Node.js is an open source client-side scripting language. It is based on JavaScript and was written by Ryan Dahl in 2009. Dahl was inspired to create Node.js after seeing the file upload progress on Flickr when the browser didn’t know how much of the file had been uploaded. Node.js is used to create web servers and server-side web applications. It is built on Google Chrome’s JavaScript V8 Engine. The Node.js project is now managed by Joyent Inc. It is used by thousands of developers to create real-time applications. Node.js can create apps which are efficient and can handle a large number of connections simultaneously.
Node.js has an event driven architecture with an option of asynchronous I/O. Thus it is ideal for real-time web applications like communication apps, games etc. The throughput of web apps is optimized by using Node.js. It’s event driven architecture prevents the server from choking when the number of connections increases by reducing scalability and memory use. Hence it is ideal for data intensive applications that run across distributed devices in real time. Data streaming, online chats and server side proxies are just a few instances of fields where Node.js can be used effectively. It is ideal for websites receiving high traffic.
Node.js enjoys a lot of backing as companies like Google, Mozilla, and Apple have to constantly improve the JavaScript engines which their browsers use. A lot of companies including Linkedin, Paypal, GoDaddy, Walmart, Yahoo, IBM, Microsoft and Netflix use Node.js. It has been recognized as a better alternative to Ruby/Java. Learning this language will hence improve chances of placements considerably. The demand for node.js developers in the market is increasing and hence it is useful for computer engineers to take up this course early on. The prerequisite knowledge for taking this course is basic knowledge of JavaScript.
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