Introduction to Node.js

3 min readJan 16, 2024

JavaScript, often referred to as JS, is a versatile programming language used to develop interactive web applications. It is primarily executed in the browser, but thanks to Node.js, it can also be run server-side. In this blog, we’ll introduce you to Node.js, a platform for server-side JavaScript.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is a server-side runtime environment based on Google Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. It enables JavaScript code to be executed outside a browser, opening it up to a wide range of server-side and command-line development possibilities.

Node.js offers a non-blocking, event-driven architecture, which means that code is executed asynchronously, allowing good management of concurrent requests and optimized performance. It also offers native access to operating system APIs, making it ideal for creating web servers, APIs, microservices, automation scripts and much more.

Why use Node.js?

1. Server-side JavaScript: If you’re already familiar with JavaScript for client-side development, using Node.js lets you share the same language and logic between browser and server.

2. High performance: Thanks to its non-blocking event-driven architecture, Node.js can handle many simultaneous connections without slowing down performance. It is extremely efficient for real-time applications, such as chat applications or live dashboards.

3. NPM ecosystem: Node.js is based on the npm package manager, the world’s largest collection of open source packages. You have access to thousands of ready-to-use modules to add new features to your application in just a few lines of code.

5. Rapid development: The simple, concise syntax of JavaScript, combined with the npm ecosystem, means you can develop applications quickly, while enjoying great flexibility.

How do I install Node.js?

Here’s how to install Node.js on your machine:

Go to the official Node.js website and download the version corresponding to your operating system.
Launch the downloaded installer and follow the installation instructions. Accept the default settings, unless you have a specific reason to change them.
Once installation is complete, open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command to check that Node.js has been installed:

node -v

This should display the version of Node.js installed on your machine.

First Node.js script

To test the Node.js installation, create an app.js file and add the following code:

console.log("Hello, Node.js!");

Save the file, open your terminal and run the following command:

node app.js

You should see “Hello, Node.js!” displayed in your terminal.

Congratulations! You’ve run your first JavaScript script with Node.js.

Conclusion

Node.js is a powerful platform for server-side JavaScript execution. Thanks to its non-blocking event-driven architecture and npm package ecosystem, Node.js has become the preferred choice of many developers for creating high-performance, scalable web applications.

In this blog, we introduced Node.js and showed you how to install and run your first script with Node.js. Now it’s time to explore this platform further and discover all the possibilities it offers for your server-side development.