Your First Week With Node.js, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1: What Is Node and When Should I Use It?

by James Hibbard

So you’ve heard of Node.js, but aren’t quite sure what it is or where it fits into your development workflow. Or maybe you’ve heard people singing Node’s praises and now you’re wondering if it’s something you need to learn. Perhaps you’re familiar with another back-end technology and want to find out what’s different about Node.

If that sounds like you, then keep reading. In this guide, I’ll take a beginner-friendly, high-level look at Node.js and its main paradigms. I’ll examine Node’s main use cases, as well as the current state of the Node landscape, and offer you a wide range of jumping off points (for further reading) along the way.

“Node” or “Node.js”?

Please note that, ...