The worldwide usable JavaScript is getting popular everywhere now with the help of entering the world of server-side development. It came into the developing world to make noise and, most importantly, improve the backend development.
If you think of learning this technology, using it or choosing for your project, the first step is constantly checking out its advantages and disadvantages and what you can expect. Here we bring you the cons and pros of the lovely Node.js.
Pros Of Using Node.Js
Easy To Learn
Since nearly every frontend ninja understands this universal programming language, it is much more comfortable for them to switch to using Node.js at the backend. And for beginner NodeJS developers, it demands less effort and time to learn and work with it.
Freedom In Building Apps
While Ruby on Rails is a framework that imposes rules and guidelines for developing software in a particular way, Node.js gives you much more space and freedom to do it your way. Node.js is entirely unopinionated, meaning you start building everything from scratch. It can execute basic tasks but gives you only the bare minimum from a fresh install, making it less restricted.
Fullstack JS
Before Node.js, Javascript was only used for client-side development, and using a different server-side programming language was essential. Companies had to hire individual devs for the back and front ends. With the growing rage of Node.js, full-stack JavaScript evolved into a reality. Now, it is possible to write both the front and back end of web applications in Javascript, creating app deployment much easier and more efficient.
Open-Source Community
The Node.js developer community is a very active and vibrant group of creators who contribute to constant progress of Node.js. Thanks to the collaboration of JavaScript programmers and their input to the community, you get access to many ready solutions, codes in Github and many more opportunities. Even though it is still at a relatively early stage of development, the assembly is dynamically evolving, and its members go the extra mile to provide others with the best and most reliable solutions.
Multi-Request Handling
Node.js provides a non-blocking IO system that lets you process numerous requests. The system handles accompanying requests much better than in other languages like Ruby or Python. Incoming requests are queued up and executed consecutively in a fast manner. In effect, your app will take up much less system RAM, achieve high scalability statuses and, as a result, perform faster.
Cons Of Using Node.Js
Unstable API
One of the most significant drawbacks of Node.js is that it lacks consistency. Node.js'Node.js' API changes continually, and the changes are often backwards-incompatible. When this happens, programmers are forced to change the current code base to agree with the latest version of the Node.js API.
More Development Time
The fact that Node.js is unopinionated can also be seen as a drawback by some developers. Ruby on Rails provides you with many directions from a fresh install and guides you into their way of doing things, but with Node.js, you need to write everything from scratch. It might result in a decrease in productivity, slowing your work down. However, you do not have to worry about efficiency if you cooperate with an experienced team of programmers who have internally developed an exemplary process for developing and maintaining code.
Not Suitable For Heavy-Computing Apps
Node.js doesn'tdoesn't support multi-threaded programming yet. It can serve much more complex applications than Ruby, but it needs to be more suitable for performing long-running calculations. Heavy computations block incoming requests, which can lead to a decrease in performance. While Node.js is perfect for complex apps, it might perform less effectively in the case of software requiring some heavy computing.
Immaturity Of Tools
Even though the core Node.js is stable, many packages in the npm registry (pre-installed node package manager that organises the installation and management of third-party Node.js programs) still need to be of better quality or be appropriately documented. As it is primarily an open-source ecosystem, numerous tools have yet to be supervised, so they might lack quality and fail at meeting coding standards. The npm'snpm's structure makes it harder to spot reliable packages. Therefore, you need more experienced developers who can find tools that can be trusted.
Conclusion
Node.js is still an immature environment in some aspects and many programmers may need help finding it suitable for their projects. However, in many cases, Node.js proves to be much more efficient. Many big and famous industry-leading companies have trusted Node.js in producing their applications, and they've already experienced positive results. It is worth considering this technology after consulting with the technology experts and ensuring that this is what you need for your product.
Don't hesitate to contact our expert team if you need a dedicated Node.js team! With our full-cycle web development services, we build turnkey software solutions for any application.
