Skip to main content

Node JS

What is Node.js?​

Hi there 👋, here will learn about Node.js. Let's start with a quote from the creator of Node.js, Ryan Dahl.

Rayn Dahl Quote

This is exactly what he did to create Node.js. It executes JavaScript code outside a browser. JavaScript was always a client-side language until Node.js. First, he understood the system and how JavaScript works in the browser. Then he provided the same environment on the server side to run JavaScript there. Simple, isn't it? 😎

Node.js uses Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine to compile and execute JavaScript code directly on the computer's processor. (The V8 engine compiles JavaScript code into machine code, which can be executed directly by the computer's processor)

This means you can have consistent language on both ends (frontend, and backend) which could not be done before Node. It has been one of the biggest game-changers since its release in 2009. Javascript was always a client-side language until node.js. Common server-side languages include PHP, Python, Perl, Ruby, and several more.

JavaScript (introduced in 1995) was mainly used for client-side scripting in web browsers to add interactivity, and dynamic behavior to web pages. It is interpreted and executed by the browser.

Is Nodejs a language, framework, or what?​

What is Node.js? It's very confusing. Some people say it's a backend framework, some say something else. Let's clear up this confusion.

Node.js is neither a framework nor a programming language. It's a runtime environment for executing JavaScript code outside a browser. Confusion cleared? 😅

Confusion is still there? Let's try to understand it differently. Node.js provides a runtime environment to other frameworks like Express.js, React.js, and so on. But it's not a framework itself.

Before jumping to the features of Node.js, let's understand the runtime environment.

What is the runtime environment?​

I've said a lot of times that Node.js is a runtime environment. But what does it mean? Probably you have heard about the term runtime environment before, but you don't know what it means. Let's understand it.

A runtime environment in programming refers to a software system that provides a platform for executing and running code written in a particular programming language. It includes all the tools, libraries, and dependencies required for the code to run correctly.

There are many runtime environments used in programming, each with its specific uses and benefits. Here is a list of some of the most popular runtime environments and their uses:

  1. Node.js: JavaScript runtime environment
  2. Java Virtual Machine (JVM): Java runtime environment
  3. .NET Framework: C# runtime environment
  4. Python Runtime: Python runtime environment

Features:​

There are plenty of frameworks that we can use to build back-end services so what makes Node.js different? A few of them are:

  1. It's easy to get started and can be used for prototyping and agile development
  2. It uses JavaScript everywhere, so it's easy for a JavaScript programmer to build back-end services using Node.js
  3. Large ecosystem for open source library.
  4. It has Asynchronous or Non-blocking nature which makes it faster than other frameworks.
  5. It is a single-threaded application, but it can provide services to multiple clients at the same time.
  6. It is a lightweight, efficient, and cross-platform framework, and provides fast and highly scalable services
  7. It provides good throughput and higher consistency and that's why it is heavily used by companies for building large scalable applications, video streaming applications, and web applications.
  8. It's used in production by large companies such as PayPal, Uber, Netflix, Walmart, and so on.

Advantages:​

Here are the benefits of using Node.js

  1. Easy Scalability: Developers prefer to use Node.js because it is easily scaling the application in both horizontal and vertical directions. We can also add extra resources during the scalability of the application.
  2. Real-time web apps: If you are building a web app you can also use PHP, and it will take the same amount of time when you use Node.js, But if I am talking about building chat apps or gaming apps Node.js is much more preferable because of faster synchronization. Also, the event loop avoids HTTP overload for Node.js development.
  3. Fast Suite: NodeJs runs on the V8 engine developed by Google. The event loop in NodeJs handles all asynchronous operations so NodeJs acts like a fast suite and all the operations can be done quickly like reading or writing in the database, network connection, or file system
  4. Easy to learn and code: NodeJs is easy to learn and code because it uses JavaScript. If you are a front-end developer and have a good grasp of JavaScript you can easily learn and build the application on NodeJS
  5. Advantage of Caching: It provides the caching of a single module. Whenever there is any request for the first module, it gets cached in the application memory, so you don't need to re-execute the code.
  6. Data Streaming: In NodeJs HTTP requests and responses are considered two separate events. They are data streams so when you process a file at the time of loading it will reduce the overall time and will make it faster when the data is presented in the form of transmissions. It also allows you to stream audio and video files at lightning speed.
  7. Hosting: PaaS (Platform as a Service) and Heroku are the hosting platforms for NodeJS application deployment which is easy to use without facing any issues.
  8. Corporate Support: Most well-known companies like Walmart, PayPal, Microsoft, and Yahoo are using NodeJS for building their applications. NodeJS uses JavaScript, so most companies are combining front-end and back-end teams into a single unit.

Application:​

NodeJS should be preferred to build:

  • Real-Time Chats,
  • Complex Single-Page applications,
  • Real-time collaboration tools,
  • Streaming apps
  • Restful APIs and Microservices

Disadvantages:​

  • It is not suitable for CPU-intensive tasks like image processing, video encoding, heavy calculation, etc. as it is single-threaded.
  • Not recommended for machine learning and AI applications.

History and Release​

Node.js was initially released in 2009 by Ryan Dahl as a standalone JavaScript runtime environment. Dahl's goal was to enable developers to use JavaScript for building server-side applications, as it was already the dominant language for client-side scripting. Dahl was inspired by the V8 JavaScript engine used in Google Chrome and believed that it could be used to build high-performance server-side applications.

The initial release of Node.js was based on the Google V8 JavaScript engine, and it included several built-in modules and libraries for handling I/O operations, networking, and file system operations. Node.js quickly gained popularity among developers for its speed, scalability, and simplicity, and it has since become a popular platform for building web applications, APIs, and serverless functions.

Node.js has undergone several major releases since its initial release, with each release introducing new features, enhancements, and bug fixes. Some of the significant releases of Node.js include:

  • Node.js 0.1.0: The first release of Node.js, which included basic features such as file system I/O, networking, and event-driven programming.
  • Node.js 0.2.0: Introduced new features such as the REPL console, module system, and process management.
  • Node.js 0.4.0: Added support for Windows, and introduced the npm package manager.
  • Node.js 0.6.0: Introduced the Cluster module for creating scalable multi-core applications.
  • Node.js 0.8.0: Added support for native Add-ons, enabling developers to write extensions in C++.
  • Node.js 0.10.0: Introduced the Streams2 API, which simplified working with streams.
  • Node.js 0.12.0: Added support for ECMAScript 6 features such as Promises, Generators, and Arrow functions.
  • Node.js 4.0.0: Introduced the Long Term Support (LTS) release line, which provided stability and security updates for 30 months.
  • Node.js 6.0.0: Introduced the ES6+ compatibility, performance improvements, and support for async/await.
  • Node.js 8.0.0: Introduced the use of the V8 version 5.8 engine, which provides improved performance and security.
  • Node.js 10.0.0: Introduced the support for HTTP/2 protocol and the addition of error codes.
  • Node.js 12.0.0: Introduced the new experimental feature "Worker Threads", allowing developers to use worker threads in Node.js.
  • Node.js 14.0.0: Introduced improved diagnostics, a new JavaScript engine (V8 version 8.1), and a stable version of Worker Threads.
  • Node.js 16.0.0: Introduced improved JavaScript performance, new features such as Web Crypto, and improved diagnostics.

Node.js has become an essential part of the modern web development stack, and its popularity continues to grow as more developers adopt it for building scalable and performant applications.

img_2.png

Summary​

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment that allows developers to build scalable and performant server-side applications. It is based on the V8 JavaScript engine, and it uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. Node.js is a popular choice for building web applications, APIs, and serverless functions, and it is used by many well-known companies such as Netflix, PayPal, and Uber.