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Why Node.js? When To Use Node.js?

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Learn What is Node.js ? Why Is It So Popular? and where you can use it?

Wondering why node.js is gaining popularity? When to use node.js? This page has all the details you need about Node.js framework and related best practices in the community.

Node.js unravels concurrency by supplanting the Java platform’s standard, multithreaded methodology with single-threaded, event driven I/O. In this article, we discuss Node.js and clarify why its event driven concurrency has started so much intrigue, even among hardcore Java developers.

We then demonstrate you some Node.js best practices to influence Node’s Express framework, Mongolian DeadBeef, and MongoDB to assemble a concurrent, adaptable, and persistent web application.

Some Historical Background

In last couple of years, JavaScript has risen as a “dark knight,” type of legend for web application development. This fact surprises many web app developers, who used to dismiss JavaScript as a “toy language”.

While there are more famous languages, JavaScript’s special status as the standard, browser-neutral scripting language has helped it stay in the mainstream. For client-side web app development, it is arguably the most used language across the globe.

JavaScript additionally has a spot in server-side scripting, and that aspect is developing. While there have been endeavors at server-side JavaScript previously, none has apparently caught as much energy as Node.js, or Node.

What Is Node.js?

Node.js is an open source, cross-platform runtime environment for server-side and networking applications. Node.js applications are developed in JavaScript, and those apps can run inside of the Node.js runtime on OS X, Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, NonStop and IBM.

Purpose

Intended to help developers in building adaptable system programs, Node is a server-side programming environment that has basically reevaluated JavaScript for an entire new era of developers. For some Java developers, Node’s greatest advantage is its crisp way to deal with programming concurrency.

While the Java platform keeps on developing in its way to deal with concurrency (with greatly anticipated improvements in Java 7 and Java 8), the important fact is that it fulfills a special need, and it does so in such a tremendous way that a lot of JavaScript developers is embracing it.

Like client-side scripting with JavaScript, server-side scripting in the Node environment is so great in light of the fact that it just works, and it’s working in a region where numerous Java developers are as of now tested.

In this article, we will begin with a structural outline of what makes Node extraordinary, and after that we’ll demonstrate industry standards to swiftly build an adaptable web application that influences MongoDB for information industriousness. As a reader, you can observe that, how fun Node is, and how rapidly one can use it to build a working web application.

Why Node.js is So Popular?

There are many reasons all tech giants are loving node.js. More and more applications are being developed using Node.js and its getting adopted by industry really fast. Here are some obviously visible reasons whey Node.js is so popular.

  • Easy To Learn

    Node.js is a easy to learn environment. Its a thin stack primarily based on JavaScript and developers are mainly focused on learning JavaScript programming.

    Many existing JavaScript developers are easily able to learn it on their own. At the same time there is plenty of good node.js books available for beginners at node.

    Those who do not know JavaScript can also easily learn from JavaScript tutorials freely available on web. Beginner at JavaScript can refer good javascript books.

  • Node.js Has Cross Platform Support

    Node.js is available on all popular operating systems including Linux, Windows and Mac OSX. An easy installer is available for all environments.

  • Node.js Scalability and High Performance

    The main reason for quick adoption of Node.js is its performance on production systems. Many high traffic production systems are deployed and being served with Node.js. Companies like Paypal and Walmart have reported their Node.js apps are performing really well in high volume traffic and easily scaled up.

  • Node’s Event Driven Concurrency

    Node is a versatile, event driven I/O environment based on top of Google’s V8 JavaScript engine. Google V8 really incorporates JavaScript into local machine code before execution, bringing about amazingly quick runtime execution — something not commonly associated with JavaScript. Thusly, Node empowers you to quickly build network applications that are extremely quick and very concurrent.

    Event driven I/O may sound remote to a Java developer’s ears, yet it isn’t too new. Instead of the multithreaded programming model we’re used to on the Java platform, Node’s way to deal with concurrency is single-threaded, with the extra kick of an event loop. This Node build empowers non-blocking or asynchronous I/O. In Node, invocations that commonly would block, for example, waiting for database query results, don’t.

    Instead of hold up for costly I/O exercises to finish, a Node application issues a callback. At the point when an asset is given back, the joined callback is summoned non-concurrently.

    Concurrency just works in Node programs. If I needed to run the past scenario on the Java platform, I would have my decision of complex and prolonged methodologies — from conventional threads to fresher libraries in Java NIO and even the enhanced and redesigned java.util.concurrent package.

    While Java concurrency is capable, it can be hard to comprehend — which translates to code. Node’s callback system, by examination, is incorporated with the language; you don’t need special constructs like synchronized to make it work. Node’s concurrency model is amazingly simple, and that makes it accessible to a wider audience of developers

  • Better Talent Availability and Retention

    Though you can find thousands of Java developers, however the availability of Node.js developers is not poor either. The Node.js developers are plenty on best freelance websites.

  • Better Productivity

    Since Node.js is developed using JavaScript on both server and client side. The development is much faster and consistent. One JavaScript developer can understand and develop the application end to end without worrying about interaction complexity between layers of client and server side.

    Java based application may still require a JavaScript developer to device a rich user interface and a in depth communication may be required between JavaScript programmers and java developers.

  • Active Community

    Node.js community is very active and quick help is always available on popular forums and discussion boards. Stackoverflow has 80K+ questions that are asked by people and very few are unanswered.

  • Plenty Of Useful Tools For Developers

    Since Node.js is mainly JavaScript its easy to find tools for it. Many IDEs and developer tools are already available for JavaScript that can be used for Node.js.

    JavaScript is understood by the browser therefore there are many cloud based JavaScript IDE available for it to develop and debug Node.js online.

  • Easy Node.js Hosting

    Though you can go for a dedicated hosting servers options and easily setup your own Node.js infrastructure. However there are many easy to setup hosting providers available for Node.js environment. These providers already have a basic setup for Node.js applications and helps you quickly get to your business.

    Here is a list of hosting providers that support Node.js

Why Pick Node.js?

The Java platform’s approach to concurrency served to set up its leading part in big enterprise development, and that isn’t likely to change. Frameworks like Netty (and Gretty) and center libraries like NIO, and also java.util.concurrent, have settled on the JVM a top decision for concurrency.

What’s unique about Node is that it is a current development environment particularly intended to determine the difficulties of simultaneous programming. Node’s event driven programming ideal model implies that you needn’t bother with extra libraries to make concurrency work, and that is uplifting news for developers peering toward multicore equipment.

Where Can We Use Node.js?

There are many web application scenario where node.js works much better than a traditional server side programming language like java or PHP. The main advantage of Node.js is use of real time two way connection between client and server. This make node.js a popular choice for rich client applications that has many small components that can be interacting with server in parallel.

If you want to create a dashboard application with multiple types of data formats and components on a page. Node.js may be a good choice. Some practical applications where node.js may go really well are listed below.

  • Displaying a Stock market dashboard
  • Website monitoring dashboard for dev ops
  • Live network stats on a web page
  • Production system monitoring dashboard
  • Chat application
  • Applications that run on JSON based NOSQL databases.
  • Applications that require interaction with Mobile device and native apps.
  • Applications that require interaction with Internet of things (IOT) based devices

Where Should We NOT Use Node.js?

Just like any other option, Node.js is not a one size fits all solution for all your problems. Below are types of system where node.js may not be a good choice.

  • Applications that involve heavy computations and require more CPU processing
  • Applications that interact with relational database like Oracle, MySQL or Postgress

Conclusion

Node’s JavaScript linguistic structure likewise spares you keystrokes, for sure. With only a little code, you can manufacture a quick, versatile web application that is equipped for taking care of bunch simultaneous associations.

You can do that on the Java platform; however you’ll require more lines of code and a group of extra libraries and develops. What’s more, in case you’re agonized over exploring another programming environment, don’t be: Node is anything but difficult to get on the off chance that you know some JavaScript, which I bet that you do.

I am an app developer, working in a smartphone applications developer company called Cygnis Media. My main interest is in mobile phone app development, but I also love to read & write about other technologies too. I like to share my knowledge, expertise, and experiences with different tech-communities on the web via social media platforms and tech blogs.

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