Contrary to popular opinion among developers that Nodejs commonly called "Node" is a Framework. Some even refer to it as a library.
Well, I'm here to shock you a little.
Nodejs is neither a Framework nor a Library. It is like any other program which is installed and run on your computer.
Hmmm...🤔
Sounds strange, I guess. Well, that brings about the question, "What is Nodejs?"
Walk with me and let us explore a little bit into the world of Javascript.
What is Nodejs?
Nodejs is an open-source cross-platform Javascript runtime environment
It was created by Ryan Dahl in 2009
The LTS Version as of the time of this article: 18.12.1 Download here
It runs on OS X, Microsoft Windows, and Linux
Why call it a Cross-Platform and Runtime environment?
It is cross-platform because it supports different operating systems and runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and OS X.
Also, it is called a Runtime environment because it needs to be run before the Javascript code can be executed.
So, with all these being said, let's look at another important point
What is its purpose?
- Nodejs is a fast and lightweight program and as a result, it offers speed when processing data which involves client-server interaction. So it is ideal to use in real-time applications because it will handle it incredibly.
Benefits / Advantages of Nodejs
It provides high performance to Real-time Applications
It offers stability out of the box and is made easy for modern-day applications
Large Community Support: It's easy to get help when stuck because of its increasing popularity among developers
A good choice when building Full-stack applications since it can be used to build both the Frontend and Backend of applications thereby reducing the headache of choices for both development ends.
So, are there downsides to using Nodejs? Yes is the answer and we will look at them in the next section
Disadvantages of Nodejs
Much like every other thing on earth, there are good and bad sides to them. We will be looking at the drawbacks of Nodejs despite my admiration of the program.
With the increasing demand for Nodejs Developers, there seems to be a short supply of experienced Nodejs Developers to match the market demand for such skills.
Unstable API: One of the challenges faced with Nodejs is its lack of consistency from changes and updates with previous versions. It tends to make programmers go back to the old code base for updates to fit current trends so the system doesn't crash.
Tasks involving heavy computing reduce performance.
Conclusion
All in all, Nodejs is a wonderful tool for building scalable, full-stack applications as it runs in the browser and can be used to build server-side applications.
It offers speed and can be seen to be adopted by big tech companies, the likes of Netflix, Uber, PayPal, and Twitter.
Feel free to explore its waters.