In this fast-paced technological era, every business or company desires the company’s website to be highly performant, reliable, and scalable because we think, this is the first face of your business to which millions of users will interact with your platform, and your web application must be able to handle such huge traffic and provide the better and smooth user experience.
In this article, we will explore Node.js, its significance, advantages, disadvantages, and many more.
Let’s get started!
What is Node.js?
Every web application builds and runs through the browser’s JavaScript engine. Node.js is also a free, open source server environment and JavaScript runtime which enables the developers to use JavaScript on the server side.
Node.js has gained immense popularity among developers in recent years, making it ideal for developing high-performance and scalable web applications.
Significance of Node.js
Based on JavaScript:
As you read earlier, Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment and JavaScript is widely used everywhere like in web development, web servers, mobile apps, games, and many more. So, there is a great significance of Node.js for all purposes.
Highly Performance and Scalable:
Node.js has three main features that are Non-blocking I/O, Real-time communication, and fast execution. When it starts execution it does not wait for one task to complete. It will continue to perform its task. Think about chat applications and real-time notifications, this is because of Node.js that enables bi-directional communication. Due to Chrome’s V8 engine, it results in speedy execution of JavaScript code.
Rich Eco-system and NPM:
Node.js has a vast ecosystem that includes packages and libraries provided by the Node Package Manager (NPM).
Highly Expandable:
Node.js is a highly extensive means you can use Node.js to customize and extend the features of your web applications to address the specific requirements of the company.
Advantages of using Node.js
- Node.js is used in both aspects i.e. in Frontend development as well as Backend development which simplifies the technology stack. JavaScript is the only language used by Node.js that makes developers allow code reuse between the front-end and back-end both.
Node.js is very helpful and excellent for developing real-time applications such as chatting apps, online mobile gaming, and live streaming services. Due to its event-driven architecture, this feature makes it so popular for real-time and collaborative applications.
As we know it facilitates support in the front end as well as the back end and since JavaScript is also used on both the client side and the server side, Node.js enables full-stack development. This establishes smooth communication between teams and also reduces to learning of different skill sets.
Node.js is very efficient in error handling and provides a straightforward and error-handling mechanism. Node.js gives you the flexibility to handle errors gracefully because errors are emitted as events so, you can catch and handle them easily.
There is a large growing community of developers Node.js has, who contribute to sharing knowledge and maintaining libraries and package managers. So, this ensures that Node.js is continuously evolving with regular updates and development.
Disadvantages of Node.js
When it comes to heavy computing CPU tasks, Node.js is not well suited. As we know, it is single-threaded and can struggle to manage heavy computing tasks which results in slowing down the overall processing of an application.
Deeply nested callback functions in a particular program referred to as ‘Callback Hell’. Node.js heavily relies on these callbacks to handle asynchronous operations that make the code difficult to read and maintain and managing this asynchronous code can still be tricky.
There is frequent updation in Node.js which can lead to changes in API. Due to this frequent evolution, developers need to focus on code written on one version that might not work seamlessly with another version.
Some security considerations make Node.js unsuitable for application security. So, when working with Node.js it is necessary to stay updated with security patches and best practices to reduce risks.
Why should we choose Node.js?
First of all, Node.js is a versatile open-source runtime environment. Node.js can run on various platforms (Windows, Linus, Unix, Mac OS), etc. It helps in the execution of the server-side JavaScript code. It is mostly used because it is fast and scalable, best fit for developing real-time applications.
There is no such framework to date that will act as a one-stop solution and will resolve all your problems because everything has its pros and cons. But if you are thinking of developing highly scalable and real-time web applications, you should go with Node.js.
Now we have discussed so much about Node.js and all!
Do you know which companies are currently using Node.js? Let’s see!
There are so many big brands or companies using Node.js like NASA, Netflix, PayPal, Trello, Uber, Walmart, and many more…
Final Words
To develop high-performing and scalable web applications, selecting Node.js will be a better option for sure. In this highly technological revolution, any web application you are developing should be a good and smooth experience for the customers. No doubt, Node.js is purely based on JavaScript which is versatile and serves purpose in almost all technologies.
At AveryBit, we have the expertise and experienced developers who can assist you with your next web application project and we assure you that you will experience the best. We at AveryBit also provide a list of Node.js services for different businesses.
So, why are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today and explore our services now!
