If you have heard a lot about node.js and its growing need and popularity, you need to get familiarized with what it does and how you can use it. For that, you need to know its advantages and how to go about installing and starting to use it.

Node.js development services are becoming increasingly important and popular for enterprises. A lot of big businesses like Groupon, LinkedIn, Netflix, Microsoft, SAP, Yahoo!, PayPal, IBM, and Walmart use Node.js.

What is node.js?

Node.js is a software used to develop web applications for servers. It is open-source and runs across platforms. A lot of its basic modules use JavaScript programming language and that is what developers use to write more advanced modules. At runtime, V8 JavaScript engine by Chrome is used to interpret the JavaScript.

Node.js makes use of an event-driven, non-blocking input/output model. NPM, its default package ecosystem contains the biggest open source repository in the world. You no longer need Apache HTTP servers as node.js lets applications act as web servers.

Advantages of node.js

The reasons for the widespread use and popularity of node.js are many. Some of them are listed here.

1. With node.js you use Unix network programming and JavaScript for web development on a virtual machine that is faster than Ruby, Perl, or Python.

2. Node.js can handle a huge number of simultaneous connections on one process with very less overhead.

3. As node.js makes web servers use event-driven programming, they run faster. Servers can be made scalable by using call-backs to notify that a task is completed. This is a very big selling factor.

4. JavaScript programming language is easy to learn and already known by many people.

5. Because JavaScript is used in browsers to respond to events initiated by users and to create interactive effects, it can be easily used for event loops.

6. Because both the web server and browser use JavaScript, there is less impedance mismatch.

Installing node.js

The recommended way to get node.js installed is to go to its official website and download the installer for Windows. Once you execute the file you download, you have node.js ready on your machine. Run node—version to check if the version number is the latest one that you downloaded. To download a node.js update, use the same procedure by going to the official website.

Installing mongoDB

MongoDB is one of the best NoSQL databases for node.js. To install it, go to its official site and download the zip file which is meant specifically for Windows. Unzip it to a suitable location on your disk. By default, mongoDB reads the information at \data\db, but this folder is not automatically created. You can make this folder through Windows Explorer. Then double click on mongod.exe in the folder your_mongodb_path\bin to get mongoDB started. After that, double click on mongo.exe to enter the administrative shell. Updates are also downloaded as a zip file which you can unzip and begin using.

JavaScript

You don’t have to run any installation for JavaScript on your browser. Both Chrome and Firefox come with developer tools which work very well. It’s best to familiarize yourself with them. Alternatively, you can get in touch with any node.js development company who will take care of all the installations for you and also develop the applications you need.

With the steps and tips mentioned above for installing Node.JS, now you are ready to perform wonders with your node.js environment. Get in touch with a reliable node.js development services company to get applications built on the latest Node.JS environment.