Recruit a Node.js developer
Node.js can be used to build different types of applications such as command line application, web application, real-time chat application, REST API server etc.
Key Capabilities
Data streaming
In more traditional web platforms, HTTP requests and responses are treated like isolated event; in fact, they’re actually streams. This observation can be utilized in Node.js to build some cool features. For example, it’s possible to process files while they’re still being uploaded, as the data comes in through a stream and we can process it in an online fashion.
Queued inputs
If you’re receiving a high amount of concurrent data, your database can become a bottleneck. As depicted above, Node.js can easily handle the concurrent connections themselves. But because database access is a blocking operation (in this case), we run into trouble. The solution is to acknowledge the client’s behavior before the data is truly written to the database.
NPM
When discussing Node.js, one thing that definitely should not be omitted is built-in support for package management using NPM, a tool that comes by default with every Node.js installation. The idea of NPM modules is quite similar to that of Ruby Gems: a set of publicly available, reusable components, available through easy installation via an online repository, with version and dependency management.
Immaturity of tooling
Although the core Node.js modules are quite stable and can be considered mature, there are many tools in the npm registry which are either of poor quality or not properly documented/tested. Moreover, the registry itself isn’t structured well enough to offer the tools based on their rating or quality. Hence it might be difficult to find the best solution for your purposes without knowing what to look for.
Developer Services
Rich ecosystem
The Node.js ecosystem is quite rich. The same stats point out that 97 percent of modern web applications consist of npm modules. And that’s proof of its undisputable popularity among developers.
V8 engine
The engine used in Node.js implementation was originally developed for the Chrome browser. Written in C++, Chrome’s V8 is used to compile functions written in JavaScript into machine code, and it does the job at an impressive speed
Corporate support
As mentioned above, the development of Node.js was supported by Joyent. In 2015, the Node.js Foundation was created to “enable widespread adoption and help accelerate the development of Node.js.” IBM, Microsoft, PayPal, Fidelity, and SAP became the founding members of the organization.
Corporate support
As mentioned above, the development of Node.js was supported by Joyent. In 2015, the Node.js Foundation was created to “enable widespread adoption and help accelerate the development of Node.js.” IBM, Microsoft, PayPal, Fidelity, and SAP became the founding members of the organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Node.js?
Node.js is a server-side JavaScript run-time environment. It's open-source, including Google's V8 engine, libuv for cross-platform compatibility, and a core library. Notably, Node.js does not expose a global window object, since it does not run within a browser.
What is Node.js used for?
Node.js is primarily used for non-blocking, event-driven servers, due to its single-threaded nature. It's used for traditional web sites and back-end API services, but was designed with real-time, push-based architectures in mind.
What is a web framework?
Web frameworks like Angular and React are libraries that help organize and generate the front-end code that runs in a web browser. They reduce development time, reusing code for common operations. Some web frameworks are 'full stack', meaning they also generate the back-end code that runs on a web server.
Is Node.js a framework?
No, it's an environment, and back-end frameworks run within it. Popular ones include Express.js (or simply Express) for HTTP servers and Socket.IO for WebSocket servers.
Is Node.js a programming language?
No, the '.js; means that the programming language you use with Node.js is JavaScript (or anything that can transpile to it, like TypeScript, Haxe, or CoffeeScript.)
Why is Node.js popular?
Aside from being effective at what it does, Node.js is popular because it has a huge, active, open-source, JavaScript-based ecosystem. Also, it doesn't tend to break compatibility between versions in major ways.
What is the difference between Node.js and Angular/AngularJS?
Node.js executes JavaScript code in its environment on the server, whereas Angular is a JavaScript framework that gets executed on the client (i.e. within a web browser.)