O PHP está perdendo para o Node.js como solução de back-end?

Is PHP losing out to Node.js as a backend solution?

PHP is a venerable scripting language that has served as the backbone of the Internet for years. Could Node.js be a threat to your reign?

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runs 80% of the internet . Frameworks like Laravel are extremely popular, and with each revision, PHP seems to get more user-friendly. What's more – knowing PHP is one of the main skills for being hired as a full-time back-end developer.

Why Node.js?

Node.js is an open-source JavaScript server runtime environment built on Chrome's JavaScript Engine (V8). Typically, JavaScript only runs inside your browser, but you can run it independently with Node.js, which opens the door to building JavaScript-only applications.

Node.js was created as an alternative to the client/server model, where the server only reacts in response to the client's request and then closes the connection. Node.js creates a two-way bridge that can establish interactive communication between the server and the client, achieving low latency and high throughput.

Node.js is used to build fast and scalable applications and is a non-blocking, event-driven I/O model. All of this translates into one of Node.js' greatest strengths when compared to PHP: its asynchronous nature. What does that mean?

Imagine a restaurant where, once a waiter takes an order, he cannot do anything else until he delivers it to the table. That's not how it works, right? Typically, a waiter tends to several tables at once and may clean tables, serve drinks, and perform other time-consuming tasks while an order is being prepared.

Synchronous solutions like PHP are the kind of restaurants where the waiter can't do anything until the order is served. Basically, each line of code is executed in order, no matter how long it takes to resolve.

Node.js, on the other hand, doesn't need to wait for a resolution: it can keep running the script while waiting for a function to return something. So, for example, if the server needs to access a database, it can do other non-data related things while it waits for the data.

What does all this mean? A huge performance boost, sometimes as big as a 50% increase in application performance.

Is PHP on the verge of extinction?

No, Node.js is not killing PHP. It's undeniable that PHP is old by modern standards, as some of its logic is based on how the web worked 25 years ago, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

For example, PHP's built-in database support is nearly continuous, largely because SQL database technology has remained relatively stable since the last century. In contrast, Node.js follows a modern trend of being modular and relying on libraries to connect to databases.

PHP is being actively worked on and millions of web pages rely on this scripting language to this day. Many of them will not change their backend anytime soon, as the work and effort involved far outweighs the possible gains, at least in the short term. The world still needs and has a lot to gain from PHP.

On the other hand, if there is a technology worthy of going against the two-decade old institution, it is Node.js. It's a robust backend solution that's evolving quickly, one of the many advantages of having such a large community and being based on one of the most popular programming languages ​​on the planet.

Simply put, Node.js is closer to the demands of modern industry as it is easier to scale, lighter and more user-friendly in cloud computing environments. Without very specific cases, it's difficult not to recommend Node.js for a new business or project.

If you liked this article, check out our other guides below;

  • Change Node Version: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • Node JS Cache: Increasing Performance and Efficiency
  • Unlock the power of Node.JS microservices
  • Unlocking the Power of Websocket Nodejs
  • Best Text Editors and Node JS IDE for App Development

Source: BairesDev

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