Why I Chose Node.js for My Developer Website (And You Might Too)

Stuck choosing a tech stack for your developer website? Discover why Node.js shines for personal websites with its full-stack JavaScript capabilities, speed for I/O bound tasks, vast package ecosystem, and easy deployment. Explore other options like WordPress, Django, Ruby on Rails, and more.
Why I Chose Node.js for My Developer Website (And You Might Too)
Last updated 01:15 17/07/2024 GMT+7

My background

As a developer, I've worked with many programming languages, content management systems (CMS), and frameworks over the years. Here's a quick list of some I'm familiar with:

  • PHP: Laravel, Yii, CodeIgniter, Symfony, Drupal, WordPress, and more
  • Node.js: Express.js, Nest.js
  • Ruby: Ruby on Rails, Sinatra
  • Python: Django
  • Golang
  • Rust
  • ASP.NET
  • Java

Each of these has its strengths and is suitable for different projects.
I have only listed a few server-side languages above, but of course, I can also use HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JSON, XML, YAML, etc.

Why did I choose Node.js for my personal website?

JavaScript Everywhere

I love that I can use JavaScript for both front-end and back-end development with Node.js. This means I don't have to switch between different languages while coding my website.

Example: I can use JavaScript to create interactive buttons on my web pages and also use it to handle form submissions on the server.

Fast Performance

Node.js is known for its speed, especially for handling many users at once. While my personal website might not get millions of visitors, it's nice to know it can handle traffic spikes easily.

Example: If I share a blog post that goes viral, my website won't crash under the sudden increase in visitors.

I/O Bound vs CPU Bound Operations

One reason I chose Node.js for my personal website is its excellent performance with I/O bound operations, which perfectly suits my needs. Let's break this down:

I/O Bound Operations

I/O (Input/Output) bound operations are tasks that spend most of their time waiting for input or output processes to complete. These include reading from or writing to databases, making API calls, or handling file system operations. My personal website primarily deals with these types of operations.

Example: When a visitor loads my blog post, my website needs to fetch the post content from a database, maybe load some images, and possibly make an API call to load more items. These are all I/O bound operations.
Node.js excels at I/O bound operations due to its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model. It can handle many concurrent connections efficiently, making it perfect for websites like mine that frequently interact with databases or external services.

CPU Bound Operations

On the other hand, CPU bound operations are tasks that require intense computational power. These might include complex mathematical calculations, video encoding, or machine learning algorithms.
Example: If I were building a website that needed to render 3D graphics in real-time or perform complex data analysis on the server, these would be CPU bound operations.

Node.js, being single-threaded, isn't the best choice for CPU intensive tasks. For such operations, languages and frameworks that better handle parallel processing might be more suitable.

Other Options for CPU Bound Tasks

  • Python: With libraries like NumPy and SciPy, Python is excellent for scientific computing and data analysis.
  • Java: Java's multi-threading capabilities make it suitable for CPU intensive enterprise applications.
  • Go (Golang): Go's built-in concurrency features make it great for CPU bound tasks that can be parallelized.

My personal website primarily deals with serving content, handling user interactions, and managing data - all I/O bound operations. Node.js's architecture is perfectly suited for these tasks, allowing my site to handle multiple concurrent users efficiently. However, if I were building a different kind of application with heavy computational needs, I might have chosen a different language or framework more suited to CPU bound operations.

Large Package Ecosystem

Node.js has a vast library of pre-built packages called npm (Node Package Manager) https://www.npmjs.com/. This saves me time because I don't have to write everything from scratch.
Example: For user authentication, I can use the popular "Passport.js" package instead of creating my own potentially vulnerable system. It's well-maintained, regularly updated, and tested by a large community, ensuring better security

Easy to Deploy

Many hosting services support Node.js, making it simple to put my website online and update it.
Example: I can use platforms like Heroku https://www.heroku.com/ or Vercel https://vercel.com/ to deploy my Node.js website with just a few clicks or commands.

Personal Growth

As a developer, I wanted to challenge myself and improve my JavaScript skills. Building my website with Node.js helps me do that.
To get up-to-date lists of top programming languages, you can check several reputable sources. Here are some URLs where you can find this information:

These sources use different methodologies to rank programming languages, so it's worth checking multiple lists to get a comprehensive view.

Other Options and Their Advantages

While Node.js was right for my personal website, other languages and frameworks have their own strengths:

WordPress (PHP)

WordPress is a popular content management system built with PHP. It's known for its ease of use and extensive plugin ecosystem.

Strengths:

  • User-friendly interface for content management
  • Large community and extensive documentation
  • Thousands of themes and plugins available

WordPress Examples

Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/website/wordpress-website-examples

Django (Python)

Django is a high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design.

Strengths:

  • Built-in admin interface
  • ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) for database operations
  • Strong security features out of the box

Django Examples

Source https://djangostars.com/blog/10-popular-sites-made-on-django/

Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails is a server-side web application framework written in Ruby. It follows the model-view-controller (MVC) pattern.

Strengths:

  • Convention over configuration principle
  • Active Record for database management
  • Extensive testing support

Ruby on Rails Examples

Source https://www.uplead.com/websites-using-ruby-on-rails/

ASP.NET

ASP.NET is a web application framework developed by Microsoft. It allows programmers to build dynamic web applications and services.

Strengths:

  • Seamless integration with other Microsoft technologies
  • Robust security features
  • High performance and scalability

ASP.NET Examples

Source https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/platform/customers

Go (Golang)

Go is a statically typed, compiled language designed at Google. It's known for its simplicity, efficiency, and built-in concurrency features.

Strengths:

  • Fast compilation and execution
  • Built-in concurrency with goroutines and channels
  • Strong standard library
  • Excellent for cloud and network services

Rust

Rust is a systems programming language that focuses on safety, concurrency, and performance. It's designed to be memory-safe without using a garbage collector.

Strengths:

  • Memory safety without garbage collection
  • Zero-cost abstractions
  • Fearless concurrency
  • Pattern matching and powerful type system

Both Go and Rust are relatively newer languages compared to some others we've discussed, but they've gained significant traction in certain areas:

  • Go is often used for building microservices, cloud and server-side applications, and DevOps tools. Its simplicity and efficiency make it a popular choice for scalable backend systems.
  • Rust is frequently used in systems programming, game development, web assembly, and anywhere high performance and low-level control are required. Its safety features make it attractive for projects where security is a top priority.

The choice between these options often depends on factors like the specific requirements of the project, the team's expertise, scalability needs, and sometimes even company policy or existing technology stacks.

No single language, content management system (CMS), or framework can meet all requirements. Your choice should be based on various factors relevant to your specific needs. Alternatively, consider implementing a microservices architecture, where each service utilizes a language, CMS, or framework that best suits its particular function and advantages. For more information, visit https://vulehuan.com/en/blog/2024/7/microservices-architecture-benefits-challenges-and-when-to-use-it-668b940cf0915ca45912b936.html