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When a client makes a request from the application’s client side, the request is initially transmitted to the server. At the server, the client’s request undergoes processing and calculations to authenticate it. Following these steps, the system returns a response to the client side. NodeJs framework is used for this computation and processing.
To execute web applications outside the client’s browser, developers utilize Node.js, an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment. Node.js also helps run server-side applications and building I/O-intensive applications such as video streaming and online chatting. Both established technology corporations and newly founded startups are using Node.JS extensively.
What is Node.JS?
Node.js is a runtime environment that allows the execution of JavaScript code beyond the confines of a web browser. It is open-source and can run on different platforms. It’s important to note that Node.js is not a framework or a programming language, although many people mistakenly believe so. NodeJs commonly helps developer to build efficient back-end services such as APIs for web or mobile applications. Node.js is a popular choice for large corporations like Paypal, Uber, Netflix, Walmart, and others who use it in production.
Why Has Node.JS Become Significantly Popular in 2023?
Node.js has become increasingly popular due to several reasons. It is event-based and runs on a non-blocking event loop. It makes room for faster development for scalable network applications. In addition, Node.js offers a vast number of libraries that cater to various industries. Therefore, it stands as a versatile choice for application development. Developers can choose from thousands of free NPM modules and integrate them into their projects to enhance functionality.
There are numerous other features and functions of Node.js that make it an outstanding framework. The main features will be discussed in the upcoming sections of this blog.
Features of NodeJS
Single-threaded Architecture
Node.js operates on a single-threaded event loop model architecture, allowing it to handle multiple client requests more efficiently than Apache HTTP servers. This architecture enables the Node.js server to execute all non-blocking operations seamlessly and contributes to its increased scalability.
Asynchronous Design
Node.js applications’ programming interfaces are asynchronous, which means that whenever a client makes a request to the server, the system deals with the request by a single thread. If the request does not involve any interaction with the database, it will be processed immediately, and the response will be sent over. This design enables the server to handle multiple requests without blocking any client.
Event-driven Mechanism
Node.js uses an event-driven mechanism called “Events” to receive and keep track of previous API requests from the server. This mechanism functions similarly to the callback mechanism found in asynchronous programming. After the server finishes starting up, the program will declare its functions and variables, and then wait for the event to occur.
Node Package Manager (NPM)
The Node Package Manager, or NPM, is an extensive online repository for the Node.js JavaScript runtime environment. The NPM helps developers create, install, and publish node programs. NPM contains over 1.3 million packages and enables new organizations to manage private development effectively.
High Scalability
Node.js is highly scalable due to its asynchronous design and single-threaded architecture. When the system receives a request, the single thread immediately begins processing it. After the delivery of a relevant response to the client, the process starts again. Node.js uses child processes to partition applications horizontally, enabling organizations to more easily customize app versions to meet the preferences of individual customers.
High Performance
Node.js is built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript Runtime engine, resulting in faster code execution. With the help of C++, the JavaScript code used in the V8 engine is compiled into machine code. The V8 engine makes the code implementation faster and more streamlined.
Functions of Node.JS
- Collecting data from forms
Node.js can collect data from forms on the client side and pass it to the server for further processing.
- Managing data in the database
With Node.js, developers can add, delete, and modify data in the database. It can also be queried for specific information.
- Rendering dynamic content for web pages
Node.js can render dynamic content for web pages, allowing web pages to display data in real time without the need for a page refresh.
- Managing files on the server
Node.js allows for the creation, reading, writing, deletion, and closing of files on the server. This enables web applications to store and access data and files on the server.
Benefits of Choosing Node.JS
- Node.js is built on Google Chrome’s V8 engine, which makes it fast and executes quickly.
- Node Package Manager offers over 50,000 bundles, which developers can import at any time to save time on functionality.
- Node.js is asynchronous and non-blocking, which makes it useful for building real-time and data-intensive web applications that do not require waiting for an API to return data.
- It reduces audio and video loading time because it synchronizes the code between the client and server, creating a single code base.
- Node is easy to learn and code because it uses JavaScript, and developers can quickly scale their applications in both horizontal and vertical directions.
- Node.js is excellent for developing real-time web apps, gaming apps, and chat apps, with faster synchronization and fewer HTTP overloads.
- This framework runs fast, thanks to the V8 engine and the event loop that handles asynchronous operations such as reading/writing data from databases, file systems, or network connections.
- It offers module caching, which caches a single module when there is any request for the first module, so there’s no need to re-execute the code.
- Offering data streaming support, which processes HTTP requests and responses as two separate events and allows for fast streaming of audio and video files.
- Deployment with is easy using hosting platforms like PaaS (Platform as a Service) and Heroku.
- Many well-known companies are supporting NodeJS, including Walmart, Paypal, Microsoft, and Yahoo, which prefer Node.js because it uses JavaScript, allowing companies to combine their front-end and back-end teams into a single unit.
Types of Applications You Can Build With Node.JS
Node.js is a versatile platform that enables developers to create a wide range of applications. From real-time chat applications to social media platforms, IoT devices, and streaming apps, Node.js provides a robust foundation for building high-performance applications.
Developers can use NodeJS to create online payment processors, remote collaboration tools, CRM tools, single-page applications, advanced fintech apps, content management systems, e-learning platforms, and e-commerce platforms.
With Node.js, developers can build ridesharing apps, project management tools, location-based apps, online publishing platforms, and ERP tools. Node.js is ideal for websites with server-side rendering, FastCGI servers, command-line tools, API servers, desktop apps, and backends for mobile apps. Node.js is also helps provide server management services, notification centers, custom DNS servers, static site generators, and game servers and clients.
With such a broad range of capabilities, Node.js is a popular choice for developers looking to create complex and innovative applications.
Most Popular NodeJs applications in 2023
LinkedIn is a social networking service founded in 2002, designed primarily for business professionals. It is based in Mountain View, California, and allows users to connect with anyone, regardless of whether they are site users or not. The platform is available in 24 languages and boasts over 706 million members across more than 200 countries and territories. LinkedIn has chosen Node.js to power the server side of its mobile application for several reasons, including scalability and Node’s capability for inter-service communication.
Node.js has enabled LinkedIn’s mobile app to deliver significant improvements in speed and resource utilization. The new app is up to 20 times faster than its previous Ruby on Rails-based version, and the company has been able to reduce its server infrastructure from 30 to just 3 servers. Additionally, the development process was unusually fast, thanks to Node’s ease of use and efficient implementation. Overall, LinkedIn’s adoption of Node.js has resulted in a more responsive, scalable, and streamlined mobile app experience for its users.
Netflix
Netflix is a global video streaming service, providing movies and TV series in over 190 countries, and boasting over 192 million subscribers worldwide, with over 72 million in the United States alone, as of July 2020. The user interface of Netflix is entirely built using Node.js, and the company is considering using it in other parts of the stack due to its efficiency.
Netflix chose NodeJS to create a lightweight, modular, and fast application. As a result, the startup time of the new app was reduced by 70%. At the same time, the technology has proven to be highly effective.
PayPal
Paypal, a leading fintech company renowned globally for its online transaction services in over 100 currencies, boasts over 305 million active customer accounts (as of 2019). To build the customer-facing side of its web applications, Paypal adopted Node.js.
The selection of Node.js was due to its ability to unify the engineering specialties into one team. This in turn enabled both the server and browser applications to be written in JavaScript. Hence, bridging the gap between the two. According to Jeff Harrel, Senior Director of Payments Products and Engineering at PayPal. This eliminates the boundary between the server and browser.
The result of using Node.js was a faster, leaner, and more efficient application. The Node.js app was developed twice as fast, using 33% fewer lines of code, and 40% fewer files than the previous Java-based application. However, building an app like PayPal that requires expertise in the financial and cybersecurity industry may not be easy to execute. Therefore, companies like PayPal often seek assistance from external software development companies that have experience in developing similar products.
Figma
Figma, a UI/UX design and prototyping tool, was founded in 2012 by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace. With 1 million sign-ups as of 2019, Figma has a total funding of $132.9 million and has a valuation over $1 billion as of 2020. Figma is an incredibly useful tool for designers as it allows for easy collaboration on designs, even for non-designers.
Dylan Field started Figma aiming to create design tools that were as user-friendly as Google Docs. Figma now competes with design giant Adobe and offers unparalleled collaboration in a powerful application. To build cross-platform desktop apps, Figma uses Electron, which is a framework that utilizes Node.js.
Trello
Trello is a popular project management tool that allows team collaboration. It is a prime example of how you can utilize Node.js to build efficient web applications. Originally, the Trello team only used Node.js for templating when building a tool for a one-page application. However, they soon discovered that Node.js provided more advantages than just templating. This led them to use it as the server-side technology for their entire application.
Alongside Node.js, Trello also utilized other technologies like MongoDB, Redis, and HAProxy to build a robust and scalable platform for their users. Node.js enabled the Trello team to build a fast and reliable web application that could handle the demands of their user base. With the help of Node.js, Trello has become a go-to tool for many teams looking for a simple and effective way to manage their projects and collaborate with one another.
Conclusion
Node.js has proven to be a promising option for developing various applications. This is particularly due to its capacity to manage several concurrent requests and asynchronous data flow. While data streaming, social networking, and project management apps are just some examples of popular use cases for Node.js. The technology is becoming more common and mature. Although it may still be viewed as a relatively new solution and has some limitations (e.g., unsuitable for CPU-intensive applications), Node.js is a compelling choice to consider, particularly when building data-driven applications.