It was nearly 26 years ago, Brendan Eich created JavaScript to make the web interactive. With each passing day, newer versions emerged and added to its reputation and efficiency. At the time, JavaScript was limited to the web browser until Ryan Dahl created Node.js in early 2009.

In this article, I’m going to describe one of the most exciting server-side technologies you can learn these days.

Let’s dive in!

What is Node.js?

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. But what does this mean?

You know that JavaScript is a programming language that is typically used in the browser to manipulate the page loaded in the browser or in other words, to build interactive user interfaces. For example, open a modal, create a dropdown, display animations, play audio or video, etc.

However, JavaScript is not limited to the web browser. Node.js allows you to run your JavaScript code on the server like any other server-side technology. Node.js uses V8 (Google Chrome’s JavaScript engine) and adds some extra features. For example, working with your local file system, opening files, modifying files, adding data in your database, etc.

Node.js became the go-to technology for most of the Fortune 500 companies which highlights the maturation of the technology within this type of organization.

Let’s check out what makes Node.js so unique that it's used by nearly every Fortune 500 company!

Why Node.js?

Hundreds of articles can be written to clarify the context “Why Node.js”, but here I want to point out some of the key benefits of using Node.js as your go-to tool for developing applications:

• Node.js is open-source and free
• Node.js is cross-platform meaning it works on Windows, OSX, and Linux
• Node.js is extremely fast and great for building real-time web applications because of its asynchronous nature (chats or gaming)
• Node.js is event-driven
• Node.js uses a non-blocking I/O model
• Experience with Node.js is one of the top skills looked for by companies all over the world
• It makes it possible to use JavaScript for both the front-end and back-end
• The ever-growing NPM (Node Package Manager) gives developers multiple tools and modules to use, thus further boosting their productivity
• Node.js is perfect for microservices which are a popular solution among enterprise applications

The list can go on and on…

This technology is both an effective solution for startups to speed up and simplify development, and a sophisticated ecosystem utilized by leading enterprises.

This was a quick introduction to the "Whats and Whys" of Node.js. I’m going to publish more detailed articles on different topics about Node and JavaScript, make sure to give me a follow on Hashnode to not miss any of these.

Before you leave

Feel free to visit me on Twitter and LinkedIn. I'd love to count you as my ever-growing group of awesome friends!