Digital transformation requires fast development and scalable solutions. That’s why Node.js is gaining so much space as a development language. This open-source platform for developing server-side and networking applications runs on OS X, Microsoft Windows, and Linux. It’s very suitable for scaling, but that’s not the only reason for its growing popularity.Node.js is written in JavaScript, meaning programmers can set up an entire site on a unified JavaScript stack.
Why Backend Matters
Backend technology is one of the most important decisions a developer will make when planning software. It lays the groundwork for the entire development process, dictating how fast a team can get the software to market and the overall cost involved. The impact on price stretches into the lifetime of the software, too, as a poorly designed backend leads to higher maintenance costs down the road. Backend architecture determines the overall performance of software after launch. Speed, reliability, and scalability are all affected by the backend technology chosen during development. Programming language is especially important. Using an inappropriate scripting language results in a site plagued by errors, lag, and frequent site crashes.
What Node.js Brings to the Digital Revolution
Node.js has a lot to offer as a backend solution.
- Smoother development: Full-stack JavaScript is a force multiplier when it comes to efficiency. The developer can do the front- and backend with the same team, leading to better internal consistency and architecture.
- Better performance: Node.js powers agile real-time applications. It’s incredibly fast, even faster than one would expect from a JavaScript-based tool. That speed can be attributed to Google’s Chrome V8 virtual machine, otherwise known as the fastest JavaScript engine to date. It compiles JavaScript directly into machine code readable by whatever hardware the software runs on. How fast is Node.js? It handles more HTTP requests per second than PHP and outperforms PHP by 17%.
- Scalability: Node.js scales better than the average platform. It uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, meaning it can still handle JavaScript requests while waiting on an I/O operation to complete. Node.js relies on a single-threaded model with event looping, as opposed to PHP, which uses separate threads to handle each request. As a result, fewer node servers can handle the same amount of traffic as PHP.
- Abundant resources: Node.js has the added advantage of a shared library of tools and modules called the Node Package Manager. The NPM holds a wide variety of robust, well-tested tools, from frameworks like Express to development utilities like browser fly. There are more than 350,000 free, reusable packages of code contained within the NPM, making it the largest package registry in the world. Since Node.js is an open-source, the library is being continually expanded.
- Freedom to innovate: Unlike Ruby on Rails, Node.js is highly unopinionated. It imposes very little set direction on developers. Everything is built as desired from the ground up, so developers are free to shape software to their exact needs.
Who’s Using Node.js?
40% of developers report that they use Node.js on a regular basis. Right now it’s most commonly found in web applications, with enterprise applications just starting to trend.Node.js is popular among start-ups, but it’s gaining traction among established companies such as:
- Paypal
- Netflix
- Microsoft
- Ebay
- Uber
Parting thoughts
Companies undergoing digital transformation need fast, secure, real-time network applications.Node.js can support them through their transformation and beyond.
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