No second thoughts about JavaScript should be considered as one of the most popular and widely used programming languages on the client side.
It is essentially used as a web front-end development tool and proves to be more than a handy customer to build cross-development platforms.
In fact, it has also earned a lot’s reputation in the development area due to its usage in various other popular platforms including React Native, PhoneGap, Titanium, Apache, NativeScript, Appcelerator, etc.
The implementation region for JavaScript has extended in the present situation and is now also being used for server-side programming. Node.js has indeed performed a significant part in this significant web development shift.
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About Node.js
Well, the easiest concept of Node.js is that it is a Javascript run-time environment that helps to execute server-side JavaScript applications. It is an open-source cross-platform JavaScript that assists in the growth of real-time network application.
It provides asynchronous and event-driven I / O APIs to developers. It can also translate JavaScript code via the Google V8 JavaScript engine.
It also works on a single threaded event-based loop to create all killings non-blocking. You can’t consider Node.js as a framework, however, and it has nothing to do with PHP,.NET or JAVA.
Let’s get down to the significant advantages and disadvantages of using Node.js as server-side programming.
The Advantage Node.js
1. Node.js offers an Easy Scalability
One of Node.js ‘ main benefits is that developers find it simple to scale apps in both horizontal and vertical directions. The apps can be horizontally scaled by adding extra nodes to the current scheme.
In addition, Node.js also provides you the choice to add extra resources to the single nodes during the application’s vertical scaling. It is therefore extremely scalable and offers stronger options than other JavaScript servers
2. Easy to Learn
Starting to use the Node.js at the backend becomes much simpler for them. Learning Node.js is simpler and it takes less time to work with it.
3. Node.js is used as a Single Programming Language
Node.js provides developers to write the JavaScript server-side applications. This enables developers of Node.js to use a runtime environment to write both the front-end and the back-end web application in JavaScript.
4. The Benefit of Fullstack JS
Node.js was considered to serve both client and server-side applications as a full-stack JavaScript.
5. Known for high performance
The speed of code execution is also improved by runtime environment as it supports non-blocking I / O operations.
6. Simultaneously handles the requests
The scheme can manage the simultaneous application effectively faster than others, including Ruby or Python. The incoming applications are set up and performed rapidly and systematically.
7. Node.js is highly extensible
The Node.js is considered to be extremely extensible, which implies you can customize and stretch Node.js according to their needs.
You can also use JSON to provide the capacity for information return between the web server and the client. It is also supported with built-in APIs to develop applications such as HTTP, TCP, and DNS.
The Disadvantage of Node.js
1. The Application Program Interface (API) is not stable
A fresh API sometimes tends to have an amount of reverse-incompatible modifications. As a result, developers are forced to create changes to the accessible application code to match the compatibility with the latest version of the Node.js API.
One of the main issues that most developers experience is the Application Programming Interface (API) that continues to change at frequent periods and does not stay robust.
2. Doesn’t have a strong library support system
Compared to other programming languages, JavaScript does not have a well equipped and strong library system.
3. Asynchronous model of programming
If you want to create apps more scalable, the required requirement is the implementation of an asynchronous programming model.
However, many developers may find this programming model more difficult compared to linear I / O blocking programming.
Another disadvantage of asynchronous programming is that the buttons appear to become messy and programmers have to rely on the nested calls.
The Conclusion
Node.js is more advantageous to developers compared to its disadvantages. More importantly, it has expanded the JavaScript implementation area and can obviously be used for both frontend and backend servers.
