Node.js

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Also called Node

An open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that executes JavaScript code outside of a web browser, typically used for building backend servers.

What it is

Historically, JavaScript only ran inside web browsers to make pages interactive. Node.js utilizes Google Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine to run JavaScript directly on an operating system. This allows developers to use a single programming language for both frontend user interfaces and backend APIs, massively accelerating full-stack development.

When you would use it

You use Node.js when you want to build a backend server utilizing a massive ecosystem of open-source packages (npm) and share JavaScript knowledge across the entire stack.

Common operations

• Building fast, scalable REST or GraphQL backend APIs.
• Running command-line tools and build scripts (like Webpack or Vite).

Related terms

• Bun
• Deno
• Next.js

Where this is taught

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