Companies cover all areas of app development to compete in today’s business climate. The competition is so fierce that you can’t be complacent in today’s business development. There should be no doubt that JavaScript is one of the most extensively used and popular client-side programming languages. It’s used as a web front-end development tool, and it’s more than a platform for cross-development. However, you are mistaken if you believe that the use of JavaScript time ends. It has been combined with Node.js, resulting in a dramatic shift in web development. Here we are discussing some of the Node.Js Pros and Cons that are useful in web app development.
Nowadays, to create a satisfactory product, you will need powerful and efficient technology to back it up. Over the years, Node.Js has been one of the most popular client-side programming languages, as well as used in web frontend development. We need to understand the basics of the structure of Node.Js and then move things forward to the pros and cons of node.js.
So, here we go!
What is Node.js?
Node.js is a server-side runtime system that allows you to execute JavaScript. It was first published in 2009 and has had a significant influence since then. Interest in Node.js peaked in 2017 and has been strong ever since. The fact is market leaders like Walmart, Netflix, and others use Node.js that show its value.
The most basic description of Node.js is that it is a JavaScript run-time framework that supports server-side execution of JavaScript code. It is a cross-platform open-source JavaScript that helps build real-time network applications.
Node.js provides developers with an event-based and asynchronous I/O API. Using Google’s V8 JavaScript engine is also useful for understanding JavaScript code. Node.js works on a single-threaded event-based loop so that all executions can be un-blocking.
What is node.js used for – Basic Examples:
The Node.js Foundation, which aims to gain widespread acceptance and speed up the development of Node.js, surveyed 85% of people using Node.js for web apps. Here are examples where you can use the node.js framework in the application.
1. Chat applications
2. Streaming applications
3. Command-line applications
4. Browser games
5. Embedded systems
Let’s look at the main advantages and disadvantages of using node.js for web development.
Advantages of Node.Js:
1. A solid technological foundation
JavaScript has established itself as the clear leader among popular programming languages. Over 36 crore downloads and 750+ new contributors Node.js has established itself as a distinct brand in the business. (2018 report)
When you use Node.js for your backend, you receive all the benefits of full-stack JavaScript development, such as
• Improved developer efficiency and overall productivity
• More no. of free tools
• Better performance
• Speedy Response
• Easily share knowledge with a team
As a result, your team is far more adaptable, development takes less time, and you receive quick and dependable software. Developers that have been educated in frontend JavaScript may write the server-side with little difficulty. You may reuse code on both the front end and the backend by wrapping it in modules and building additional layers of abstraction using the same language on both sides.
2. Fast Processing Model:
It is not a myth that Node.js is fast. Look at toptal.com’s performance tests, which compare how PHP, Java, and Node.js handle concurrent requests. There are a few reasons why Node.js produces such outcomes. Let’s see which node js features make it fast.
• V8 engine
The engine used in Node.js implementation was designed originally for the Chrome browser. Chrome’s V8, which is built in C++, is used to convert JavaScript functions into machine code, and it does it quickly. V8’s performance improves year after year as a result of Google’s heavy investment in its engine, and Node.js receives the whole set of benefits.
• Non-blocking Input/Output and asynchronous request handling
Node.js is capable of processing queries in real-time. Synchronous processing ensures that code is performed in sequential order in the context of the backend. As a result, each request stops a thread, forcing subsequent requests to wait for it to complete. Asynchronous processing allows requests to be handled without interrupting the thread (non-blocking I/O). So, after a request has been handled, it may send a callback and continue processing requests. This enables Node.js to make the most of single threading, resulting in quick response times and concurrent processing.
• Event-based model
When using a common language for both client/server-side, synchronization happens fast, which is especially helpful for event-based, real-time applications. Because of its asynchronous, non-blocking, single-threaded nature, Node.js is a popular choice for online gaming, chats, video conferences, or any solution that requires constantly updated data.
3. Best For Microservices Technology
Because it is a lightweight technological tool, Node.js is an excellent choice for microservices architecture. Martin Fowler and James Lewis define this architectural style as “a strategy to creating a single application as a series of discrete services, each operating in its process and interacting via lightweight methods, commonly an HTTP resource API.”
As a result, dividing the application logic into smaller modules, or microservices, rather than having a single, big monolithic core, allows for more flexibility and lays the basis for future expansion. As a result, adding new microservices on top of the current ones is considerably easier than integrating more features with the fundamental app functionality.
Walmart’s transition to microservices architecture with Node.js resulted in the following instant benefits as an example of live implementation:
• In general, conversion rates increased by 20% overnight.
• Get 98% mobile conversion growth
• 100% uptime on Black Friday (handling over 500 million page views)
• Save up to 40% on hardware and 20-50% on overall operations
4. An Advanced Technology:
In a nutshell, npm, the default Node.js package manager, also acts as a marketplace for open-source JavaScript utilities, which is critical to the advancement of this technology. The Node.js ecosystem is fairly rich, with around 8 lakh+ libraries now accessible in the npm repository and over 10k+ new ones being released every week. According to the same statistics, npm modules make up 97% of modern web apps. That demonstrates its undeniable appeal among developers.
With such a wide range of free tools available in just a few clicks, Node.js has enormous potential. At the same time, open-source software is gaining popularity since it allows you to design innovative solutions while lowering total development costs and time to market.
5. Highly Extensible With JSON
Node.js is recognized for being extremely extendable, which means that you can adapt and expand Node.js to meet your needs. You may also use JSON to create a framework for data interchange between the web server and the client. It also has built-in APIs for creating HTTP, TCP, and DNS servers, among other things.
6. Better Performance
Because Node.js is an open-source platform, it has a strong development community. The community is highly active and ever-changing, and it contributes to its growth and improvement. One of the benefits of Node.js is that developers can always rely on JavaScript programmers for assistance. In GitHub, they give simple solutions and ready-made answers.
Because the developers have widespread community support, it is simpler for them to handle even the most complex challenges. Furthermore, JavaScript features NPM, the largest package management that provides a variety of web development tools. Furthermore, the active community of Node.js developers is sponsored by industry leaders such as Netflix, Google, Amazon, and others. Technology has developed as a result of the acceptance of the tech giants, and it has a bright future ahead of it.
The list of companies using Node.js is not limited to the above-mentioned tech giants. Node.js is widely used by market giants such as PayPal, Uber, Zendesk, Trello, Medium, Microsoft, and others.
7. Cost-efficient
With Node.js, the developers can write codes in both frontend and backend in a hassle-free way. This is because it gives a chance to write server-side code in JavaScript to the developers. Thus, there is no need to hire two resource teams for the company which saves the overall cost of development.
Aside from that, it speeds up the overall web development process without sacrificing quality. Another advantage of using Node.js with full-stack JS is that you don’t have to hire separate frontend and backend engineers. As a result, even new businesses may benefit from Node.js.
8. Easy to learn
No hard lessons are required for developers to become familiar with Node.js. Because it is built on JavaScript, developers do not need to create any additional code for website development. There is no doubting that JavaScript is a universal language, particularly when it comes to frontend development.
Additionally, because JavaScript is so widely used, most front-end developers are well-versed in it. As a result, when they begin using Node.js for the backend, it becomes extremely simple for them. Because the speed of adaption is high, it has a favorable effect on the total site development time.
9. Best For Customizable Needs
Constant development is necessary if you want to stay afloat in this cutthroat competitive environment. However, it is extremely difficult for organizations to adapt continuously. As a result, if you want to explore the market dimensions or expand your user base, Node.js may be your finest buddy.
It is often used for creating bespoke web apps for quickly expanding businesses. It includes an API for creating DNS servers and HTTP servers. Several major corporations, like PayPal, have seen their fortunes improve after using Node.js. After replacing Java with Node.js and JavaScript, PayPal observed a 200ms quicker response time.
Disadvantages of Node.Js:
As previously stated, 85% of companies use node.js for the development of online apps. Node.js offers numerous advantages, but like with every technology, it has certain disadvantages.
1. Not Handle Heavy Computing Tasks
Even today, the most significant limitation of Node.js is its inability to run CPU-bound activities. Node.js is a server-side runtime platform that runs JavaScript. Threading is not necessary for its work because JavaScript activities are light and use minimal CPU.
The problem occurs when Node.js receives a CPU-bound function. Whenever a heavy request arrives on the event loop, Node.js will first set all the CPUs available to process it, and then respond to other queued requests. This results in a slower process and an overall delay in the event loop, which is why Node.js is not recommended for heavy calculations.
However, with the 10.5.0 release in 2018, multithreading was added as an experimental feature in Node.js. The worker threads module is a new feature that may be used to leverage extra threads from a thread pool to carry out CPU-bound activities. However, this is only possible on computers with many cores, because Node.js still enables you to use one core for one thread. This means that large parallel tasks can be run on a separate thread. This functionality is still experimental in Node.js version 12, however, it has been greatly improved.
2. Difficult to maintain code
Because of the asynchronous approach’s basic nature, the technology overall responds a lot to callbacks. This function runs shortly after each action in the queue, while numerous queued tasks in the background continue to execute. The callback may result in what is known as callback hell. This has a direct impact on the performance and quality of the code. Because of this restriction, it is nearly impossible to understand and maintain the code.
3. Lack of Library Support
There are numerous NPM registries and libraries that are of poor quality, incomplete, or poorly described. As a result, if some amateurs create a web application in Node.js, this insufficient monitoring becomes tough.
Only well-qualified and respected specialists with project expertise can drive your project’s success. The fact that it is open-source and has such a large pool of libraries and modules may result in a lack of strong coding standards. It is critical to select the proper technology partner to create your web apps to achieve exceptional results.
4. Unstable API
Another significant disadvantage of Node.js is that it undergoes frequent API updates that are incompatible with previous versions. Because of their incompatibility, their instability now requires extensive code modifications. Furthermore, code changes must be made regularly to stay in sync with the most recent version.
The potential need for Node.js engineers grows year after year, yet there aren’t enough experienced developers to go around. Furthermore, organizations must recognize that not all JavaScript developers are Node.js engineers. Because mastering JavaScript necessitates knowledge of backend development.
5. Growing demand for experienced professionals
According to popular opinion, not all JavaScript developers are Node.js developers. Mastering server-side JavaScript programming takes considerable work and a foundation in backend development. The number of Node.js engineers is substantially smaller than the overall number of JS professionals due to the steep learning curve.
As the awareness around Node.js grows, the demand for skilled professionals in this sector also increases.
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As a result, with millions of JavaScript developers available, it may be difficult to locate a qualified Node.js specialist for your project. You don’t want to limit your search to a single nation in this case.
Conclusion:
None of the technology comes with a golden platform. All the technical platform comes with some drawbacks. But look at the positive sides. Here you can read some of the pros and cons of node.js…
Each of the technologies works well in certain situations. These are real-time apps with significant I/O that require speed and scalability in Node.js. This might include social networks, gaming applications, live chats, or forums, as well as stock market software or ad servers, where performance is crucial. Node.js is the technology of choice for data-intensive, real-time IoT devices and apps because it is fast and scalable.
If you have any questions regarding the advantages of Node.js or if it would be useful in your project, please contact us. We’ll be happy to provide you with a free consultation and help you determine whether Node.js is right for you.
