Node.js

JavaScript runtime for server-side applications

What is Node.js?

Node.js is an open-source JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine. Node.js makes it possible to use JavaScript for server-side code, APIs and command-line tools. With its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, Node.js is ideally suited for scalable network applications.

Why Node.js is useful

One language for frontend and backend, that is what makes Node.js so powerful:

Full-stack JavaScript: The same language for frontend and backend, less context-switching
npm ecosystem: The largest package registry in the world with 2+ million packages
Non-blocking I/O: Handle thousands of concurrent connections efficiently
Lightning-fast V8 engine: Just-in-time compilation for high performance

Time savings with Node.js

Node.js accelerates development by using one language for your entire stack. The vast npm ecosystem provides ready-made solutions for virtually any problem.

Express.js

Minimalist web framework for building APIs and web applications in just a few lines of code.

Worker Threads

Multi-threading for CPU-intensive tasks without blocking the event loop.

Streams

Process large files and data streams efficiently without loading everything into memory.

Built-in Test Runner

Native test framework since Node 18, no external test libraries needed anymore.

Hidden features that often go unused

Node.js has many built-in features that developers often overlook:

Cluster Module: Use all CPU cores by running multiple Node processes.
AsyncLocalStorage: Pass context through async operations, ideal for request tracking.
WASI: WebAssembly System Interface for running performant native modules.
Diagnostics Channel: Built-in observability for monitoring and debugging.
Permission Model: Restrict file system, network and child process access per application.
Corepack: Manage package managers (npm, yarn, pnpm) without separate installation.