Node.js and Express

Node.js and Express have evolved as leading backend technologies for web app development over the years. They both cater to different aspects of the backend and can seem daunting with their extensive services and features. This comparative guide for Express and Node.js will highlight the differences between them and help CTOs pick the right platform based on their project requirements.

What is Node.js? – An Overview

Node.js is a server-side, Javascript-based runtime environment that’s a massive open-source tool. It attributes its success as a high-performance, scalable framework to the single-threaded process used for web loads and async programming. What’s more, you can use Node.js-based frameworks such as Express, Socket.io, and Meteor.js within it to enhance the backend capability of a project. Designed with real-time and push-based architectures, the technology is known to build single-page applications, websites, and backend API services.

Here are some market usage stats of Node.js as a backend technology:

63.22% of developers rated Node.js as the most loved tool in Stackoverflow Developer Survey Report 2021.

85% of Node.js developers use it for web app development, and the other 43% use it for enterprise-grade applications.

51.4% of developers regarded Node.js as the most-used tool earlier in 2020.

Use cases of Node.js

• Streaming web applications
• Real-time software & Streaming apps (Collaboration tools used for video/audio conferencing, document editing, Chat applications, etc. )
• Complex single-page apps
• Microservices
• IoT-based applications
• Backends and servers
• Developing APIs
• Scripting and automation

Popular apps using Node.js as backend technology

• NASA revealed that Node.js made migrating data from legacy databases to a cloud database effortless. It created a single database for any query and reduced access time by a massive 300%.
• Twitter launched Twitter Lite with a 30% faster launch time and quick loading on slower connections.
• Netflix decreased startup times and significantly improved performance. They migrated their backend from Java to Node.js resulting in a decrease in startup time from 40 minutes to 60 seconds.
• Trello implemented instant propagation of updates. As the application organizes tasks on an agile basis, they wanted a tool that instantly reflects the updates without reloading the page.

What is Express? – An Overview

Express.js or Express is an open-source server-side framework built for Node.js. It is part of MEAN, MEVN, and MERN stacks written in Javascript. Express provides plugins, template code, middleware packages, and routing functionality for faster and more efficient web development. Additionally, the framework allows third-party integrations of libraries and features to make customization easier.

Here are some market usage stats of Express as a backend technology:-

A study by BuiltWith shows that Express is the 10th most popular framework in the Top 10k sites.

SimilarTech reports around 245,657 websites are built with Express worldwide, out of which 48,406 are made exclusively in the US.

According to a study by Statistics & Data, Express ranks 4th among the top 5 backend frameworks for 2021.

Use Cases of Express:-

• Single-page apps
• Reusable apps
• Middleware Applications
• RESTful APIs
• Serve and access static files using a browser
• Enterprise web applications
• eCommerce web applications
• Popular Apps using Express as backend technology:-
• Twitter moved to Node.js Express in 2017 to speed up its mobile web app Twitter Lite.
• Uber utilized Express to develop their base web server, Bedrock, and optimize the middleware to provide security, internationalization, and other integrations for its infrastructure.
• Accuweather leveraged Express to build APIs for integration into other apps.
• IMDB also applied Express features to create APIs for developers to integrate them into their apps.

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