Today, we all use popular brands like Netflix, Twitter, and Uber in our daily lives. And now, these companies are our top choices because they run so smoothly. But the question arises, “How do these companies give their users a seamless experience every day?”. Node.js development! The key to their success, indeed! The majority of well-known companies use Node.js as their backend development platform. Its fabulous features have made the lives of developers and businesses so much easier. Apart from that, if you are choosing a platform for the web or mobile development of your company, it’s important to know its long-term viability.

A website or application is the visual representation of your business, and choosing an appropriate framework for it comes with a lot of questions, such as, How will your brand benefit from these frameworks or developments? Why are these leading companies like Netflix and PayPal using Node.js development services? Why is Node.js popular and considered one of the best backend development technologies? What features make Node.js the best among other technologies? Struggling with such a question is apparent while choosing the platform for the web development project.

Don’t freak out! We’ll answer all of your questions in this blog to help you understand why node.js is chosen over other technologies. Today, most businesses prefer to hire Node.js developers for backend development. But it sometimes confuses individuals because it is neither a framework nor a language. It is a combination of both, and as a result, it can be a technology or an environment. Node.js can be defined as an open-source, cross-platform framework that works in a Javascript runtime environment and is based on Google’s most powerful V8 engine. Node.js has entered the market with outstanding features. One of the most helpful features is that it can work on both front-end and back-end development simultaneously. It also works perfectly with a browser as a runtime. It works very seamlessly in server-side development and has a very efficient and lightweight runtime environment. Its most prominent feature is its ability to handle multiple, countless connections concurrently and very quickly, with an extremely fast response time. That’s why these big giants like LinkedIn, Twitter, Netflix, and many more are using Node.js as their web development process.

What is Node.js?

Ryan Dahl first introduced Node.js in 2009 to increase the use and effectiveness of Javascript. Earlier, Javascript was only used for front-end development. After the collaboration of Node with JavaScript in the tech world, it greatly contributed to the market's growth. Node.js lets developers construct client- and server-side apps using the same code. Node.js' fast response time makes it ideal for real-time applications. Also, with its non-blocking I/O and an event-driven model, brand’s engagement with their customers increases because it handles hundreds of thousands of connections concurrently.

Let’s take the example of the most popular online video streaming service worldwide: Netflix. It has reduced its server startup time from 40 minutes to one minute by using Node.js in backend development. Its event-driven architecture and asynchronous nature help applications run smoother and faster. These amazing features made developers choose Node.js over other technologies.

How Does Node.js Work?

Node.js allows developers to run Javascript outside the browser. With its event-driven and single-threaded technology, it can handle millions of requests without rejecting them, giving a seamless and highly efficient user experience. Netflix, the biggest online video streaming server worldwide, is using Node.js as their web development process. Millions of people use Netflix at the same time, and Netflix handles these requests simultaneously without interrupting the seamless user experience. The Node.js event-driven architecture and its I/O model make this real-time platform more reliable and scalable. The company also made it easier to integrate microservices into the existing system. Still, how does NodeJS work on the back end? Take PHP as an example of a backend programming language. Node.js uses a single thread to handle all concurrent requests and does not block a single request as it is based on an asynchronous event. PHP is based on multiple-threaded web servers, and it can’t proceed further if even one request is blocked. Additionally, you can build feature-rich, scalable applications from scratch using Node.js' non-blocking I/O model.

Benefits of Choosing Node.js for Web Development

Before comparing Node.js vs. other frameworks, we’ll walk you through all of its benefits. We have lined up some of the advantages to using the Node.js runtime environment:

The runtime environment is highly scalable and can expand along with your business.
It can work with multiple hosting providers for a good web app.
It comes with effective caching abilities.
It is highly extensible in nature.
The coding process and developing expertise in Node.js are easy to understand.

What Makes Node.js So Popular?

There are different technologies on the market, but since the advent of Node.js, businesses have seen critical growth. This growth tends to attract other people to use Node.js, which leads to its huge popularity. Currently, it is the most famous technology that is being used by prominent brands. And it has surpassed the great number of reviews from developers and businesses as well. Node.js has some extraordinary features that have increased its popularity, and some of them are:

The V8 Engine

Node.js has been built on the most efficient and potent version of Google’s V8 engine. It also includes a set of powerful libraries. Node.js is meant to work with JavaScript to provide authentic solutions for front-end and back-end development simultaneously. It has a huge core library that is written in JavaScript. (Real-time applications are those that work in real-time and send instant information between users and servers. Push notifications allow real-time applications to function more effectively because they ultimately fulfil the purpose of real-time applications.) Ryan Dahl, who was the founder of Node.js, worked hard to execute the idea of creating websites using push functionality. This functionality helped developers a lot and worked well to drive the I/O paradigm forward.

One Single Coding Language

Previously, JavaScript only worked on front-end development. The founder of Node.js collaborates on Node with JS, as in JavaScript, to increase work efficiency and simultaneously decrease processing time. The base code language of Node.js is Javascript only, and due to this, it can’t work on multiple languages. The majority of developers worldwide use Javascript as their primary language. Its enormous features and high work efficiency made it so popular. As developers are already using Javascript for front-end development, learning Node.js for both is not a big task for them. Even this platform has eased the task by simplifying the development process.

Cross-Platform Usability

Node.js is an incredibly versatile platform that empowers developers to utilize a single code base on the server side for various platforms. This cross-platform compatibility saves valuable time and resources across multiple operating systems like Linux, Unix, Windows, Mac OS, and more.

Quick Development process

One of the remarkable benefits of Node.js is its ability to expedite the development process. Node.js improves productivity by enabling code reuse across multiple platforms. The capacity to process multiple requests at once also contributes to the server's efficiency and speed.

Scalable

In terms of reliability, Node.js stands out among other technologies as a preferred choice for many developers. Its flexibility can elevate your company by accommodating growth seamlessly. With its increasing popularity in the tech world, Node.js proves itself as a scalable solution capable of meeting evolving needs. Because of this, the Node.js community is quickly growing.

What Makes Node.js different from other Back-end Programming Frameworks?

One of the best and most promising parts of Node JS is that it can handle asynchronous events with the help of JavaScript callbacks. This feature makes Node.js stand out from other back-end technologies. Node.js employs a single-threaded architecture, which enables it to respond quickly. Other back-end technologies, such as PHP, JSP, and.NET, are compatible with web servers with multiple threads. In this system, the number of threads will be limited. If you exceed the framework's thread limit, throughput decreases. Multi-threaded systems have many challenges for developers and consumers. Learn why Node.js is preferred to other server-side frameworks by reading the points listed below.

Under heavy load, memory is used to a large extent.
Threads have to wait until all other tasks are done.
When there are a lot of threads, context-switching and scheduling greatly increase.

To handle millions of concurrent requests simultaneously, startups and large organizations are using Node.js.

Popular Backend Technologies Other Than Node.js

Growth in the use of various backend technologies for mobile and web development is forecast to skyrocket in the near future. The most popular alternatives to Node.js for backend development are briefly discussed in this article. Read it with me here.

PHP

Backend development for both large and medium-sized applications frequently utilizes PHP. It's widely used by programmers all around the world. When contrasting PHP vs. Node.js, keep in mind that PHP uses an event-driven model for its development environment. Developers face difficulties establishing a true real-time connection with the server. On the other hand, Node.js is the ideal choice for real-time applications.

Python

Python is one of the most popular programming languages because it is easy to learn. Python can be used for both small and large software projects. Even though Python may create speedy and useful programs, it performs poorly compared to Node.js.

.NET

.NET is a formidable rival to Node.js. It's common practice to use it for both backend and frontend work. Due to its extensive language support, this technology is ideal for creating lightweight apps. Web, desktop, and mobile applications are all possible because of to.NET's support for cross-platform development. You have the option of writing either synchronous or asynchronous code in.NET development. In contrast, Node.js employs an asynchronous programming model. It means you have to use asynchronous code, which makes the CPU work more efficiently because it does not have to switch between threads.

Java

Java has been around for more than 27 years in the industry. It is a high-level, strong, and safe programming language. In reality, it can be put to use in enterprise-wide initiatives to manage intricate tasks like data processing and elaborate calculations. In terms of development time, Node.js is much more efficient than Java while also being simple to pick up and use.

A Brief Comparison of Node.js and Other Backend Technologies

For powerful backend development, there are multiple technologies, frameworks, and programming languages available on the market. Every technology has its own importance and use and delivers the most amazing results in frontend development. Why are these biggest companies shifting to Node.js? What makes Node.js a very powerful and useful backend technology among others? Has Node.js been a successful technology for startups? What major differences does Node.js have from other programming languages? So, it's our turn to address every query of yours to help you learn why the Node.js backend developer community is increasing rapidly and bringing success to businesses. Let’s dive into it!

NodeJS vs Java

Now comes the turning point! The market is flooded with different technologies for backend development. But! When it comes to server-side development, what would be your choice, Node.js or Java?

While introducing Node.js to the tech community, Ryan Dahl was frequently questioned about the importance of the platform and the reasons for choosing it over competing technologies. Even today, this is the most asked question. Both of these have their own importance, and comparing each of them gives a different output. Java has a different fanbase for Android development, and here it is preferred more than Node.js. While Node.js is most likely to be used for desktop application development, here it gives exponential outcomes. Node.js is the most commonly used and preferred platform to build real time mobile and web applications. Those applications that run millions of concurrent connections simultaneously, such as online gaming apps and eCommerce applications, prefer Node.js for their backend development. Node.js’s microservices architecture is very easy to use, and it also helps make your app more robust and scalable. When talking about Java, it has a large codebase that is used to develop CPU-bound and CPU-intensive applications. Java is preferably employed with relational database management systems. As it uses typed resources, it is easy for developers to fix bugs, which leads to ease in the maintenance of the application.

Node.js vs. PHP

PHP is widely recognized as a highly effective language for server-side development and administration. Its most common applications are in database administration and content management. Although fewer lines of code are needed for PHP development, the NodeJS technology stack offers simpler functionality when it comes to reusing existing code. Node's improved code execution performance makes it a better choice for service call transmission of server-side data. Services that will utilize a relational database or content management system are good candidates for PHP development because of the limitations of Node's server management features. PHP also facilitates less-authoritative code reuse in the software development industry. In addition, Node.js expedites server data export via service calls and improves processing speed.

Node.js vs. Python

When it comes to server-side simulation and machine learning, Python is a strong and adaptable language. The best backend technology for developing real-time web apps is widely agreed upon to be Node.js. Node, unlike Python, is asynchronous by default, providing greater flexibility. Python is comparable to Java in that both are object-oriented languages. Python is better for big projects, costly calculation models, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and complex web app development than Node.js. Using Python's library framework, complex application logic may be simplified with relative ease. However, due to its architecture, performance is difficult, and uninterpreted support calls for technical know-how.

Node JS vs. Dot NET

.NET development offers project back ends and front ends in several languages. .NET is a free framework that is an excellent option for projects that are on the smaller or medium-sized side. .NET's main purpose is to create cross-platform services, websites, and desktop applications. A developer must employ asynchronous code while contrasting .NET with Node.js, which boosts CPU speed and performance by preventing unnecessary context switches between running threads.

See more: Node.js Web Development Tools

Is Node.js the Best Option for Backend programming, and Why?

Backend development is a key component of the entire procedure for developing software. When you hire NodeJS developers, it's important for them to pay attention to this and use the NodeJS tools to make your app stronger. Let's check out the advantages of using Node over other frameworks to create applications' backends.

When processing massive amounts of data in real time, Node.js excels. Data collection, visualization, and dashboard presentation are all made feasible by Node.js. Keep in mind that HTTP requests and answers are typically rather lengthy data streams.
Node provides several features that may be unavailable in an event-based setting, making Node.js backend development a breeze.
Node.js's efficiency can be attributed to the fact that it stores information in native JSON.
There is a sizable group of developers behind it that is constantly making improvements. It's capable of streaming data at a very high level. It is also suitable for developing cross-platform software, regardless of the underlying operating system.
Since Node.js is asynchronous and provides async methods, it may process many requests simultaneously. Server operations are sped up since the processes are often processed in a single thread rather than being queued.
Node.js applications can be easily scaled and run more efficiently.
The learning curve for Node.js is low. Hiring Node.js specialists might help you save money on development costs as the number of people skilled in this language continues to rise. Several guidelines can help you save money while hiring a Node.js development team.

Ready to Develop a Durable NodeJS App with a Process-Concerned Team?

Use the great developers at JPLoft and the Node tool, which is really changing the way web apps are made. And when you hire Node.js developers, you may want to bring on full stack developers who can help you with both back-end and front-end web development. Well, it's not easy to find a team of workers who are both skilled and experienced. So, if you need help with Node.js app development, you can count on JPLoft. We have more than 150 experts on our team who can handle even the hardest and most complicated jobs. Also, our Node.js team will use the benefits of Node.js technology to make an application that can be scaled up without affecting its speed. Connect with us to talk about your projects and see how we can help you make the best Node.js web apps.