Node JS is a server side JavaScript runtime environment; that is it utilizes JavaScript outside the browser space. It is built on the V8 JavaScript engine by Google optimised for use in the Chrome Browser. Node Js is so much loved for this feature of its Non-blocking model of I/O event-driven, this was make the frame work easily handle many connections at once and not slow down the main thread. This makes the data structure suitable for use in the application where there is frequent changing of the data like in the case of chat and online gaming and also in streaming. This Node Js tutorial for beginners will begin with some basic information about node js such as introduction to node js , its benefits, drawbacks and the areas where it can be used.
Key features of Node JS
Asynchronous programming: Node js works in multiple threads or you could also call it is event based, this nature enables it to perform many jobs at once but not interfere with the main thread. This leads to improved reliability and capacity, That is, performance and capability are increased.
Event-driven I/O: Node js is based on the event driven I/O model, therefore for each I/O operation, a callback is executed when the operation is complete. This makes it possible to handle several concurrent request.
Single-threaded event loop: In Node js the usage of the single-threaded event loop is used to manage asynchronous operations. This actually makes the programming model more simplified while at the same time aiding in decreasing the cost used when creating as well as maintaining the threads.
Cross-platform compatibility: Currently, node js supports the windows operating system, MAC OS, and Linux operating system. This makes it to be a right tool that may be applied on different development environments.
Rich ecosystem: In this case, another strength of Node js is that it comes with a large number of module and libraries through npm (Node Package Manager).