Learning Node, 2nd Edition

Preface

Node.js has been around long enough to have achieved adoption by some major players (LinkedIn, Yahoo!, and Netflix), but is still young enough to be cause for concern for your typical corporate middle manager. It’s been a driving force behind creating a more sophisticated JavaScript, as well as the only safe place one can then use the newly improved scripting language. And, since turnabout is fair play, the cutting-edge JavaScript has now become the driver for a newly revamped Node.js organization and release paradigm.

Node.js has also redefined what we do with JavaScript. Nowadays, an employer is just as likely to demand that JavaScript developers work in a server environment as well as the more familiar browser environment. In addition, Node.js has created a new server language that’s generating attention from Ruby, C++, Java, and PHP server-side developers—especially if they also know JavaScript.

To me, Node.js is fun. Compared to so many other environments, it takes little effort to get started, create and host an application, and try out new things. The scaffolding necessary for a Node project just isn’t as complex or pedantic as what’s required for other environments. Only PHP has as simple an environment, and even it requires tight integration with Apache to create outward-facing applications.

As simple as it is, though, Node.js has bits that can be hard to discover. It is true that learning Node.js requires obtaining a mastery of its environment and the core APIs, ...