In this case, the execution will be blocked, and the browser will “freeze.” While one request is being processed, the server will not go on with another one. This single thread handles everything that happens on the webpage: page scroll, listening to DOM events, printing something on the page, etc. The JS is a single-threaded system, which accepts all requests in one thread.

To better understand the revolutionary role of Node.js, it pays to outline the deficiencies of JavaScript had before. It expanded its use to microcontrollers, REST APIs, static file servers, and even Internet of Things (IoT)! How does Node.js work? Since then, JavaScript has been used to make much more than simple websites and interactive web apps. Rayan Dahl filled this gap in 2009 when he came up with a new environment to execute JavaScript separately from a web browser. Yet, using JavaScript for general-purpose applications was challenging. V8 uses the JavaScript code to translate it into a faster machine code, readable by a computer.īefore Node.js stepped in, JavaScript could only work in a browser for writing the frontend part of web-apps. While JavaScript is a programming language, Node.js is an ecosystem built on JS, leveraging the V8 – Google server engine. Node.js is one of the most popular environments, taking the lead for the second consecutive year. So what is so magical about Node.js? And how did it make JavaScript the programming language of choice for such big guns as Walmart and Linkedin? Here's the major question: where should you use Node.js to leverage its power? This article is here to answer all these questions. Not that long ago, JavaScript made its way from the browser to the server and became so versatile in its use cases. However, it has not always been like that. And that’s hardly a surprise! The scope of JavaScript use is so stunningly broad that you can use it to build almost anything: from a cookie-cutter website to complex server applications. For many years in a row, Javascript holds the credit of being the most popular programming language among developers.

What is js node