What is Node.js and How it Helps

Imagine:

You’ve created a simple browser app, a mortgage calculator, a text analyzer etc. Everything was written in JavaScript as it all was in the browser.

Your project was growing and developing with time and got new features. Once you faced with a need to put the program to a powerful server. For instance, you wanted to add Telegram integration to your computer, and of course you need a server for this.

Obviously, you would have to rewrite your software using for example, Python or PHP. But having NodeJS, you can just copy and paste the existing code by rewriting the I / O, and your creation will continue to win the world.

This is Node.js actually.

It is not a separate programming language, but a system in which JavaScript runs autonomously from your browser.

Just like Python, Node.js can be installed on a server, and then your code will be executed on it, and the result of execution will be received by users. It allows you to create standalone applications using additional frameworks.

Where did Node come from?

Thanks to Ryan Dahl Node.js arrived in 2009. He was able to develop an event-driven system, and prior to that, “one thread per connection” was the only approach used on servers. That is, it reacts to action or inaction and allocates a resource for this. We can say that building scalable network servers is the main goal for Node.js.

Why Node.js is good

The concept of sequential program execution should be clear to you if you have already started to learn programming. The lines are executed alternately, one by one. In general, the program runs linearly, although it can sometimes jump back and forth or loop.

Node.js has a feature – it can execute code in parallel (relatively speaking). Programmers call this event handling. You can instruct the program: if this ever happens, execute this function, it will figure it out. Due to the fact that the processes are running in kind of parallel, it is possible to foresee many such events. The program can just sit and wait for something to happen.

And what is more, the processes are asynchronous: the program can make a request to the database for something in the beginning of the work. And the program will be busy with its processes while the database is being searched. And when the answer comes, it will take it and process it.

The appearance of hundreds of such concurrent events and handlers is possible during any node js app development . Each function in the circle is given CPU time in an infinite loop created by Node.js, which means that none of them will fight over the spoils. As a result, the illusion is created that they work in parallel and do not interfere with each other, but in fact they are rigidly controlled by themselves.

When building server-side applications, Node.js has an advantage precisely because of this even distribution of everything in the event loop.

What else is Node.js for

When creating services that require permanent exchange of information with the user, this system is also used for:

chats,
social networks,
project collaboration systems,
online text editors.

And you can write (by yourself or find node js developers for hire) almost any application on it and run it under Windows, MacOs or Linux. This principle allows the development of universal applications, because they must function on any platform, synchronize in real time and send data to a mobile device. A to-do list for example.

The use of Node.js is becoming very popular for smart kettles, scales and other household appliances lately. This is a prime example of how Node.js helps manage these devices by creating servers that handle a large number of requests at the same time.