7 reasons for Node.js: Why it’s worth a look

Node.js has become one of the most popular JavaScript tools. What’s the case for switching to Node now? This article gives an overview of the advantages of Node.

Node.js, the JavaScript runtime environment, has really taken off since its initial release on May 27 in 2009, and even in 2020, it doesn’t look like the trends will slow down. If you decide to invest in development with Node.js now, you’ll be in good company with big brands like PayPal, Yahoo, eBay, and Netflix.

Let’s take a look at the reasons that have helped Node.js get the attention of the developer community and made it one of the most in-demand backend technologies right now.

Reason 1: Increases productivity and efficiency
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment that allows organizations to reduce dependencies between silos. Front-end and back-end teams can now be merged into one team and improve the efficiency of web development processes.

Well-known brand PayPal has seen a significant increase in developer productivity through the use of Node.js. The online payment service provider has found that its developers have deployed a Node.js-based application with twice the productivity, in less time, with half the headcount.

Reason 2: Data streaming becomes possible
While HTTP requests and responses are treated as isolated events in legacy web platforms, Node.js processes them as data streams.

Node uses these data streams to reduce the overall processing time by processing files even while they are being uploaded. This feature also works for real-time video and audio encoding. That’s why it makes sense that Netflix has implemented Node.js in its website.

Reason 3: Fits well with microservices
Microservices have been one of the important trends in software development for several years and are a good fit for the Node.js framework. They play an important role in supporting the serverless approach and have proven to be effective in enterprise-level projects.

Microservices offer a variety of benefits in terms of performance, organization, debugging, etc., by splitting different aspects of an application into individual services.

Those interested in using a microservices-based architecture should look to Node.js in the enterprise, as this JavaScript technology makes it easier to deploy microservices in projects.

Reason 4: Wins at the speed of light
Because Node.js is written in JavaScript and based on Google’s V8 engine, things get done really fast almost in the blink of an eye! And the best part is that it can also increase the speed of any other framework.

Node.js creates a single thread: the event loop, which is for all asynchronous input-output operations instead of fiddling with individual threads that get jumbled and cause headaches when they lock up.

Reason 5: It serves as a proxy server
If there is no professional proxy infrastructure in your organization, Node.js can serve as a proxy server. Yes, this technology has effective features that can be used as a proxy for a server-side application that runs a number of services with different response times, such as storing videos or images or collecting data from different resources.

Reason 6: Everything in one codebase
By allowing developers to write JavaScript code for both the frontend and the backend, Node.js makes it easier to send data between the server and the client, facilitating instant data synchronization.

Data changes made on the server are immediately reflected on the client because Meteor.js, a full-stack web app framework built on Node.js runs the same code base on both the server and the client. So the website updates itself automatically!

Also, Node.js includes a package manager or npm, which contains a repository of more than 50,000 modules and helps developers easily share or reuse codes.

Reason 7: Well-suited for the IoT.
Node.js lets you implement microservices for tracking and real-time features of geographically distributed systems.

Moreover, this popular runtime is well suited for developing applications on the Internet of Things (IoT) due to its real-time capabilities and data-centric approach.

Conclusion
Node.js has become one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks as its benefits keep growing with the support from the huge community.

With the services of an experienced Node.js web development company, you too can make the most of the powerful features of this technology to achieve your web development goals.

Are you already using Node.js? Then why not share your experience of working with this in-demand technology with our readers by leaving your comments below.