Wondering why so many brands such as Paypal, LinkedIn, Netflix, Uber, GoDaddy are found leveraging the power of Node.js technology? Read away the following post that focuses on what Node.js is, its importance and types of applications developed using the Node.js technology.
Since its inception in 2009, the growth of Node.js has been pretty smooth. Now if you are a tech-savvy or an ardent follower of technologies then I am sure that Node is not a new subject for you. However if not, then do read the following post to get a better understanding of why the tech seems to have successfully grabbed attention of tech enthusiasts in the shortest amount of time. Also you can read best practices to consider for Node.js that can assist you well in organizing and managing your Node.js applications.
Node.js Development is Here to Stay!
Node.js technology is a Javascript runtime environment featuring a formidaible ecosystem. The technology turns out to be lightweight, scalable and efficient and of course it is built on Chrome’s V8 Javascript Engine. Creating highly scalable web apps is the need of the hour and Node turns out to be a backbone for developing dynamic web apps. So if you are looking for a lightweight framework, high scalability, faster web development, high scalability and more.
Now when you are conducting any development project there are certain factors that must be taken into account such as scalability, how is the speed and performance, what are the limitations of the chosen technology, etc. There is no denying the fact that Javascript has and is ruling the software development world. And Node.js turns out to be its best weapon in the arsenal. More and more industries such as healthcare, retailers, education, are found making the tech their go-to-choice. Here’s why you need to do it too?
Why Consider Node.js over other Technologies?
- Real-time Applications
- Easy scalability and best performance
- Turns out to be a cost-effective option
- Easy to learn
- Easily adaptable
- Building cross-functional teams is possible
- Large and active community
- Enhanced app response time and performance
- Hghly extensible
- Reduces load time
- Cross-platform development is possible
What Kind of Applications can be Build using Node.js?
1. Real-time Chats
One of the most common yet crucial type of application to consider is real-time chat. It acts as an online communication tool enabling live transmission of different types of messages. Real-time chats are pretty much in vogue these days, whether its Facebook, Instagram or any other social network, commercial sites, etc.
Now how does Node.js play its role here? Well, the technology has the ability to provide all the basic functionalities which can be used to create real-time apps irrespective of its complexity. The Event API ensures that implementing push notifications and server-side events becomes a cakewalk.
Another interesting aspect of Node.js development is the two-way exchange of messages is pretty quick. This happens due to Websockets protocol. With the help of socket.io, ws, or websocket-node, deploying real-time chats and applications is easy.
2. Single-Page Applications
Node.js is pretty much known for developing single page applications (SPAs). Unlike other technologies, here developers no longer need to load an entire new page. Instead the app automatically rewrites the current page. So as the end-user, they get similar user experience to that of a desktop application.
So what kind of apps can be created using Node.js? Right from social Networking Apps, Project Management Applications, and so forth. One of the finest examples of a Single Page Application is Gmail. Further I would like to mention some crucial reasons of using Node.js for creating SPAs.
- It features Robust Enviornment
- Heavy workloads can be handled with great efficiency
- Same language and data structure is being used
- Creating complex APIs is no big-deal
- Development speed increases
3. Social Media Apps
Node.js is one of the best technologies used to develop social media applications. Though they might seem a bit challenging initially but after a while, everything is settled in its space! However, with your competitor doing so, it s quite obvious that you too aim to develop an app that stands out from the rest and here the Node technology comes to play! Featuring strong back-end infrastructure and fast load balancing, Nodejs ensures development of scalable and performant applications. Some of the best examples of Node.js include:
- Twitter Lite
4. Internet of Things
Who doesn’t know what is IoT- Internet of Things, the network of physical devices that tend to exchange relevant data using the internet. One single IoT comprises of a wide range of devices. So managing requests and data streams turns out to be quite easy.
Again why we need Node.js to develop IoT-based apps? The tech has remarkable ability to process numerous concurrent requests. To streamline things between IoT devices and the databases, Node.js is quite needed. Not to mention that its even-driven architecture saves the tech from getting blocked unnecessarily. Also, integrating seamlessly with single-board controllers like Arduino is no big deal here.
5. Real-Time Collaboration Tools
These kind of applications are pretty much used for co-browsing, managing different projects, sharing an application, collaboratively editing documents and whatnot, for example, Slack, Trello, Google Docs. If you have used these tools that you must be knowing that multiple users can edit the same document at the same time.
Node.js comprises WebSockets and Event API, this ensures that even heavy I/O operations are being performed without compromising the server. Trello offers best possible services since it comprises Node.js that features event-driven and non-blocking architecture.
Conclusion
Do I need to say anymore! Node.js is one of the most prominent web development technologies when one follows all the best practices of Node. After all, it is easy to learn, scalable, best in terms of performance, supports a large and active community, and so much more. Whether you want to create an app with heavy client-side rendering or heavy I/O and data-driven applications, look no further than Node.js technology. I hope you enjoyed reading the post! If yes, feel free to share it among your peers. And in case you still have any doubts or queries, regarding the Node technology, feel free to mention that in the comment section below.