Ever since it first appeared back in 1995, JavaScript has been one of the top 3 programming languages.

Stats say that 95.1% of websites currently use it.

However, despite its obvious domination and ubiquitousness, JavaScript has a downside – the lack of a viable back-end platform.  

This shortcoming was fixed with the introduction of Node.js which was specifically built to support server-side applications.

This open-source JS runtime environment has been picking up steam over the past couple of years, and it’s now a serious contender for dethroning JavaScript and taking the No. 1 spot as the most trusted programming language.

But that’s not the only reason why numerous enterprise-level companies, some of which are on the Fortune 500 list, have switched to Node.js.

It Executes the I/O Processes Asynchronously

The event-driven I/O model used by Node.js enables scalability, efficiency, and speed.  While blocking I/O completely paralyzes a thread until the data is fully written, which requires creating a separate thread for every new connection request, Node.js is based on a single-threaded event loop. This means that such a network can process large volumes of data and handle multiple connections without eating up RAM and creating bottlenecks.  

For example, PayPal moved to Node.js and managed to double the number of requests per second, while reducing its response time by 35%. LinkedIn did the same and the number of servers the company uses dropped from 30 to 3.

It Simplifies the Building Process

Being a versatile and powerful language, Node.js simplifies things for web developers.  First of all, given that the specifications and the build are done in the same language, there’s no need to switch between XML and Java all the time, which makes it easier to work with.  Besides that, Node.js in a way reconciles front- and back-end programming skills, turning JavaScript developers into full-stack professionals without the need to learn additional languages.

Enterprises can greatly benefit from cross-functional teams enabled by Node.js, as this approach can boost productivity, improve collaboration, and get everybody on the same page since all the members have the same goal and everyone is responsible for the entire app cycle.

It Allows You to Create Real-Time Web Apps

With Node.js development, it’s possible to build real-time apps such as chatbots and gaming apps very quickly.  Its event-driven architecture is suitable for both the client and server side written in JavaScript, and the synchronization process is smooth and fast.  The WebSocket protocol is the most efficient real-time solution as it opens a two-way communication channel between two parties and Node.js offers the best support for this technology.  Its asynchronous nature allows the data to be sent and received freely, on a P2P basis, without any requests, which is exactly what distinguishes Node.js from other programming languages.

It Takes Streaming to the Next Level

The fact that the streaming giant migrated to Node.js speaks volumes of why every enterprise should consider this runtime environment for their streaming applications.

Namely, Netflix used Node.js to build a single-page application, and that’s just one of the benefits.

Having the same language for both server-side and browser-side accelerates the development speed because developers don’t have to code twice and double-check anymore, and that’s a huge benefit of Node.js.  Another big upside of this framework is illustrated by the fact that Netflix slashed its 40-minute startup time to less than a minute with it.

It Provides Long-Term Support

As technologies advance and evolve, the lack of their long-term support can be a real problem for any company.  This means that developing and updating an app written in an obsolete language is extremely difficult if not impossible.

However, Node.js provides LTS, and according to a 2018 survey, 61% of developers agree that this feature is tremendously important because it allows them to plan and schedule further app development knowing that it will be easily doable.  Every new major release will have active LTS for 18 months.  After this period, it enters into maintenance LTS, which is a game-changing option for complex enterprise-level apps.  

It’s Perfect for Cross-Platform Development

This functionality can save developers a lot of time, as it practically lets them use portions of the code from their Web-based apps for building their MacOS, Windows, and Linux desktop versions.

In other words, the same team of developers can build both Web and desktop apps for different operating systems, even if they don’t specialize in languages necessary for developing native apps.

Finally, developers who work in Node.js have access to a set of tools with which they can fix and debug both back-end and front-end apps. These tools are usually cross-platform, meaning that developers can write code for MacOS or Windows on any machine.

Node.js promises scalability, speed, flexibility, and excellent support. And more importantly, it delivers. All these factors are of crucial importance for enterprise applications, and this ecosystem’s powerful features and reliability might be the answers to some of the most common issues which big companies encounter.