Creating highly-performant apps and dynamic page content is in the very center of many software developers’ daily duties these days, and that is exactly what Node.js performance may help them with. NodeJS simply enables creating web and mobile apps fast and efficiently, and they can be cutting-edge, and compelling enough by offering impressive speed and performance.
With Node.js, applications’ performance rises by even 50%, and development cost drops by as much as 58%.
What can tip the scales in this extremely competitive environment is being faster than others, and the latter may be achieved if you decide to use the right tools. These may be, for instance, low-code or no-code development tools (here’s a list) that – thanks to the drag and drop approach utilized – may be used not only by software developers but, oftentimes, also by business users.
But Node.js seems to shine exceptionally bright in this company. This free, open-source runtime environment, representing the „JavaScript everywhere” paradigm, is highly-performant and non-blocking and runs on multiple platforms, but that’s just a fraction of what Node.js may offer, not only in terms of performance. No wonder it is so willingly used in web and mobile app development – by both enterprises and startups.
In this article, the following threads will be discussed:
1. Node.js - when performance is your priority
2. Why Node.js = speed? A short explanation
3. Now you know why Node.js is fast!
Node.js - when performance is your priority
If you need your new app to be up and running quickly, Node.js may be the answer as it is simply the best choice for creating apps in terms of performance. This single-threaded runtime environment is perfect for creating dynamic web page content, browser games, data streaming apps, real-time collaboration tools and applications, chatbots, and wireless connectivity, to name but a few.
There are many world-renowned corporations who definitely put performance first that chose to use NodeJS in their top-tier, ultramodern products. These include household names such as AliExpress, Netflix, Microsoft, LinkedIn, eBay, Uber, PayPal, Groupon, Airbnb, Sony, Siemens, Google, IBM, and Trello that were able to achieve massive, undeniable success and tangible effects with it. For instance, utilizing Node.js lets Netflix limit the startup time from over 40 minutes to less than a minute.
Some industries where NodeJS may be a perfect match cover Media and Entertainment, Social Networking Services, eCommerce, Project Management, FinTech, Travel, Healthcare, and eLearning, to name but a few. Other interesting solutions that can be found there include building proxy servers, data streaming applications, wireless data connectivity, building API services, microservices, and news feeds, server-side rendering, online scheduling, and payment gateway integration.
Red more: Top 5 Types of Node.js Apps You Can Build
Why Node.js = speed? A short explanation
But why, in detail, is Node.js so fast and efficient? What Node.js has to offer is memory-efficient asynchronous programming and a non-blocking input-output model that eliminates the waiting time between particular requests and enables handling concurrent connections. Node.js is simply ready to consistently send requests - and handle the next request without the need to wait till the file system opens and reads the file.
Node.js is so performant because it operates on a single-thread event loop but also due to the use of Google's powerful V8 engine, also utilized in Chrome. On top of that, Node.js is lightweight and versatile, and there are dozens of its modern and proper use cases that can be found.
However, while NodeJS offers great speed and performance to applications or other products it is used for, it may be a little difficult to ever start doing it as it may be somewhat time-consuming to go through the extensive documentation and do all the necessary research.
Also, when talking about Node.js, scalable web applications are often discussed, but keep in mind that scalability and performance are not the same. While performance is about response time or the raw speed of an application, scalability describes its ability to „accommodate a sudden increase in demand”. What’s more, growing scalability may affect performance negatively.
Read more: Why use Node.js? Pros & Cons
Now you know why Node.js is fast!
Legendary Node.js performance, or Node.js speed, this runtime environment’s trademark, is something very down-to-earth, and very useful. It simply enables seizing opportunities efficiently, e.g. by allowing for quicker time to market and thus enabling gaining competitive advantage. Node.js obviously and notoriously helps support heavy traffic and handle multiple server requests at once in many web or mobile applications.
Thanks to Node.js, customer service experience and satisfaction can be increased efficiently, easily, and at a considerably low cost. Interestingly, this runtime environment can be used on both the web server and browser sides, with many open-source modules available, which makes it even more useful and beneficial. And Node.js also makes the process of software development easier. As for an application, it can be developed twice faster when compared to Java.
Why Node.js is fast is also no mystery for anyone. What makes it so time-efficient is handling multiple concurrent connections, and for that reason, high-traffic sites are where Node.js is utilized very often. It is highly performant and appreciated by a growing number of industries, companies, and software developers. Its incredibly strong position is reflected e.g. in the GitHub statistics. As of January 2022, it has over 84.000 stars and over 22.000 forks in this service.
And how do you find Node.js as a tool for creating cutting-edge apps? What are the other proper use cases you could recommend? Is providing impressive speed and great performance its top advantage to you? Do you know ways to make Node.js even faster and more efficient?
