Four Reasons Why Node.js is your Server-side Hero

Introduction

It used to be that when developers spoke about JavaScript as a programming language it related solely to the front end development side of web development. However, through the development of specific frameworks, JavaScript has become a language that dominates full-stack development discussions. One of those frameworks is Node.js which enabled a predominantly frontend language, JavaScript, to make the leap to back-end and server-side usefulness. This allowed Node.js to be a favorite among Fortune 500 companies for enabling quick development times. Over a billion downloads of the framework attest to this. What follows is a small number of reasons as to why Node.js has become a hero amongst frameworks.

Scalability

From the development of robots linked to the Internet of Things to record-breaking turnaround times on development cycles for Netflix, Node.js is here to stay. One of the reasons it became so popular was the framework's scalability. Central to how well the framework scales is the performance granted by Google’s V8 engine which gives the framework the ability to easily handle transforming JSON data as well as processing multiple simultaneous connections with ease. By being able to process thousands of connections Node.js is readily scalable from the simplest operations to large and complex ones. For more information on how successful projects can incorporate Node.js development visit this page: https://tsh.io/services/web-development/node/.

Cross-Functional Development Teams

It used to be that when developing apps teams were created for the various phases. A team for coding, a team for testing, a team for deployment, and a team for maintenance. This provided a large scope for errors to manifest and communication to breakdown. Due to Node.js been a framework based on both front-end and back-end principles and design philosophies one team can be created to manage all the phases of development. For the disciples of agile development, Node.js became a dream solution.

Cross-Platform Development

Developments of several platforms on top of the Node.js framework have allowed for the development of apps, in particular the desktop versions, across macOS, Windows, and Linux reducing the need for multiple specialized developers. This allows the same team to develop an app without needing a specialist in a native language. This further allows teams to become full-stack experts capable of both front-end and back-end development.

Long-term Support

In a recent survey, 61% of Node.js developers considered long term support an important factor for consideration. By ensuring long-term support for a framework, developers can plan future developments as well as future proof existing ones. Node.js does have long-term support and a continuous development cycle much to the relief of developers. New releases are actively maintained for 18 months after release empowering developers to look ahead when developing apps.

Conclusion

The above list is by no means comprehensive but it does highlight key features that have attributed to Node.js’s popularity amongst developers as well as large companies needing fast development cycles to remain competitive. For the foreseeable future, Node.js will continue to grow and enable developers to become experts in multiple disciplines.