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Node.js

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Description

Node.js

What is Node.js?

Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that executes JavaScript code outside of a web browser. Built on Google Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, Node.js is designed for building scalable, high-performance network applications—particularly web servers and APIs. It uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it efficient and ideal for data-intensive, real-time applications.

How to use Node.js?

  1. Download and install Node.js from the official website.

  2. Use the built-in npm (Node Package Manager) to install packages and dependencies.

  3. Run JavaScript files via the terminal using the node command:

    node app.js

  4. Build web servers, RESTful APIs, CLIs, or backend services with frameworks like Express.js, Nest.js, or Fastify.

Node.js's Core Features

  • Asynchronous and non-blocking architecture
  • Fast execution powered by V8 engine
  • Built-in package manager (npm) with access to millions of libraries
  • Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • Ideal for microservices, real-time applications, and RESTful APIs
  • Strong ecosystem with support for TypeScript and various frameworks
  • Extensive community and documentation

Node.js's Use Cases

  • #1 Building fast and scalable RESTful APIs
  • #2 Developing real-time apps (chat, games, live dashboards)
  • #3 Creating server-side rendering (SSR) web apps
  • #4 Automating tasks with command-line tools (CLIs)
  • #5 Building microservices architectures in cloud-native apps
  • #6 Handling I/O-heavy workloads like file uploads or streaming

FAQ from Node.js

Is Node.js only for backend development? Primarily, yes. Node.js runs server-side JavaScript, but it can also be used to build full-stack apps using frameworks like Next.js.

What is npm? npm is the default package manager for Node.js, used to install and manage JavaScript libraries and tools.

Is Node.js suitable for large-scale applications? Yes. Node.js powers large applications like Netflix, PayPal, and LinkedIn, thanks to its scalability and performance.

Does Node.js support TypeScript? Yes. Node.js supports TypeScript through transpilers like tsc or build tools like esbuild and Babel.

How does Node.js differ from traditional servers like Apache? Node.js uses a single-threaded, event-driven model instead of spawning new threads for each connection, making it more efficient for high-concurrency tasks.

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