JavaScript plays a significant role in web development in the present scenario. This programming language is an accepted software development technology worldwide. This language started with a front-end development framework. It has gained popularity as the best cross-platform mobile development technique for many platforms like React Native, Apache Cordova or PhoneGap, Native Script and others.
The use of cross-platform JavaScript like Node.js for Web Development has gained popularity in recent years. It offers a scalable and fast platform for developing server-side applications in JavaScript. It has been identified that Node.js can manage real-time communication, heavy data loads, and high-performance web applications.
However, this open-source platform has also received criticism for its immature environments and heavy computation app development. Therefore, it becomes essential to understand different aspects of Node.js before implementing it for web development. So, let’s start with its pros.
Advantages Associated With Node.js For Web Development
1. Scalability
This open-source platform allows developers to develop applications in both vertical and horizontal orientations easily. The application can be scaled horizontally by adding extra nodes to the existing system. Node.js helps to include additional resources to single nodes during the scaling of the application vertically.
Hence, it is more scalable and provides superior alternatives to JavaScript servers. Moreover, it has non-blocking and event-driven I/O architecture that allows the developers to easily manage many requests while developing the web application.
2. High Performance
High performance is one of the important features of Node.js, which can build web applications more efficiently and quickly. Node.js has the multitasking ability that is beneficial for web application development. The unique design of the single-threaded or event-driven feature helps to process many simultaneous requests without RAM clogging. Moreover, the non-blocking I/O operations and event-loop execute the code, indirectly influencing the application’s overall performance.
3. Reduces Loading Time With The Use Of Caching
Many developers find that the Node.js Caching module is helpful to code re-execution and reduce task workload. Hence, it allows users to browse online sites fast without any hassle and wait longer.
4. Easy To Learn
Many NodeJS Development services or developers prefer to use this open-source platform for web development as it is easy to learn because it has much familiarity with the JavaScript programming language. When developing the web application on the backend, the developers find it easy to use Node.js. It has been identified that working with Node.js takes less time to develop the web application.
5. Large Community Support
It has been identified that millions of developers contribute to Node.js. You can find more development specialists and widespread cooperation from developers across the globe to address the development difficulties with Node.js for Web Development. For instance, IBM and NPM are the two biggest supporters that offer several libraries and tools to use Node.js in your project development.
Moreover, many popular tech companies like Google, Amazon, Netflix, and Facebook have significantly contributed to the node.js community. The high acceptance of this open-source platform by many development communities and tech giants ensures that it is the best platform to develop your web application.
6. Boosts Performance And Improves Response Time
Node.js use the single-threaded event-loop approach that helps to offer a non-blocking asynchronous design to the web development process. It has been identified that fewer resources are used in the design, which helps to enhance the responsiveness of your web app by handling different concurrent users. For instance, Netflix took 40 minutes with Java and JavaScript, but node.js helped reduce the time to under 40 seconds.
7. Extensibility
This open-source platform provides more extensibility, where it can be improved and modified to meet additional needs. The JSON format is used here to send data between the client and the web server. Moreover, it has the feature of APIs that is helpful for the construction of DNS, TCP, and HTTP servers.
8. Cost-Effective Option
It has been identified that a programmer can simply use the Node.js platform to develop front-end JavaScript codes and server-side JavaScript. Node.js for Web Development has many benefits as it saves money, energy, and time for the project’s overall development and reduces the need for two resource teams.
For instance, the development team of LinkedIn recently switched to Node.js from Ruby on Rails, as it helped them achieve high performance. In this process, they have lowered the server numbers from 30 to 3. This company started utilizing and delegating resources more effectively.
Disadvantages Associated With Node.js For Web Development
1. Lack Of Library Support
This platform lacks a robust and well-equipped library system compared to any other programming language. Thus, it is crucial to perform the processes like image processing, XML, Object-Relational Mapping (ORM), and database operations through a common library. This way, using Node.js is difficult for simple and easy programming tasks.
2. Unstable API
Many NodeJS Development services or developers face challenges with Node.js as the application programming interface is unreliable and changes frequently. Many incompatible changes are observed in the new APIs, so the developers need to update the existing code bases to understand the compatibility with the latest version of Node.js.
3. Asynchronous Programming Model
The asynchronous programming strategy is essential to develop a more scalable web app. However, a professional NodeJS Web Development Company or developer always finds the model more difficult than linear blocking I/O programming.
Conclusion
This open-source platform is beneficial for web development because of its scalability, high performance, reduced loading time, ease of learning, large community support, boosted performance and enhanced response time, extensibility, and cost-effective nature. However, it has some disadvantages, like a lack of library support, unstable APIs, and an asynchronous programming model.
Overall, it has been identified that Node.js for Web Development has more advantages than disadvantages. This platform can be used for both backend and front-end servers while developing the website. Therefore, choose the right NodeJS Development services to get a positive result for your web app.
