Two significant contributions were made to the world of computer science in 2009: Golang and Node.js. Golang is a programming language that Google engineers created because they were unsatisfied with the capabilities of existing languages like C, C++, and Java in managing Google’s large network servers. It is a procedural, multiparadigm, open-source language that is based on C’s power and syntax, with an emphasis on safety, simplicity, and speed.

On the other hand, Node.js is an open-source JavaScript runtime, but its functionality is more complex than that. It is a versatile cross-platform environment that enables developers to use used in back-end web development. Although its original purpose was to execute JavaScript code, it has evolved to become the backbone of modern JavaScript tooling.

While this comparison pits NodeJs Vs. Golang, it also serves as a comparison between JavaScript and Go, with the added consideration of JS’s capabilities. The key takeaway is that Golang is a programming language, while Node.js is a runtime environment for JavaScript that increases its flexibility.

Let’s take a look at specific factors that we must consider to differentiate between the two. 

NodeJs Vs. Golang Performance

The discrepancies between Node.js and Go become apparent in this context. Golang is highly popular for its efficiency in terms of speed and memory management, placing it just behind low-level languages such as C and Rust. With its garbage collector and native goroutines, Go applications excel due to their robust yet minimalist architecture.

Go also has a quicker startup and compilation time since it is pre-compiled to machine code. On the other hand, JavaScript takes longer to run because it is dynamically typed and requires interpretation, whereas Go is statically typed and compiled, which makes it generally faster.

In 2016, Uber switched from Node.js to Go for their geofence lookup microservice to improve their algorithms. Go’s static typing and raw CPU performance, as well as multithreading, made it an excellent match for Uber’s needs, resulting in 99.99% uptime and a peak load of 170,000 queries per second.

Node.js also has its strengths. It inherited a non-blocking and asynchronous system from JavaScript, which enables small tasks to wait in the background without affecting the main thread, which is critical since it only supports a single thread. This is also how Node.js seems like a multi-threaded language, despite not performing more than one operation at a time. Node.js employs the V8 engine for fast processing and has a robust technology stack.

PayPal released a report showing a 35% decrease in average response time and pages served 200ms faster after switching their back-end operations from Java to Node.js.

In conclusion, Golang offers superior raw performance and stability, but both languages have strong advantages in workplace application.

NodeJs Vs. Golang in Web Development

This is the arena where both Node.js and Golang compete for dominance.

Node.js was created to establish a platform where JavaScript could construct front-end and back-end web servers in one location with an event-based framework, microservices architecture, and excellent reusability. The star of the entire operation is NPM, the Node.js package manager, which provides 800,000 tools or “building blocks” dedicated to web development. However, the challenge lies in navigating these blocks because anyone can easily publish an NPM package, making it difficult to find a reliable tool.

When it comes to high computational loads, Node.js starts to struggle. JavaScript is a front-end language that Node.js has forced into a backend run-time environment. Although Node.js has implemented measures to enhance its single-thread nature (also known as nonblocking I/O and an asynchronous system), heavy requests can still consume CPU and slow down processing time.

On the other hand, Golang is for large network servers and heavy computations that Node.js cannot handle as effectively. It is concurrent, allowing it to run several processes simultaneously without cutting corners. Hence, Golang is efficient and fast for enterprise applications.

You can create entire web servers in Go without using any additional frameworks or third-party services, and while it does not have 800,000 blocks, it has fantastic features like go fmt, Godoc, go mod, and go run.

Go is also compiled into a single static binary, allowing you to drop the code wherever necessary. Whereas you have to install the Node.js interpreter on machines to provide an environment for JavaScript to run.

In conclusion, Golang is superior for high-scale backend web development because it offers more flexibility and stability in building web servers. However, if you want to run small projects or create front-end code bundles, Node.js could be a more useful tool.

Complexity

Node.js, which uses JavaScript, is simpler to comprehend than Golang. Hence, it is an attractive choice for developers of all kinds due to its widespread popularity as the world’s most widely used programming language. Furthermore, for those unfamiliar with JavaScript, learning Node.js is relatively less challenging than learning Golang. Thanks to the abundance of Node.js courses and content available on the internet.

In contrast, Golang necessitates that developers acquire a thorough grasp of its specific processes, concepts, rules, pointers, strict typing, interfaces, coroutines, and more. This results in a steeper learning curve for Golang developers. It’s also crucial to note that Golang is a backend programming language only. That is why hiring of a separate front-end developer is necessary.

When comparing the two, it’s apparent that Node.js has a lower learning curve than Golang.

Community

Open-source projects are popular for their vast numbers of developers who contribute regularly and the large communities that back them. Both Node.js and Golang are open-source and benefit from extensive developer support and communities.

Node.js, which is the more established tool, has a strong and larger community backing. The Node.js Foundation enables the widespread adoption of Node.js. Hence, ensuring its stability through the oversight of a team of professionals who manage its security and long-term support (LTS) plan.

Active members of the Node.js Foundation and Node+JS Interactive include GoDaddy, Intel, IBM, Microsoft, PayPal, and NodeSource. Here, the developers announce new improvements and changes to Node.js. As of the time of writing, Node.js has 80,300 Github Stars and has been downloaded over one billion times.

On the other hand, Golang has a smaller community that is growing every day. Google supports Go and hosts GopherCon, which brings together Go developers from all over the world to discuss new opportunities and changes annually. Golang has 87,600 Github Stars at the time of writing and a large number of contributors worldwide.

In conclusion, it’s evident from this comparison that Node.js has more community power than Golang. This is because it is a JavaScript engine, and JavaScript is more popular.

Tools & Libraries

It’s universally agreed that having libraries and tools available for any given task or project reduces development time and costs.

When it comes to the availability of development tools, Node.js reigns supreme. It offers tools for nearly everything imaginable in the JavaScript ecosystem, from simple tasks to complex projects.

NPM, in particular, has around 800,000 readily available tools for any specific use case. There are also many others nearing readiness but not yet published.

While Golang has excellent tools for addressing specific tasks, it is relatively new to the backend development ecosystem. Also, there are not as many tools available as with Node.js.

Therefore, it is apparent from our comparison that Node.js has more development tools available than Golang. This is primarily because it enables both frontend and backend development.

Conclusion

Both Node JS and Golang appear to be on the rise, as per the trend. According to Statista, JavaScript and HTML/CSS are the most popular programming languages used by software developers.

However, Golang has emerged as one of the top 5 most favored programming languages. Especially surpassing JavaScript in terms of user preference.

Therefore, it is evident that there is no single “perfect” language for web development. The programming language you choose ultimately depends on the specific web application you want to build.