What is Node.js and What is it Used For?

Frameworks are a crucial component when developing an application. A software framework provides a standard outline that is customizable to build and deploy applications. More specifically, a software framework is a universal, reusable software environment that provides a variety of generalized functionalities that can be specialized as part of a larger software platform to help speed up the development of software applications.

Here at Swan Software Solutions, our developers use many exceptional frameworks to create quality applications for our clients. One of these frameworks is Node.js.

What is Node.js? 

Node.js is an event-driven asynchronous I/O framework, that makes use of Chrome’s V8 JavaScript Engine, written in C/C++ and JavaScript.

It has become one of the most popular frameworks used by developers today due to its relative simplicity, and versatility. Many large corporations have used Node.js as the backbone for their mobile apps such as Netflix, PayPal, Capital One, and eBay.

What is Node.js used for?

Node.js is most commonly used to support single-page, and real-time apps, known as SPAs and RTAs.

Used in SPA applications, the framework has a chance to flex its event-driven muscles to simultaneously receive new requests and user input, resulting in seamless data and information updates on both the user and development ends of the application.

Node.js is also used in RTAs, and online chat rooms – most notably, Slack. The event-driven aspect of the framework is very capable and efficient at handling heavy Input/Output functions such as video and audio requirements of common collaboration tools.

Advantages of Node.js

So let’s take a look at some of the benefits when using node.js to support the development of your app.

Smoothly Processes Simultaneous User Requests

Due to Node.js’s asynchronistic I/O characteristics, any application built with the framework has no trouble processing hundreds of thousands of simultaneous user requests. The result is little to no data flow interruption which in turn provides faster application performances and less RAM consumption. Also, its use of the Chrome V8 software engine, developed by Google, instantaneously converts JavaScript code, to machine code allowing for clean and efficient execution.

Supports Microservices Design Patterns

As trends continue to grow towards microservices design patterns, much of today’s software development world is in demand for technologies that will integrate well with this design process. Developers use microservices design patterns to accelerate application releases. Node.js provides a strong and secure framework of which microservices design patterns can be built upon.

More and more developers and app owners are using Node.js to streamline the development of their apps. Do you have experience using the framework? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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