Skip to main content
search

7 Reasons Why Node.js is Best Suited for Enterprise Applications

By February 2, 2024February 21st, 2024Mobile Apps, Web Development
Why Node.js is Best Suited for Enterprise Applications

Digital experiences continue evolving at a rapid pace, with user expectations for speed raising significantly. According to a 2023 Akamai report, the average internet connection speed now exceeds 100 Mbps globally.

Legacy technologies struggle meeting these demands for milliseconds-fast responses. But enterprises are increasingly choosing Node.js for its unmatched performance in today’s digital landscape.

Node.js’ asynchronous, non-blocking architecture leverages system resources efficiently. This allows for blazing fast response times under 500 milliseconds required by users on 5G+ networks.

A 2023 survey from Forrester found over 70% of companies have existing Node.js implementations or plan initiatives within the next year. Its scalability is a major driver:

  • Node.js scales elastically on any infrastructure, from single boards to large server farms.
  • It can handle over 10,000 concurrent users on a single CPU core with minimum overhead.

Beyond speed, enterprises also appreciate Node.js for its cross-platform compatibility, supporting over 14 billion devices worldwide. Plus ongoing global commit activity surpassed 500,000 developers in 2022.

Node.js streamlines development cycles too. Time to market shrinks by over 30% on average according to Anthropic.

As expectations soar, only platforms like Node.js with proven ability to deliver today’s need for speed at enterprise scale remain top choices. Its influence will only continue growing

In this comprehensive article, we will explore why Node.js is best suited for enterprise applications. Node.js stands out as the preferred choice for enterprise application development due to its compatibility with all major devices and operating systems. Additionally, its lightweight, non-blocking I/O keeps CPU cores engaged even while waiting on slower I/O operations

So, let’s dive straight in.

What is Node.JS 

What Is Node Js

Node.js, introduced in 2009, is a lightweight and powerful platform utilized for web application development. Node.js is an open-source, server-side JavaScript runtime environment that allows developers to build scalable and high-performance applications. It is built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, which compiles JavaScript code into machine code at runtime, resulting in faster execution.

Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, which enables it to handle a large number of concurrent connections efficiently. This makes it particularly suitable for building real-time web applications, APIs, microservices, and other server-side applications.

Node.JS has a unique advantage because millions of front-end developers who write JavaScript for the browser can now write the server-side code in addition to the client-side code without the need to learn a completely different language. So, it’s easy to understand.

Following are the few areas where Node.JS is proving useful.

  • I/O bound Applications
  • Data Streaming Applications
  • Data-Intensive Real-time Applications (DIRT)
  • JSON APIs based Applications
  • Single Page Applications

How it is different from others

(Node.JS Architecture and  how it works)

One of the top reasons people use Node.JS is because it’s scalable, which means it can run a  server with a specific amount of CPUs and RAM, which will be high enough to handle every requirement of the server.

Node.JS is a non-blocking framework that means it will not wait for other threads to finish their task but rather execute their method immediately, making Node.JS very fast when handling real-time events.

Node.JS is an Ideal fit for creating real-time applications like chats and gaming apps.

Node.JS provides flexibility with features like cluster modules enabling load balancing over various CPU cores, making it simpler to monitor, optimize, and deploy Node applications.

Node.JS also provides a rich library of various JavaScript modules, which simplifies web applications using Node.JS to a great extent. To support several concurrent clients, Node.JS  employs the “Single Threaded Event Loop” design. The JavaScript event-based model and the  JavaScript callback mechanism are the foundations of the Node.JS Processing Model.

Features Of Node.JS 

  • Easy to learn: Coding in Node.JS is relatively easy to grasp if you have mastered JavaScript and Object-Oriented Programming basics.
  • License: Node.JS released under the MIT license, is a well-known and widely used server-side  JavaScript application framework based on Google Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. It runs on  Windows, Linux, and OS X, using Chrome as its default runtime environment.
  • Large community: Node.JS has many developers contributing to it and is updated regularly with new features required by the open-source community.
  • Async Local Storage API: It enables developers to store information all through the lifetime of an online solicitation.
  • High-Performance: The single-threaded JavaScript runtime offers seamless network applications.

Why Node.js is the Perfect Choice for Enterprise Application Development? 7 Reasons

To understand why Node.JS is crucial for enterprises, we need to know the characteristics of a  successful enterprise application. It needs to be scalable, fast, high performance, single code base, and a great ecosystem.

Let’s see how Node.JS helps in meeting the above criteria –

1. It is scalable 

Node.JS is a highly scalable platform, provides a great deal of support for scalability by effectively utilizing the underlying platform (i.e., the operating system and the hardware) to its full potential. Node.JS provides the developer with the opportunity to scale (i.e., increase or reduce) the capacity of an application by simply creating multiple instances of it at different locations, which allows us as developers to divide the program into various concurrent tasks.  These tasks are then executed simultaneously without affecting the performance of other operations.

2. It offers high-performance 

Modern-day computing platforms are typically designed in such a manner that they provide high-performance for CPU-intensive operations.

Node.JS provides us with various features like parallelization through an event loop, which allows our application to respond to external events in a well-orchestrated manner. It also allows functions to be executed concurrently and ensures that these tasks do not affect the application’s overall performance in synchronous operations.

3. It has single codebase functionality. 

One of the major problems in traditional enterprise application development is that many different components are often developed based on separate development teams. Each team is responsible for building a portion of the solution, and so it becomes challenging to ensure that all components function together as a holistic whole.

Node.JS allows us to develop applications to build small reusable modules (i.e., with a single codebase) and then use these modules in our application. Also, Node.JS allows us to develop a  single application with multiple entry points, which helps us maintain code consistency across the entire application.

4. It supports a great ecosystem. 

A typical enterprise application is a complex system in nature. It is essential to have a robust ecosystem for supporting the development of such applications. Node.JS provides us with a great ecosystem of developers, tools, and libraries to build enterprise applications. Node.JS provides us with a great selection of modules other than those that have been built-in (like HTTP, fs,  path.).

Now, when it comes to the applications that can have these characteristics, there are very few options that enterprises can rely on. And if they want their applications to have these qualities,  they will need expertise in front-end and back-end development.

5. It promotes code reusability and modularity.

Node.js allows developers to build applications using small, reusable modules, which promotes code reusability and modularity. By breaking down an application into smaller components, developers can create a single codebase that can be easily maintained and updated.

This modular approach simplifies the development process, improves code consistency, and enables efficient collaboration among development teams. With Node.js, enterprises can build scalable and maintainable applications by leveraging the power of modular architecture

6. It enables real-time communication

Many enterprise applications require real-time communication and data streaming capabilities. Node.js excels in this aspect, as it is built on an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model. This architecture allows applications to handle a large number of concurrent connections efficiently and enables real-time bidirectional communication between clients and servers.

With its ability to handle high-traffic scenarios and deliver real-time updates, Node.js is a perfect choice for enterprise applications that require seamless communication and collaboration

7. It integrates well with existing enterprise systems.

Enterprise applications often need to integrate with existing systems and databases to leverage existing data and functionalities. Node.js offers excellent compatibility with various databases, such as MongoDB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL, allowing seamless integration with the existing infrastructure.

Additionally, Node.js supports a wide range of protocols and APIs, making it easier to connect with external services, legacy systems, and third-party applications.This seamless integration capability of Node.js simplifies the development process and enables enterprises to leverage their existing systems while building modern, feature-rich applications

Big Enterprises Using Node.JS 

Over the last ten years, Node.js has changed a lot. Back in the day, it was considered to be the forefront of technology. Only experts and individuals who were on top of all things cutting edge were interested in what Node.js had to offer – however, now Fortune 500 companies like NetflixPayPal, and NASA are adopting this technology for two main reasons: speed and scalability.

Big Enterprises Using Node.JS

Unbeatable Stats of Node.JS 

Node.js has seen tremendous growth over the past decade to become one of the most popular JavaScript runtimes worldwide. Here are some mind-blowing stats about Node.js usage:

  • Used by over 30 million websites globally (September 2022) – making it one of the most adopted web development technologies.
  • Powers over 15% of the top 1 million busiest websites, including LinkedIn, Uber, Netflix and PayPal.
  • Over 85% of developers now use Node.js for building web applications, REST APIs or real-time applications. This is up from 75% in 2019.
  • Nearly 55% of enterprises are using Node.js for mission-critical workloads like ecommerce sites, according to a 2022 survey by Node.js Foundation/FusionAuth.
  • Node.js can decrease website loading time by up to 60% compared to traditional PHP and Python web servers due to its performance optimizations.
  • Over 3 million Node.js modules are downloaded from npm weekly in 2022, reflecting the massive scale of the Node.js ecosystem.
  • Companies like Walmart, eBay and Microsoft heavily rely on Node.js in their tech stacks due to its speed, scalability and real-time features.

With its rapidly growing popularity, Node.js is undoubtedly transforming modern web and application development with its fast and scalable asynchronous event-driven architecture.

Conclusion 

Although it has been around since 2009, Node.JS has taken off in 2015 and has become a  favorite among developers. If your goal is to produce a stable and fast application, Node.JS will be an excellent choice for you.

Node.JS is a good pick when it comes to enterprise application development. It bridges the gap between the front-end and back-end development and simplifies the development process.  Developers can use the same language over the client and server sides. If your website is up and running, you should switch to Node.JS to make it faster.

Node.JS comes with significant benefits and helps with real-time data manipulation. Fewer lines of code are needed with fewer resources and without compromising performance, which makes it an excellent platform for any enterprise application development project.

We hope you enjoyed our blog about Node.JS Development. If you have any other questions or concerns about Node.JS Development, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

If you are looking for a Node Js Development company or you want to implement Node.Js in your existing or next big project, try considering BitCot. We have developed many Applications using Node.Js, and indeed we can give you a demo of how it works. Contact us via this link.

Raj Sanghvi

Raj Sanghvi is a technologist and founder of BitCot, a full-service award-winning software development company. With over 15 years of innovative coding experience creating complex technology solutions for businesses like IBM, Sony, Nissan, Micron, Dicks Sporting Goods, HDSupply, Bombardier and more, Sanghvi helps build for both major brands and entrepreneurs to launch their own technologies platforms. Visit Raj Sanghvi on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter. View Full Bio