How Is Node JS Used in Web Development?

Growing businesses requires the development of modern software applications. There are many options available to business owners and project managers thanks to the advancements in application development technology. There are, however, many potential technological options. Based on the goals and priorities you establish; you should choose the right tech stack for your business.

Among such technologies, Node.js is among the most widely used today. Many companies use Node.js to build their backend tech stack because it is a modern application framework. A popular server-side programming language, its usage is clear across industries. Node.js is becoming increasingly popular today. Several well-known companies use Node.js, including Netflix, Uber, PayPal, Twitter, and more.

What is Node.js and how it works

When it comes to frontend and backend technologies, Node.js makes a good intersection. The Node.js framework extends JavaScript’s capabilities to run on the backend, server-side part of a web application, as well as for the serverless framework. JavaScript is traditionally used as a client-side, frontend web scripting language.

This code is executed using the server’s Node.js runtime. There is an excellent analogy between Node.js and Java since both run applications at runtime. A package manager makes building Node.js applications easy, and non-blocking I/O features make Node.js applications non-blocking, lightweight, and efficient.

Node.js uses an optional package manager called NPM. By serving as an index of libraries developed by the Node.js community, it enables other projects to share easily and import their implementations. The implementation of these packages simplifies the scaffolding of new projects and the improvement of existing ones.

What is Node.js used for?

We can use Node.js for developing many business solutions, which is one of its main advantages. Business solutions built on Node.js can help you beat your competition. Below are a few quick examples:

  • Backend for Social Media Networking
  • Single-page Application
  • Chat Application
  • Data Streaming
  • IoT Application

Let’s just look at some of the most reliable use cases across several industries and gauge Node’s position better.

1. Social networking backend

Node.js is being used by many well-known brands such as LinkedIn and Medium. A social networking site needs to have a combination of nodes for its backend. The V8 engine provided by Node.js makes routing super-fast along with an authentication mechanism that supplies security. A significant aspect of social media networks is their scalability.

2. Building single-page applications (SPA)

The look and feel of a Node.js single-page application is similar to that of a desktop application, just like with single-page websites. In addition to supporting social networks, dynamic websites, and mailing solutions, Node.js offers a variety of innovative features. As a result, Node.js is the best choice for developing SPAs because of its asynchronous data flow capabilities.

3. Chatbots

Chatbots and chat applications using Node.js offer exclusive advanced functionality. Several key features are important in chatbots, including multi-user applications, heavy data traffic, and cross-platform support. There is no better platform for running chat and chatbot apps, as Node.js works across all devices. The server-side event loops and push notifications commonly used in instant messaging and real-time apps can easily be implemented using Node.js.

4. Streaming of data

There is no doubt that Node.js is superior to this as it processes files very quickly and encodes and uploads data with feather-light efficiency. Numerous fashion e-stores and applications that stream large volumes of data have embraced this trend.

5. IoT Application Development

During the past decade, IoT has become a vastly popular technology and since then, Node.js has become one of the most popular solutions for organizations looking to build private and public IoT solutions. Node.js’s major advantage is its exceptional capacity to handle simultaneous requests from billions of devices simultaneously, all with seamless event processing. Node.js supplies asynchronous processing and event-driven server architecture that is suitable for IoT devices that perform heavy I/O operations. The platform is also well suited to IoT app development since it supplies streams and channels that are writable and readable.

Why consider Node.js at all?

In the next section, we will explore why you should select Node.js to develop your web application.

Scalability

Applications written in Node.js can be scaled horizontally and vertically. In vertical scaling, more resources are added to the existing nodes, but horizontal scaling allows additional nodes to be added more quickly. Moreover, Node.js applications are not a large block in the development process since they work in conjunction with a wide range of modules and microservices. Start-ups that are looking for growth will find it simple, easy, and fitting.

High Performance

With Node.js, JavaScript code is compiled directly into machine code using the Google V8 JS engine. Furthermore, making the framework more efficient, also speeds up its performance. The search engine itself is constantly improving its performance through heavy investment.

Large Community Support

A group of more than a dozen chief executives from organizations such as IBM, Microsoft, Fidelity, and SAP formed the Node.js Foundation in 2015. Node.js ever-evolving community is constantly being nurtured and built upon by several software developers and active fans. Moreover, the Node.js framework is supported on GitHub, making it easier and faster to get started and develop the framework.

Improves Development Speed

The lightweight and diverse tools of Node.js allow you to accelerate web application development. There are numerous modules, solutions, and libraries available in the NPM registry as a means of developing web applications with greater value and with a smaller investment of time. Its reusable templates allow you to reduce bugs in your web applications and decrease their size because of Node.js and NPM libraries. Getting your application out as fast as possible

App development freedom

Node.js allows developers to create cross-platform applications. Due to Node.js’ compatibility with desktop, mobile, and web applications for Mac, Windows, and Linux, you can create cross-platform web apps with frameworks like Electron and NW.js. The platform is now widely used for Internet of Things applications as well. Hence, if you wish to increase your team’s coding efficiency and performance, Node.js is the solution for you.

Single Programming Language

There are many similar languages available for JavaScript front-ends and back-ends in Node.js. They are easier to learn and more flexible than they appear. Enterprises and developers alike can experience a robust and seamless web app development cycle with it. Reduced time investment is more effective and profitable because it saves energy, time, and resources. The ease of Node.js makes it more than just the most popular technology today, it is the most convenient for web development.

Contribution to Full-stack & MEANstack

Among the leading programming languages, JavaScript has emerged as the undisputed leader, so Node.js has proven its capability and is part of a robust stack of technologies. The Node.js stand-alone package adds many benefits to the technology stack; it offers JSON modules, for instance. The Node.js open-source software has over 368,985,988 downloads, which equates to an average of 1,010,921 downloads per day.

Rich Ecosystem

There is only one word that comes to mind when talking about Node.js’ simplicity and richness – NPM. Did you know that? Every week, NPM publishes 10,000 or more libraries. Yes! There are more than 475 000 packages and registries, and 11,000 new tools are released each week. In terms of development and time-to-market, it’s cutting down a lot of time and cost.

Conclusion

As a result, Node.js has a vast number of applications and it will continue to grow as other technology advancements become applicable to Node.js. There is no sign that this rapid growth will slow down anytime soon. Node.js can therefore be an excellent choice for building a wide range of products now and in the future with careful research and the right use cases.

Technologies as such can neither be good nor bad. Every technology is good at what it does. To make the right choice for his software product, every company owner should identify the most critical factors based on business goals and constraints – and then his choice will become much clearer.