Over the last 60 years or more, many programming languages have been programmed and widely used. Each of them worked perfectly well for the time during which they came. However, most of these languages are no longer in use. With time, they were replaced by enhanced and advanced languages. 

The fundamental rationale for the requirement of an advanced programming language is that most of the earlier languages were invented to fulfill a specific purpose and the languages fulfilled that job perfectly well. However, with time the purpose differed, and soon they were unable to support it. 

The primary question arising here is, ‘Are any of the existing tools that are being used today going to stay relevant in the upcoming future?’ The answer to this thought is, ‘There might be and that is Node.js’

About Node.js

Node.js is an open-source, back-end, JavaScript runtime environment. The tool’s unique feature is that it executes JavaScript code outside a web browser. This is a cross-platform runtime environment for developing networking applications and developing server-side. Node.js applications are written in Javascript and they run with the Node.js runtime on Microsoft Windows, OS X,and Linux. This is a lightweight tool that is extensively used by market-leading   technology players such as LinkedIn, Uber, Netflix, Paypal, etc.

As per Wikipedia, “Node.js is a packaged compilation of Google’s V8 JavaScript engine, the libuv platform abstraction layer, and a core library, which is itself primarily written in JavaScript.”

Node.js enables users to put JavaScript to use everywhere i.e. front-end, middle-ware, and the back-end, anywhere and on any browser, including Linux, Windows, and macOS. Thus, Node.js fits in some of the popularly used web development stacks like MEAN stack, MEVN stack, and MERN stack.

Features of Node.js

•  Built on Google Chrome V8 JavaScript Engine: The runtime environment of Node.js is built on the Google Chrome V8 JavaScript engine, which makes it readable across platforms. 
• Packages/Modules: Node.js comprises Node Package Manager (NPM), which is a repository of more than 350,000 packages. This helps users to get their application or project off the ground with ease and more efficiency. 
• Single-Threaded I/O Model: With Node.js, code is run in a synchronized manner. Majorly, server requests and other asynchronous tasks rely on a system of promises or await functions in order to handle those inputs and outputs. 

Why is Node.js Popularly Used ?

Experts believe that with the in-built characteristics that Node.js brings to the users, it is here for a longer- term. Before we discuss why it is the future, one needs to know the reason as to why it is being widely. The reasons are listed below:

Suits well for front-end web Development – 

We live in a world where user experience is of prime importance, and node.js has made it possible to give the best possible experience. Web apps a few years ago were not even a percent complex as they are today, but any level of complexities can be handled today, and all credit goes to the power of Node.js. The introduction of Node cut short the time of any complexities that are found in the user interface. It is perfect for developing tailor-made platforms.

Perfect for Mobile App development – 

Earlier, the biggest issue for business owners was spending double time and money on their mobile app development companies , one for their iOS and other Android. Tools such as React Native have eliminated the need to build separate applications. Now you don’t need separate developers for the two platforms, all you need is a node.js developer.

Great for Backend Web Development – 

There was a time when the web pages took minutes to load completely. How long does it take now? It is all because node.js is an excellent tool for back-end web development.

Why do Developers and Businesses Prefer it?

Perhaps the biggest reason is the ease to learn and code. When something is easy to learn, a lot of people are able to learn it. This makes sure there is enough talent in the pool. It guarantees that the competition is high, which gives companies an advantage – the developers do not come with hefty price tags. It uses the same code on both the client and the server-side, and hence it is easy and quick to work with.

Node.js’ central idea of Node.js is to use non-blocking, event-driven I/O to remain lightweight and efficient in the face of data-intensive real-time applications that run across distributed devices. This means that instead of being a platform that will dominate the web development world, it is a platform that fills a particular need.

Node.js has the capability of building fast, scalable network applications, enabling the tool to handle a large number of simultaneous connections. This gives it a high throughput, which leads to high scalability.

The Benefits of Node.js in simple terms are as follows:

1. The tool utilizes a client-side framework.
2. Node.js is the fastest runtime engine that is driven by the V8 engine of Google Chrome.
3. The tool is majorly used as a productivity tool.
4. Node.js can be utilized as an integrated database to the server.
5. It works as a RealTime Development tool.
6. It gives an advantage of faster data streaming
7. Node.js is a JavaScript-enabled web-platform
8. The tool works on the basis of a concept called ‘Event Queue’, which enables automatic synchronization of data between a client and server

The Anticipation of the Future That Node.js Holds

No tool or language is so perfect that it can meet the expectations of the user. These things become outdated easily if continuous updates are not made. However, in the case of Node.js, constant updates are being done, thus assuring that it constantly meets the requirements. Its major advantage is that it allows the client and server-side development in one language. 

Node is JS driven and is uniquely harmonious with the application ecosystem available in browsers. What does it mean? In short, as long as the web exists, Node will power it to a massive degree.

Video streaming, undoubtedly, is the future. Node.js works perfectly for data streaming by reducing the overall processing time, so upcoming streaming platforms will most likely use it. Netflix is already using it, and Netflix is here to stay, right?

IoT is also one technology that will grow with time. Node.js allows you to implement microservices for the tracking of geo-distributed systems. It is a perfect fit for the Internet of Things (IoT). Another big reason why it will continue to be as popular as it is today is the backup it is receiving from giants like Google and Microsoft.

From the above discussion, we can confidently say that node.js is here to stay and will have a future place in Web Development in one way or another.