Node.js is an incredibly important piece of the enterprise development puzzle. If your company doesn't already work with Node.js and JavaScript, you're missing out.
Let's get this out of the way right away. Node.js is an open source JavaScript runtime environment that allows JavaScript code to run outside of a web browser.
There's a lot to unpack there. Let's do just that. First, we will answer the question “What is Node.js?” and then we'll discuss how this execution environment can help your business.
A little of history
Thirteen years after the first server-side JavaScript environment (LiveWire Pro Web) was released, Ryan Dahl created Node.js. JavaScript already had an execution environment, so why would it need another? Why was this necessary?
Dahl made a number of criticisms of LiveWire Pro Web. One of the biggest problems had to do with the Apache web server (which was used most frequently by LiveWire Pro Web). At that time, Apache had problems handling large numbers of simultaneous connections, and the widespread use of sequential programming could lead to an entire process blocking or requiring multiple execution stacks.
To overcome this problem, Dahl combined Google's V8 Javascript engine, an event loop, and a low-level I/O API. This combination operates in a single-threaded event-based loop that ensures all executions are non-blocking. That was in 2009. In January 2010, the npm package manager for Node.js was introduced. The following year, an official version of Node.js was released for Windows.
But what does Node.js actually do? With this runtime, developers can write tools and command-line scripts to produce dynamic web page content. before a page is actually sent to the web browser. In other words, the web page content is generated server-side, so there is no need for the web browser to handle this part of the process.
Since its creation, Node.js has been downloaded more than a billion times. That fact alone should tell you how important this runtime has become over the years.
The advantages of node.js
Node.js offers many advantages and has become crucial for a number of modern and agile technologies. Let's take a look at some of the advantages.
Node.js is scalable
This might be one of the most important advantages of Node.js. With the Node.js runtime, developers can scale both horizontally and vertically. Hang on. What? What is horizontal and vertical scaling? Let's define.
- Vertical scaling (also known as “scaling out”) is adding more resources to a server without changing the code.
- Horizontal scaling (also known as “scaling out”) is adding more machines to a network to share processing workloads and memory.
Since scaling is built into the core of Node.js, there are no issues with either method. You can add extra features to the hardware or more hardware to the network and Node.js won't falter.
Node.js is easy to learn
Consider this: JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages on the planet. Due to this widespread usage, developers already have a solid understanding of Node.js fundamentals. In fact, since you're already writing JavaScript code, the hard part is over and learning Node.js is a no-brainer. And once you can work with both, you will be able to code for both the server-side and the client-side.
NPM is amazing
NPM is the node package manager. This tool makes it easier for developers to install tools from a vast repository, making their tasks considerably easier. With the help of npm, your productivity will skyrocket.
The microservice champion
If you want to develop microservices, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better tool for the job than Node.js. For those who don't know, microservices make it possible to break down the traditional monolithic approach of designing an application into smaller, lightweight pieces. These individual services are distributed to a cluster, which makes them available to your company (and customers/users).
Node.js is fast
Node.js uses Google's V8 JavaScript engine, which compiles JavaScript directly into machine code. Because of this, the code is not only easier to implement, but it also runs incredibly quickly. Combine this with the non-blocking nature of Node.js and you have applications and services that run at speeds you may not be used to.
How can Node help your company?
If you read the benefits section, you probably already have a good idea of how Node.js can help your business. It scales well, is fast and makes the developer's work much easier. All of this translates into a much improved platform and results for your company.
And who doesn't like the sound of that?
Besides the obvious, how else can Node help your business? Consider this: Your company probably has a lot of development projects. Some of these projects may have started small, but eventually grew exponentially until they became gigantic undertakings. This is more common than you might think. And as this project continues to grow, adding it becomes an incredible challenge.
However, if this project was approached in a very similar way to Node.js, no matter how big it became, it would still be simple to manage. Why? Microservices. No matter how big this project is, it is still a collection of small services that can be modified without breaking the whole. For any enterprise-level company, the idea of downtime equates to lost revenue. When dealing with microservices, downtime is reduced.
Again, who doesn't like the sound of that?
Ultimately, the combination of JavaScript and Node.js means your company employs full-stack developers who may have both front-end and back-end skills and won't need to learn any additional languages (to a point).
Conclusion
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
