new contributors. When you use Node.js for your backend, you instantly receive all of the benefits of full stack JavaScript development, such as:
- improved developer efficiency and overall productivity
- Sharing and reusing code
- speed and performance simple knowledge exchange within a team a plethora of free tools
Contrary to popular assumption, being a full stack developer does not confine you to the typical MEAN (MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js) stack. The sole need in this scenario is Node.js (there is no alternative in JavaScript for backend programming).
The other technologies in this stack are optional and can be replaced with other tools that provide comparable functionality. Contrary to common belief, being a full stack developer does not limit you to the conventional MEAN (MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js) stack.
The only need in this situation is Node.js (there is no alternative in JavaScript for backend programming). The remaining technologies in this stack are optional and can be substituted with alternative tools that provide equivalent functions.
The V8 engine used in Node.js implementation was designed originally for the Chrome browser. Chrome’s V8, which is built in C++, is used to convert JavaScript functions into machine code, and it does it quickly.
Simply look at the performance benchmarks on V8’s blog. V8’s performance improves year after year as a result of Google’s heavy investment in its engine, and Node.js reaps the whole set of benefits.
Because of non-blocking input/output and asynchronous request handling, Node.js can process requests without any delays. Synchronous processing presupposes that code is performed in a sequential order in the context of the backend.
As a result, each request stops a thread, forcing subsequent requests to wait for it to complete. Asynchronous processing allows requests to be handled without interrupting the thread (non-blocking I/O).
So, after a request has been handled, it may send a callback and continue processing requests. This enables Node.js to make the most of single threading, resulting in quick response times and concurrent processing.
- Micro-services innovation that is adaptable
Because Node.js is a lightweight innovation tool, it is an excellent choice for microservices architecture. Martin Fowler and James Lewis define this building style as “a method for dealing with growing a solitary application as a collection of small administrations, each operating in its own interaction and speaking with lightweight systems, often an HTTP asset Programming interface.
You fundamentally enable improved flexibility and establish the groundwork for future development. As a result, it is much easier to add new microservices on top of the existing ones than it is to coordinate additional features with the core application operation.
According to the Node.js Client Study Report 2017, Node.js is the technology of choice for developing and sending microservices environment setups. A significant part of responders are using microservice-related improvements (specifically, Docker, the most popular programming containerization stage) to create Node.js web applications:
You fundamentally enable improved flexibility and establish the groundwork for future development. As a result, it is much easier to add new microservices on top of the existing ones than it is to coordinate additional features with the core application operation.
According to the Node.js Client Study Report 2017, Node.js is the technology of choice for developing and sending microservices environment setups. A significant part of responders are using micro-service-related improvements (specifically, Docker, the most popular programming containerization stage) to create Node.js web applications:
- A diverse ecology
In a nutshell, npm is a Node.js package manager that also acts as a marketplace for open source JavaScript tools, which is critical to the advancement of this technology. The Node.js ecosystem is fairly rich, with around 836,000 libraries now accessible in the npm repository and over 10,000 new ones being released every week.
According to the same statistics, npm modules make up 97 percent of modern web apps. That demonstrates its undeniable appeal among developers.
With such a wide range of free tools available in just a few clicks, Node.js has enormous potential. At the same time, open source software is gaining popularity since it allows you to design new solutions while lowering total development costs and time to market.
- Corporate backing is strong
Joyent, as previously stated, contributed to the creation of Node.js. The Node.js Foundationwas founded in 2015 to “enable wider adoption and expedite the development of Node.js.” The organization’s initial members were IBM, Microsoft, PayPal, Fidelity, and SAP.
Performance bottlenecks with large computing workloads are one of Node.js’ drawbacks.
Even today, the most significant limitation of Node.js is its inability to execute CPU-bound activities. But, in order to grasp the underlying causes of this problem, we must first provide some context. Let’s start with the fundamentals: JavaScript.
Node.js, as we know, is a server-side runtime environment that runs JavaScript. JavaScript, as a frontend programming language, processes work on a single thread. Threading is not necessary for it to work because JavaScript activities are lightweight and consume minimal CPU.
Returning to Node.js, we now understand why it is deemed single threaded: It runs JavaScript, which is a single-threaded programme. A non-blocking input/output paradigm implies that Node.js responds to a client call to start a request and performs the job as soon as the callback is fired, indicating that the task is complete.
Node executes JS code on an event basis on its single thread while processing jobs asynchronously. That is referred to as an event-loop. The issue arises when Node.js gets a CPU constrained task: if a large request arrives in the event loop, Node.js will set all available CPU to execute it first, before answering other requests queued.
- Problem with call-backs
Because of its asynchronous structure, Node.js primarily relies on callbacks, which are routines that execute when each job in the queue is completed. Keeping a multitude of queued activities in the background, each with its own callback, may result in callback hell, which has a direct influence on code quality.
Simply defined, it is a “condition in which callbacks are nested within other callbacks several levels deep, possibly making understanding and maintaining the code challenging.”
However, this is sometimes seen as a symptom of poor coding standards and a lack of familiarity with JavaScript and, in particular, Node.js. The code given above may be refactored and simplified in a few simple steps, as demonstrated.
- Tooling immaturity
Even though the core Node.js modules are very stable and matured, there are numerous tools in the npm registry that are either of low quality or have not been thoroughly documented/tested.
Furthermore, the register isn’t well-structured enough to provide tools depending on their ranking or quality. As a result, without understanding what to look for, it may be difficult to identify the ideal option for your needs.
Author Bio
Ronak Meghani is a serial entrepreneur & eCommerce Consultant who has worked with small-medium-large companies. He is a co-founder of Magneto IT Solutions and has been closely working with eCommerce ventures since 2010. He has helped 200-plus international brands for building/improving their online ventures in the area of UI/UX, development, launching, revenue enhancement, marketing strategy, magento development, eCommerce support and much more, and 90% ventures are generating very good revenue. He’s enthusiastic about start-ups, entrepreneurship, sports, home decor ecommerce, automotive ecommerce, gems & jewellery web development, electronics ecommerce and all things marketing.
