Node.JS Development

What is Node.JS and Its Advantages and Disadvantages: A Complete Guide

When it comes to choosing the right development programming language and framework, it becomes crucial to consider several factors such as- fast shipping to market, costing and its maintenance charges. The programming language that fulfils all these requirements is JavaScript.

 

Why JavaScript is the First Choice of Developers?

 

JavaScript, no doubt is one of the most popular programming languages as well as the most universal software programming technologies. Commonly used as Front end development tool, now it is also used as a cross platform mobile development tool for many of the platforms- for example- Phonegap/Cordova, Apache, NativeScript, React Native, Appcelerator, Titanium and etc.

This is not it, the areas of application for JavaScript do not end here. JavaScript is also used for server side programming and lately there has been lot of excitement regarding this. One of the tools that is the epicenter of this buzz is Node.JS

 

What is Node.js?

 

Node.JS is an open source project introduced in 2009 by Joyent (a cloud computing and hosting solution provider that provides hosting services to LinkedIn and Twitter and has also invested in many technologies like Ruby on Rails framework.

The so called Node.JS framework is neither a framework nor a library, but a runtime environment, based on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine.

The simplest definition of Node.JS would be- It is a JavaScript runtime environment that helps in the execution of JavaScript code server-side. This open-source, cross-platform JavaScript helps in the real-time network application development.

 

Are You Looking Node.JS Development

 

Some Node JS Big Projects

 

The wide adoption of server side JavaScript with Node.JS started in recent years and interest in this technology peaked 2014 and remained high till 2017, as per Google Trends data.

 

Google Trends Data

 

The Node.JS technology is widely accepted by a number of technology giants, such as- Uber, eBay, General Electric, GoDaddy, Microsoft, PayPal, Wikipins, Yahoo, Walmart and Netflix, to name a few.

 


What can be Done Using Node.JS?

 

Node.JS is not only used for creating a website, but it can also be used for creating awesome, dynamic and real time experience such as-

  1. GIF Chat Room
  2. Remote Control for a Car
  3. Remote Control a Computer
  4. Build Your Own Hangout
  5. Collaborative Drawing Tool
  6. Desktop RSS Reader

You can check out more applications here

 


Is Node.JS Front End or Back End?

 

It totally depends upon how you would like to leverage it. Node.JS in practice can be used in both front-end and back-end scenarios, but the core aim of Node.JS development is to serve the purpose where JavaScript can be used as server side for web application development, thus leading to having a single language for both front-end and back-end development.

 


Node.JS Strengths and Weaknesses

 

The Node.JS 2018 user survey report suggests that Node.JS is the KING when it comes to productivity and developer satisfaction and it is a go-to choice for building web apps. In this section we will learn about what factors decide Node.JS’s strength and drawbacks. Let’s dive deep into the Node JS Pros and Cons.

 

Also Read: Why Developers Should Consider Node.JS For Their Web Development Tasks

 


Node JS Advantages

1- Easy Scalability

Node.JS is a lightweight technology and one of the key benefits of Node.JS is that it is considered to be the best option for micro-service architecture. Developers find it quite easy to scale the applications in horizontal as well as vertical directions. It becomes easier to add more micro-services on the top of the existing one.

 


2- JS is Easy to Learn

Since JavaScript is one of the most widely accepted and popular programming languages among developers, most of the front-end developers have a good hold on it. For them, to use Node.JS as backend becomes a lot easier.

 


3- Used as Single Programming Language

Node.JS offers the developers facility of writing server-side application in the JavaScript. This allows the developers to write front-end and back-end web application in JavaScript using a runtime environment.

As all the web browsers support JavaScript, so the deployment of web applications also becomes much easier.

 


4- Benefit of Full Stack JS

It is known as full stack JavaScript as it serves both client and server side applications. It adds up as one more benefit of Node.JS as you don’t need to hire separate developers for back-end and front-end development. It helps to save your money, time and effort.

 


 

5- Offers High Performance

As mentioned earlier, Node.JS runs the JavaScript code via Google V8 JavaScript engine and it compiles the JavaScript code directly into the machine code. This process facilitates easier and faster implementation of codes in an effective manner.

 


 

6- Large and Active Community

Node.JS Developers community is very dynamic and constantly contributes to the improvement and betterment of Node.JS and it is expected that we will witness more positive and absolute solution rich eco-system.

 


 

7- JS Offers freedom to Develop Apps

Another significant advantage of Node.JS is that it offers freedom to develop apps and software, unlike other imposing certain guidelines to developing apps and software.

 


 

8- Facility of Caching Single Modules

The open source run time environment of Node.JS single modules caching feature. The request from the first module gets cached in the application memory, allowing applications to load the web page faster and responds very smoothly to the end users.

 


 

9- Extended support for Various Commonly Used Tools

Node.JS developers get extended support for various tools. For example- You can test the source code of Node.JS by using Jasmin and other such tools. Similarly, you can identify and install the project dependencies using npm, a powerful package manager.

 


 

10- Process Several Request Concurrently

Node.JS helps you to process several requests simultaneously. It can handle simultaneous request handling better than others, including Ruby on Rails and Python.

 


Node JS Drawbacks

 

It is obvious that every object cannot be perfect in all areas, and Node.JS is not an exceptional case here. It also has some disadvantages which are described as follows-

 

1- API Not Stable

One of the major Node.JS drawbacks is that it does not have consistency. The API changes frequently and this increases the trouble of developers, as when it happens they’ll need to make changes in the existing code base to ensure the consistency.

 


2- Time Consuming

Developers need to write everything from the scratch and this is quite time consuming, hence to make your project glitch free, you need to hire experienced Node.JS developer to develop and maintain code.

 


3- Does Not Support Multi-Threading Programming

JS does not support multi-threading programming, it is not compatible with heavy computing app development.

 

Conclusion

Packed with advantages and disadvantages, Node.JS may not be a star performer in every area, but it is also not less than Java, .NET Framework or PHP. Node.JS development perfectly fits the need of app development for social networking, gaming, live chats, and stock exchange software or ad servers. 

 

Also Read: A Brief Overview of Node.JS Security Release November 2018

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge