Unlocking the Power of Node.js: A Deep Dive into Its Key Features

Details of Node.js new features and much more

Let me start with a rhetorical question!

Can we use JavaScript for mobile applications, desktop applications or on the server side?

Until 2009 the answer to this question would have been a big NO. Why?

Because we know that JavaScript is Client Side Scripting language that works on a browser means, it was basically used to make the web pages more interactive and dynamic.

But today if the same question had been asked, the answer would be definitely YES. And all thanks to Node.js for that. So let’s deep dive into the ocean of Node.js

What is Node.js?

Let’s look at the formal definition of the Node.js as per its official Website.

‘Node.js® is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine.’

So Node.js is a runtime environment which uses JavaScript as a programming language and both of them are built on V8 JavaScript engine, which converts the JavaScript code into a faster machine code. This makes possible to use JavaScript on frontend/Client Side as well as backend/Server Side.

And this made JavaScript the most favourite scripting language for the programmers. Moreover according to Stackoverflow Developer Survey 2022, JavaScript and Node.js are on the forefront of the leader Board in Most popular programming language and most popular technologies respectively.

NodeJs Development: Everything You Need to Know - Radixweb

Why Node.js?

As we know that there are lot of technologies like python or java which can be used to develop cross-platform applications. So what makes Node.js stand out? Node.js uses an Asynchronous event driven and non-blocking I/O model which makes it more lightweight and fast for building I/O intensive and real-time applications.

Furthermore, unlike other platforms, Node.js also uses a ‘Single-threaded event loop’. Multiple threads would lead to increase the load on CPU and response time and has certain limitations to number of threads. But with Asynchronous event loop and Single thread Node.js is quite efficient and fast.

How Does Node.js Works?

As mentioned earlier Node.js is built on two concepts, Asynchronous and non-blocking I/O. And also JavaScript does not have concept of Multi-Threading like Java. So how the JavaScript Event Loop functions then?

So when a client makes a request to the server built using Node.js, it will take that request using single thread which it possess and then process it and return it back.

Now what happens if during the response time of first client, another client makes a request? So what actually happens in background is that Node.js uses an explicit library called ‘Libuv’ which is made for handling Asynchronous non-blocking I/O.

source: https://www.javascripttutorial.net/nodejs-tutorial/what-is-nodejs/

So the single thread passes the request from client 1 to this Libuv, build on C language which uses Kernel, making it available for Client 2’s request. And we know that Kernel has multiple threads. In this way non-blocking I/O is achieved. And it uses asynchronous call-backs when the server returns with a response and then that single thread will return back the response to the respective Clients.

So that’s how Node.js doesn’t directly use Multi-threading. But it has the single thread which uses worker threads for processing multiple requests quickly.

What is Node.js Used For?

Here are some of the popular usages of Node.js:

• Backend Purpose for Social Media Platforms: As discussed earlier Node.js is built on V8 JavaScript Engine which makes it fast and efficient in processing the request. It combines nodes and creates a backend for social media sites like Medium and LinkedIn
• Single Page Application: When it comes to SPAs, with Node.js’s event loop, it becomes possible to handle multiple concurrent client requests in a way that ensures seamless transitions between views and smooth updates of data. For more information on SPAs you can read this blog
• Data Streaming: Node.js has the capability to process files ad stream data with feather light uploads and encodes making it pretty quick. Many famous giants like Netflix, eBay uses Node.js for their Data
• Real time chats: Node.js offers a comprehensive set of features necessary for developing real-time chats of any level of complexity. Notably, Node.js provides a robust Event API that simplifies the process of creating “emitters” that periodically emit specific named events. These events can be listened to by event handlers, enabling effective communication and interaction within the chat application
• IoT Application development: Due to its features like efficient processing of thousands of concurrent requests by large number of clients and support for I/O intensive work, Node.js is most preferred platforms for developing IoT applications.

What is NPM?

NPM is Node Package Manager. It is an integral part of Node.js Architecture. Basically, it is a collection of a huge number of downloadable libraries for JavaScript.

It is a platform where open-source JavaScript Developers share their libraries/package and software. And this community and collection is growing day by day helping JavaScript users to develop various software easily.

Benefits of Using Node.js

Let us look at some of the benefits of Node.js:

• Scalability: Node.js highly scalable in both ways, horizontally as well as vertically. In addition, It does not require a significant block on the development process, for it also performs along with other modules and microservices.
• Enhanced Performance: Node.js compiles with JavaScript code straight into machine code using V8 engine
• Single Programming: As it supports cross-platform application development, a single code will suffice for various platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, etc.
• Excellent Ecosystem: As it is built using JavaScript, it allows it to easily integrate with MERN or MEAN stack for full stack development as all of them uses JavaScript.
• Large Community: As discussed earlier NPM boasts 836000 libraries with 10000+ getting published every week. It reduces a lot of cost and time involved in development.

Conclusion

To sum up, Node.js empowers JavaScript for Standalone application development of Server side with its asynchronous and non-blocking I/O model making it most preferred and efficient platform. To get more information you can refer to this blog.

So are you ready to build powerful and scalable Node.js applications? Let Radixweb be your trusted partner! Contact us now to unlock the full potential of Node.js and create cutting edge solutions.