What is Node.js?

Overview

Built on the V8 JavaScript engine in Chrome, Node.js is a single-threaded, cross-platform runtime environment. It is free and open-source software that allows you to create real-time and scalable network applications.

All your doubts will be resolved in this blog, so quickly have a view of the points to be discussed

Points to Ponder

What is NodeJS?
Why NodeJS?
Architecture of NodeJS
How does Node.JS work?
Use Cases for Node.js
Features of Node.JS
Applications of NodeJS
Advantages of NodeJS
Conclusion

Before we dive deep into NodeJS, we suggest you watch Node JS Course for a clear understanding.

What is NodeJS?

Node.js is an event-driven, asynchronous runtime for JavaScript that is based on the V8 JavaScript engine from Chrome.
Node.js provides a single-threaded event-io model that enables the orchestration of tasks that are being performed in parallel by using the event-callback/non-blocking approach.
The need for a large memory footprint is not necessary to support multiple connections.
Node.js can be used to implement a wide range of services in addition to developing web applications.
Servers and Backends
Frontends
Creating API
Microservices
Automation and scripting

Why NodeJS?

For creating server-side and network applications, Node.js has taken over as the standard tool. Why is this:
Node.js is very quick: Its library is incredibly quick at executing code because it was created using the V8 JavaScript engine from Google Chrome.
Node Package Manager (NPM): With more than 50,000 bundles, Node Package Manager makes it simple to import any functionality needed for an application.

Get 100% Hike!

Master Most in Demand Skills Now!

Architecture of NodeJS

The foundation of Node.JS is the single-threaded event loop model.
The JavaScript Event Loop Model serves as the foundation for the majority of its processing.
To better understand the Node.js architecture, let’s go through the following two scenarios:

Situation #1

The client sends a request to the server.

The event loop receives the request and records it.
The node can carry out non-blocking input-output operations thanks to the Single Thread Event Loop.

To determine whether the incoming request involves any database interaction or complex computations, it is first examined.
The aforementioned request is prepared because it doesn’t require any complicated operations, and the client is then sent the response.

Scenario #1 Diagram Explanation

In Case 1, the client contacts the server with request (a).
The Event Loop contains a record for Request(a).
The Event Loop then determines whether the request(a) contains any complex operations or database interactions.
Since the incoming request(a) does not involve any complex calculations, Node js immediately begins processing it, prepares the response, and sends it back to the client.

Situation #2

The client contacts the server with the request.
The client submits the request to the server, as can be seen above.

Architecture for Node.js

The Event Loop records the incoming request.
Following that, the Event Loop determines whether the incoming request involves any sophisticated operations, database queries, or file system interactions.
The Event Loop consults the Internal Thread Pool, a feature of the Nodejs Server, to determine whether the incoming request involves database interaction.

The Nodejs Server’s internal thread pool is made up of threads that are in charge of processing requests that involve communication with the file system or a database.
A thread, which is also referred to as a lightweight process, is a path of execution within a process.
The Event Loop checks the Internal Thread Pool thread’s availability to carry out the request.
The request is given to the thread if it is available.
The assigned thread is then in charge of processing the request, creating a response, and providing the Event Loop with it.
Finally, the response is returned to the client by the Event Loop.

Scenario #2’s explanation in a diagram

In Case 2, the client communicates request(b) to the server.
The Event Loop has Recorded Request (b).
The Event Loop then determines whether the request (b) involves interacting with a database or requires performing any complex operations.
Because the incoming request(b) involves interaction with the database and involves heavy computations, Node.js checks to see if there are any threads in the Internal Thread Pool that are free.
Request (b) is assigned to the thread as soon as it is determined that it is available to handle request(b).
The task of processing the request, composing the response, and sending it back to the client is then left to the thread.

How Does Node.js Work?

Node.js differs from other platforms in that it has a specific workflow application.
Because it runs as a single process, it doesn’t start a new thread for each request.
A thread is a group of instructions that the server must carry out.
Non-blocking I/O operations are used by Node.js; as a result, when a client sends a request to a web server, the single-threaded event loop picks it up and passes it to a worker thread for processing.
Node.js will move on to the next task instead of blocking the thread and wasting CPU power while it waits for a response.
It can manage a huge number of concurrent requests in this way.

Use Cases for Node.js

Node.js’s asynchronous architecture and non-blocking I/O capabilities make it a good choice for tasks requiring a lot of data or real-time analytics, popular use cases comprise:

Proxies on the server.

Using a non-blocking strategy, Node.js can handle a sizable number of concurrent connections.
It can be a productive server-side proxy that gathers information from various outside sources.
Node.js is sometimes used to create client-side applications that manage assets and proxy or stub API requests.

Dashboards for system monitoring

You can develop a web-based dashboard to asynchronously monitor the status of numerous services by using the event loop functionality of Node.js.
Live and real-time status reports are available for both internal and public services.

Features of Node.Js

Node.JS is a package that has been compiled.
Here is a quick summary of the top Node.JS features that have helped the framework become well-known over the years.

Object-oriented programming:

JavaScript is an object-oriented programming language, with some exceptions applications.
Some common object-oriented procedures aren’t supported by it.
The prototypal inheritance technique used by the language enables you to alter any prototype.
Once an object is defined, you can change anything by adding or removing methods and performing other operations.
The request and response model is the foundation of the entire web.

Two-way data binding.

All the changes in one data model have instantly reflected in related views thanks to the two-way data binding.

Request queuing is efficient because Node.JS handles multiple instances of requests at the same time. How is it handled by Node.JS?

Node.JS makes use of the non-block I/O system, which is optional. Higher priority is given to requests with quick responses.
In comparison to Python or Ruby on Rails, your web applications will run faster thanks to this preference order.
As Node.JS is dependent on JavaScript, it is simple to use.
Language acquisition is surprisingly simple for new speakers.
It’s interesting how much easier it is to install Node. JS.
On the official website’s download page, you can find the installers.

Applications of NodeJS

Internet of Things

IoT applications typically include multiple sensors because small data packets are frequently sent by IoT devices, which can lead to a large number of requests.

Node.js is a wise choice because it can quickly manage these concurrent requests.

Data streaming

Netflix and other companies use Node.js for streaming.

Node.js’s lightweight and quick nature, along with the fact that it offers a native streaming API application, are primarily to blame for this.

Users can pipe requests through these streams to stream data directly to their intended destinations.

Real-time chats

Due to its single-threaded asynchronous structure, Node.js is well suited to handling real-time communication.

It is frequently used to build chatbots and is simple to scale.

Additional chat features like multi-person chat and group chat are also easily developed using Node.js.

Advantages of NodeJS

Among the many benefits, some are:

It is both scalable and lightweight.
Lowers the amount of code needed to deliver high performance.
The non-blocking input-output module addresses performance issues because it uses asynchronous programming.
It is simpler to use thanks to Node.js modules, which resemble a collection of javascript files.
It is very effective because it can handle numerous requests.