Node.js

What is Node.js?

A cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, enabling JavaScript to run on the server side. Features an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. Includes npm, the world's largest software registry. Powers millions of applications including Netflix, LinkedIn, and Uber. Enables full-stack JavaScript development with a single language across frontend and backend.

When to use it

• Essential for building scalable server-side applications, RESTful APIs, real-time applications, and microservices.
• Perfect for I/O-intensive applications like chat applications, streaming services, and data-intensive real-time applications.
• Commonly used in modern web development stacks (MERN, MEAN), serverless functions, and command-line tools.
• Ideal when you want to share code between client and server or leverage JavaScript expertise across the entire stack.

When NOT to use it

• CPU-intensive tasks - Python, Go, or Rust are better suited
• Heavy computational workloads - single-threaded nature is a limitation
• When you need strong typing - TypeScript helps but Go/Rust are better
• Applications requiring strict memory management - consider compiled languages

Related Technologies

More in Backend, MERN, MEAN

Learning Resources