JavaScript is a concise, object-oriented scripting language employed for creating dynamic HTML pages that feature interactive effects on a website. Conversely, Node.js often signifies a collection of objects and methods that are available to JavaScript code when executed in the V8 engine or through the node interpreter.
In this article, we will explore the distinctions between JavaScript and Node.js. However, prior to delving into these differences, we will first gain an understanding of both JavaScript and Node.js.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a versatile, lightweight scripting language oriented around objects, utilized for crafting dynamic HTML pages that incorporate interactive elements on websites. Additionally, JavaScript finds extensive application in game development as well as mobile application creation. As an interpreted scripting language, its code is designed to be executed within a web browser. However, with the help of Node.js, it is possible to run the code outside of the browser environment. Often referred to as the language of the browser, it supports both client-side and server-side development. The inception of JavaScript is credited to Brendan Eich from Netscape, with its initial release occurring in 1995. Initially named LiveScript, the language was later rebranded as JavaScript. The syntax of JavaScript is significantly shaped by the C programming language. Files containing JavaScript code typically use the .js extension.
Advantages and disadvantages of JavaScript
The following outlines the different benefits and drawbacks associated with JavaScript:
Advantages
- It is an open-source, flexible, fast, light-weighted framework.
- It allows cross-compilation.
- It supports interfaces, modules, and classes.
- It is used for both frontend and backend development so that it may run on different devices.
- It allows us to build interfaces that react whenever the user hovers the mouse over them.
- It is friendly with other languages; therefore, many other applications may use JavaScript.
- We may extend the JavaScript for writing large applications.
Disadvantages
- It makes use of limited libraries.
- Client-side JavaScript doesn't support writing or reading files. It has been only keeping for security purposes.
- A single error may destroy the entire website.
- It is a dynamic language so that developers may make big mistakes easily.
- It only supports the single inheritance, not multiple inheritances. Some programs might be required this object-oriented language feature.
What is Node.js?
Node.js is a versatile, open-source environment for executing JavaScript that allows it to operate on the server side. This framework permits JavaScript code to be executed independently of a web browser. Node.js is equipped with an extensive collection of modules and is primarily utilized for web development. It can operate on multiple operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and others. Additionally, it offers a cross-platform runtime framework that employs an event-driven, non-blocking (asynchronous) input/output model, making it ideal for building highly scalable server-side applications using JavaScript.
Node.js was conceived and launched by Ryan Dahl in the year 2009. This platform allows developers to construct a wide range of applications, such as web applications, real-time chat applications, command-line utilities, and REST API servers, to name a few. Nevertheless, its primary application lies in the development of network programs, particularly web servers. The typical file extension associated with Node.js is .js.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Node.js
The following outlines the different advantages and disadvantages associated with Node.js:
Advantages
- js is an MIT-licensed open-source framework.
- It is a lightweight framework that includes minimum modules. Other modules may be included as per the requirement of an application.
- It's a cross-platform framework that works on Windows, MAC, and Linux.
- It is used the JavaScript language to develop server-side applications.
- js applications never buffered any type of data in applications. Node.js applications simply output data in chunks.
- The Node.js library's APIs are all asynchronous or non-blocking. It simply means that a Node.js based server never waits to return data from an API. After calling an API, the server passes on to the next one, and a Node.js notification mechanism assists the server in receiving a response from the previous API call.
- js is a quick programming execution library built on the V8 JavaScript Engine in Google Chrome.
Disadvantages
- One of the big disadvantages of Node.js is its lack of consistency. The API changes regularly, which increases the developers' problems because they'll have to make changes to their current code base to maintain compatibility.
- It doesn't support multi-threading programming, and it is not with the development of heavy computing applications.
- In contrast to other programming languages, JavaScript lacks a well-equipped and functional library framework. As a result, users are forced to need a common library to execute various tasks, including the process of the pictures, XML parsing, Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) , and handling database operations , etc. It makes it difficult to developers to also implement basic programming tasks with Node.js.
Main differences between JavaScript and Node.js
Here, we are going to discuss the main differences between JavaScript and Node.js:
- JavaScript is a lightweight, cross-platform, interpreted scripting programming language that is primarily used for client-side scripting. It's built into both Java and HTML. On the other hand, Node.js is a server-side scripting language based on the Google Chrome V8 engine . As a result, it's used to build network-centric applications. It is a distributed system that is used for data-intensive real-time applications.
- JavaScript is a simple programming language that could be run in any browser that supports the JavaScript Engine. On the other hand, Node.js is a running environment or interpreter for the JavaScript programming language. It needs libraries that may be easily accessed from JavaScript programming to make it more useful.
- JavaScript can run on any engine, including Firefox's Spider Monkey, Safari's JavaScript Core , and V8 (Google Chrome) . As a result, JavaScript programming is very simple to create, and any running environment is equivalent to a proper browser. On the other hand, Node.js only supports the V8 engine, which is exclusive to Google Chrome. However, written JavaScript code can run in any environment, regardless of whether it supports the V8 engine.
- A particular non-blocking task is needed to access any operating system. There are some basic objects in JavaScript, but they are all os-specific. For example, ActiveX Control is a Windows-only application. However, Node.js is granted the ability to run non-blocking tasks unique to the operating system from any JavaScript programming. There are no os-specific constants in it. Node.js is well-versed in creating a clear binding with the file system, allowing the developer to read and write to disk.
- For a single web application, JavaScript is typically used for any client-side operation. An operation may be dealing with business validation, dynamic page display at a set time interval, or a simple Ajax call. For any web application, these are used for a maximum amount of time. On the other hand, Node.js is generally used for non-blocking accessibility or execution of any operating system. On an operating system, a non-blocking operation involves generating or executing a shell script, retrieving unique hardware-related information in a single call, obtaining installed certificate details in the system, or performing a large number of specified tasks.
- JavaScript's main advantages include a wide range of interfaces and interactivity and just the right amount of server contact and direct input to visitors. On the other hand, Node.js has a node package manager with over 500 modules and the ability to handle concurrent requests. It also has the special capability of supporting micro-service architecture as well as IoT.
Head-to-head Comparison between JavaScript and Node JS
In this section, we will explore a direct comparison between JavaScript and Node.js:
| Features | JavaScript | Node JS |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It is an open-source, cross-platform, interpreted, lightweight scripting programming language that is used to develop dynamic and web applications. | It is a cross-platform, open-source JavaScript runtime environment that allows JavaScript to be run on the server. |
Type |
It is a programming language. It works in any browser that has a proper browser engine. | It's a JavaScript interpreter and environment with some valuable libraries that JavaScript programming can use separately. |
| Dedicated Server | It is generally used on the client-side server. | It is generally used on the server-side. |
| Community | All the JavaScript is not important to the node community. | All node projects represent the JavaScript community. |
| Running Engines | JavaScript can be run on any engine, including Spider Monkey, V8, and JavaScript Core. | Node JS is only supported by the V8 engine, which Google Chrome mostly uses. Any JavaScript program written with Node JS will always be run in the V8 engine. |
| Used for | It is designed to build network-centric applications. | It's designed for data-intensive real-time applications that run on several platforms. |
| Languages | It's a newer version of the ECMA script that runs on Chrome's V8 engine, which is written in C++. | It uses C, C++, and JavaScript. |
| Modules | Few JavaScript frameworks areTypedJS, RamdaJS, etc. | Lodash, express are examples of Nodejs modules. These all modules are to be imported fromnpm. |
| Companies Uses | Various companies use JavaScript likeGoogle, Shopify, Udacity, Sendgrid, Groupon, Okta, Instacart, etc. | Various companies use Node Js likeNetflix, Hapi, Walmart, Paypal, Linkedin, Trello, Medium, eBay, etc. |
Conclusion
JavaScript is a predominant programming language that is utilized by nearly all web application developers. Resources related to JavaScript are readily accessible, making it easy to engage in fundamental development tasks. Node.js serves as an extension of the JavaScript library; however, it offers specific utilities that are not clearly defined, such as non-blocking operations for the operating system, which are frequently essential for achieving business goals. Additionally, it can be presented to users who have logged in from alternative systems to enhance security measures.