Node.js#
Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that executes JavaScript code outside a web browser. It’s built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine and uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, making it lightweight and efficient.
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Key features of Node.js include:
Asynchronous and Event-Driven: Node.js uses a single-threaded event loop model, allowing it to handle concurrent operations efficiently without the overhead of thread context switching.
NPM (Node Package Manager): A vast ecosystem of open-source libraries and tools, facilitating rapid development and code reuse.
Built-in modules: Provides core modules for file system operations, networking, cryptography, and more, without requiring external dependencies.
Cross-platform compatibility: Runs on various platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Scalability: Well-suited for microservices architecture and can be easily scaled horizontally.
Stream API: Allows processing of data in chunks, making it ideal for tasks like file I/O and network communications.
Child Processes: Supports spawning child processes, enabling CPU-intensive tasks to be offloaded.
Cluster module: Facilitates load balancing across multiple CPU cores.
Node.js is particularly effective for building scalable network applications, RESTful APIs, real-time applications (e.g., chat systems, gaming servers), and data streaming applications. It’s widely used in enterprise environments and powers many high-traffic websites.