Exploring The Fundamentals Of Node.js

By Author: Kashif
Total Articles: 14
Comment this article

Node.js is an effective runtime environment for server-side JavaScript execution. We will explore the fundamentals of Node.js in this beginner-friendly post. We'll go over its installation procedure, essential features, and architecture.


Targeted Audience:
Anybody interested in learning about Node.js, from novices to ambitious developers, should read this article. It requires no prior expertise of server-side coding and only a basic understanding of JavaScript.


Use Cases:
Node.js is a flexible framework that is frequently used to create web servers, scalable network applications, real-time programmes like chat rooms, and more. Web developers can benefit from learning Node.js, especially if they want to expand their knowledge of server-side programming.


Article Composition:
We studied backend technology and backend programming languages in our earlier essay. We will now talk about Node.js, which is the most widely used backend language. This tutorial will walk you through using Node.js to create a basic web server.

Getting Started:
...
... You must have Node.js installed before you can begin constructing a Node.js web server. It should already be operational if you followed our earlier article. If not, you can get it from https://nodejs.org/, the official Node.js website.

Building a Basic Web Server:
Building a web server is quite simple using Node.js. An exemplary Node.js web server is shown here:

const http = require('http');

// Define the hostname and port
const hostname = '127.0.0.1';
const port = 3000;

// Create an HTTP server
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
res.statusCode = 200;
res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain');
res.end('Hello, World!\n');
});

// Listen on the specified hostname and port
server.listen(port, hostname, () => {
console.log(`Server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);
});

This code creates an HTTP server that is ready to receive requests, defines a hostname and port, and imports the http module. It says "Hello, World!" in response to a request.

Running Your Server:

Use the node command to launch the code after saving it to a file (such as server.js):

'node server.js'

The IP address of your server is currently http://127.0.0.1:3000/. It is available through your web browser.

We'll look at some of Node.js's more sophisticated features in our upcoming article, such as routing, responding to various kinds of requests, and database interaction. If you build upon this basis, using Node.js to create reliable online applications will come easily to you.

Advantages of Node js:

1)High Performance: JavaScript is natively compiled into native machine code using Google's V8 JavaScript engine, upon which Node.js is based. It is therefore perfect for high-traffic websites and real-time applications because to its remarkable speed and performance.

2)Non-blocking I/O: Node.js employs a non-blocking, event-driven I/O paradigm. This implies that it can manage several connections at once and proceed from one task to the next without waiting for the previous one to complete. This non-blocking feature is essential for applications that need real-time data and high concurrency.

3)Scalability: Developing scalable apps is a good fit for Node.js. Because of its event-driven architecture, which effectively manages many concurrent connections, it's a good option for microservices and applications with demanding scaling requirements.

4)The package manager NPM (Node Package Manager) is included with Node.js and is responsible for hosting a large collection of open-source libraries and modules. This vast network of easily accessible packages streamlines development, saving time and energy.

5)JavaScript All Over: By using Node.js for both the client-side and server-side (front-end) programming languages, programmers may leverage JavaScript across the application stack. Code reusability can be increased and the development process streamlined by unifying the language used.

Limitations of Node js :

1)Single-threaded: Node.js's event-driven, single-threaded approach is useful for effectively managing multiple connections at once, but it isn't appropriate for CPU-bound jobs. CPU-intensive tasks might cause performance bottlenecks by blocking the event loop.

2)Callback Hell: When writing asynchronous code in Node.js, it's common to encounter callback hell, which makes it difficult to read and manage several nested callbacks. This can make it difficult to maintain the code.

3)Absence of Mature Libraries: Although Node.js has a robust library ecosystem, certain sectors, particularly those conventionally linked with alternative programming languages (e.g., scientific computing), might possess a smaller number of well-established libraries.

4)Restricted Support for Multi-core Processing: Due to its single-threaded architecture, Node.js is unable to fully utilise multi-core CPUs. In order to take advantage of multi-core capabilities, developers frequently need to employ extra tools and strategies.

5)Less Safe for Tasks Requiring a CPU: CPU-bound operations are not well suited for Node.js. A CPU-intensive task may cause the event loop to become blocked, which could pose a serious security risk by rendering the server unavailable to incoming requests.

We are grateful that you are interested in learning more about Node.js. Do not hesitate to contact us with any queries or recommendations.

With Node.js, you can do much more than just build a basic web server. As we work through these tutorials, you'll learn more about Node.js and develop your skills in creating server-side apps. Watch this space for more informative insights and fascinating Node.js lessons.

Credit – Kashif Patel (Backend Lead)

MetricsViews Pvt. Ltd.
MetricsViews specializes in building a solid DevOps strategy with cloud-native including AWS, GCP, Azure, Salesforce, and many more. We excel in microservice adoption, CI/CD, Orchestration, and Provisioning of Infrastructure - with Smart DevOps tools like Terraform, and CloudFormation on the cloud.
www.metricsviews.com