Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Netflix, PayPal… These are just a few of the top companies that use Node.js in their products. JavaScript environments have grown in popularity since they were first released in 2009. Why is that? This is because Node.js is so easy to use. In addition, Node.js allows front-end developers to build and execute code on the server side. This leads to faster development cycles. So who is using Node.js? Why do they use Node.js? Next, I’ll share some information about Node.js, and then show you some examples of good Node.js applications and the reasons behind them.
First, let’s take a look at what node.js is
In short, Node.js is a runtime environment. It’s actually an open source JavaScript (that’s what JS stands for) for building web applications. It allows Node.js developers to execute code on the server side. This means executing code on your own computer or directly in a browser. As a result, Node.js is lightweight, scalable, and quick to script code.
Now, Node.js has become a good part of the so-called JavaScript paradigm. Node.js allows and consolidates application development, eliminating the need for different languages. Node.js is primarily used to create Web applications in real time. However, it is possible to develop mobile applications thanks to the entire Node.js ecosystem, and especially its package manager, NPM.
While using Node.js, you can also use code or scripts written in other languages. In terms of node.js application cases, I’ll share some of the most compelling projects and companies using Node.js.
Application Case 1: PayPal and Node.js
You’ll find PayPal in the list of applications built on Node.js. The service had to handle more than 200 million active user accounts worldwide, and it did it perfectly. PayPal’s initial problem was the need for separate teams to perform tasks for applications in the front-end browser and back-end server. After adopting Node.js, developers need only use a single programming language, JavaScript.
According to the company, their Node.js-based application was written twice as fast and contained 33 percent less code than before. Millions of people rely on PayPal to make payments, which is a true demonstration of node.js’ high performance application.
Application Case 2: Netflix and Node.js
As the world’s largest video content and streaming service, Netflix’s choice of Node.js is significant. It is also one of the most interesting examples of Node.js applications. Because the goal of video providers is to provide users with a quality interface. Using Node.js projects, they reduce build time and provide user customization.
Netflix is also winning the performance war. The company reported that it increased the loading time of its apps by 70 percent. The Node.js runtime environment has proven very effective on Netflix applications, and it’s even possible to migrate the data access layer to Node.js. They also intend to write scripts as Node applications. For monitoring purposes, Netflix developers use TTI metric-time for real-time interaction. This is the time between application launch and user interaction.
Application Case 3: Uber and Node.js
Uber is arguably one of the best Examples of Node.js. It’s worth noting that a mobile app built using Node.js can also affect the cost of making an app like Uber. Over the past two years, the company has doubled in size every six months or so. Clearly, Node.js’s data processing capabilities are a successful solution.
Another factor is the growing size of taxis as demand for mobile taxi services continues to grow. Uber needs a system that is safe and reliable for both customers and drivers. So why does Uber generally choose Node.js and JavaScript? Uber states three main reasons:
1.Node.js can process a large amount of data quickly and reliably;
2. Easy error analysis and fast code deployment;
3. Continuous technical improvements from the open source community.
Uber can now process over 2 million remote procedure calls (RPCS) every second, even during peak periods, a testament to the success of its Node.js-based application. That’s very impressive.
Application Case 4: LinkedIn and Node.js
As a business network, LinkedIn has more than 450 million members. The service was sold to Microsoft for $26 billion in 2016. That’s right, $26 billion. The LinkedIn mobile app back end is built on Node.js.
The two main reasons LinkedIn moved to Node.js were the performance efficiency and scalability of Node.js. They were very pleased with the results of the LinkedIn application based on Node.js:
1. Resources: The number of servers is reduced from 15 to 4;
2. Double the transmission capacity;
3. The running speed of APP on the client has increased by 2-10 times.
“On the server side, our entire mobile stack is built entirely in Node,” said LinkedIn, head of mobile development at LinkedIn.
Case 5: Ebay and Node.js
With the huge amount of traffic behind Ebay, they had to adopt proven technology. As part of the JavaScript stack, Node.js is a perfect fit for e-commerce giant Ebay. After some difficult discussions within the company, Ebay engineers chose Node. The main determinant was the need to make Ebay as real-time as possible.
The Ebay application on Node.js, which has 170 million active users, has demonstrated its efficiency in keeping servers connected in real time. The technical advantages and deployment principles of Ebay are as follows: build once, deploy anywhere, and automate the rest. Ebay started with Node.js as a project, and now they’re transitioning to Node’s full stack.
Case 6: walmart and Node.js
Among big retailers, Wal-Mart is backing a push into online e-commerce. After six months of struggling with memory leaks, backend engineers opted for JavaScript services, specifically Node.js. It’s one of the best Examples of Node.js because walmart now gets more accurate results from the client.
Walmart uses Node as the choreography layer for legacy apis. They can now create a new API for walmart applications and deploy it in hours. As a result, development deployment time is significantly reduced. Currently, the company uses four technology stacks based on Node.js:
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SmartOS
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HAPI (walmart Open Source Framework)
3. Plug-ins (environment specific)
4. Dedicated NPM package
Application Case 7: Medium and Node.js projects
Medium is a widely popular publishing platform with application servers built using Node.js and bundled with Nginx. They also use Matador as a clean framework for the Node environment.
Medium has 25 million monthly readers and publishes thousands of articles each week. Using a service-oriented back-end architecture, Node.js allows media code to be shared between the client and server. By using Node, they accelerated their deployment development time to up to 15 minutes. Although the primary application server is typically deployed five times a day, it has the capacity to deploy up to 10 times.
Application Case 8: NASA and Node.js
“Node.js helps NASA keep its astronauts safe.” While it’s not exactly an application, NASA’s Node.js project demonstrates the power of JS technology. After a dangerous space event, NASA found their data scattered in many places. They decided to build their own end-to-end data system and use Node.js.
NASA moved everything to the cloud and built the Node.js enterprise architecture. They use web apis to link the two environments. It brings the following two benefits:
1. A unified database;
2. The access time is reduced by 300%.
In real life, these numbers mean a safer environment for astronauts to live and work in space. The results are amazing!
Case 9: Mozilla and Node.js
Instead of talking about Mozilla as one of the top three web browsers in the world, we’ll share it as one of the best Examples of Node.js applications. Mozilla uses Node in many web applications. For example, Mozilla Persona or BrowserID. Although Mozilla’s projects are over, it’s not for nothing that it chose Node.js.
The two main reasons are that Node.js memory can support a family of JavaScript in the same language with approximately 1 million users. The Mozilla team can easily get everything available in a SINGLE JS repository. As a result, all teams can work quickly and efficiently. Today, the Mozilla team uses Node.js for cross-platform pages and Web frameworks like Express.
Application Case 10: Trello and Node.js
As one of the best project management tools available, Trello made full use of JavaScript in 2011. The Trello developers built the server parts using Node.js. Node.js was chosen because it requires a lot of open connection support.
Trello also uses Node.js for some prototyping. They tried it first on a single-page application and finally on a mock server. With this arrangement, engineers can quickly try and adjust the design. The Trello server also uses MongoDB, HAProxy(for load balancing), and Redis for data sharing.
Application Case 11: GoDaddy and Node.js
GoDaddy is a publicly traded Internet domain name registration and web hosting company. With more than 13 million customers and 61 million managed domain names as of January 2016, GoDaddy is the largest registrar in the world. In recent years, the company has transformed its entire back end into an infrastructure based on open source Node.js.
So why do they choose Node.js? According to Stephen Commisso, senior software development engineer at GoDaddy, Node makes it easy to build high-quality applications, instantly deploy new features, and easily write unit and integration tests. Another key feature is NPM access. In addition, Antonio Silveira, vice president of technology at GoDaddy, said, “We now use about 10 times fewer servers to host our clients’ websites. We have drastically reduced the first byte time (TTFB) from about 60 milliseconds to about 12 milliseconds. Performance is a key differentiator when we talk about Web applications, including better placement in Google search results.”
GoDaddy can now handle the same load with only 10% of the hardware.
Application Case 12: Groupon and Node.js
Groupon is a global e-commerce marketplace that connects users with local businesses by offering special deals on events, trips, goods and services. As of the end of March 2015, Groupon was operating in more than 500 cities in 28 countries, with nearly 48.1 million active customers and more than 425,000 transactions worldwide. In June 2015, the company reported the completion of the entire Groupon Web and mobile traffic migration from Ruby on Rails applications to the new Node.js stack.
So why do they choose Node.js? Sean McCullough, a former Enterprise Node.js developer at Groupon, listed reasons such as a vibrant community, NPM, performance, and scalability.
Web pages load about 50 percent faster than earlier Ruby on Rails platforms and provide much higher traffic. The company statement:
“We offer the same amount of traffic but less hardware. Teams can independently deploy changes to their applications. We were able to make functional and design changes throughout the site much faster than we could with the existing architecture.
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