Node.JS Introduction

Node.js is a purely open-source JavaScript runtime environment and it built on Google Chrome’s V8 JavaScript Engine. In 2009, Ryan Dahl has implemented a Node.js and it uses an event-driven, non-blocking (asynchronous) I/O model so by using Node.js we can create highly scalable and cross-platform server-side applications.

Generally, we can execute JavaScript code or file only in client-side but by using Node.js we can execute JavaScript code or file in the server-side to generate dynamic web content based on our requirements.

Node.js is same as PHP, Java or Asp.Net but the only difference is Node.js will operate on a single thread event loop using asynchronous I/O calls. By using Node.js, we can build a different type of applications such as command-line applications, web applications, chat applications, REST API services, etc. based on our requirements.

Node.js is a lightweight framework that includes minimum modules while creating an application and we can include other modules based on our application requirements. There are thousands of open-source libraries are available for Node.js and most of them are hosted on the npm website. Now a day’s, Node.js is officially supported by all major operating systems like Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.

Why Node.js?

• Node.js is a completely free and open-source server-side JavaScript framework.
• Node.js will run on JavaScript so we can use the same language for both server and client-side.
• By default, Node.js is an asynchronous event-driven JavaScript runtime so it will provide better performance when compared with other frameworks.
• Node.Js will operate on a single thread event loop using non-blocking (asynchronous) I/O calls to support thousands of concurrent connections.
• By using Node.js, we can build command-line applications, web applications, REST services, etc. based on our requirements.
• Node.js is a cross-platform framework and it will run on all major operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac OS, etc.). 

Where we can use Node.js?

• Node.js is useful in a single page and streaming applications.
• We can use Node.js to build real-time applications like chat rooms, online games, weather apps, etc. based on our requirements.
• We can create server-side applications just like PHP, Asp.Net, Java, etc.
• Node.js is suitable for prototyping and agile development.
• We can use Node.js as a full fledged server.