What's the difference between Node.js and JavaScript?
Waris Ahmed
Senior Shopify Developer | Next.js Developer | Front-end Web Developer | Liquid | Theme Customization
Node.js and JavaScript are two of the most popular programming languages in the world. But what's the difference between them?
JavaScript is a client-side scripting language that is used to make web pages interactive. It is executed in the browser by the JavaScript engine.
Node.js is a server-side runtime environment that uses JavaScript. It allows you to run JavaScript code outside of the browser, on the server.
Here is a code snippet that shows how to use Node.js to create a simple web server:
JavaScript
const http = require('http');
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/plain'});
res.end('Hello, world!');
});
server.listen(8080);
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This code will create a web server that listens on port 8080. When a client requests the server, the server will respond with the text "Hello, world!".
So, which one should you learn?
If you are interested in developing web pages or web applications, then JavaScript is a good choice. It is a powerful language that is easy to learn.
If you are interested in developing real-time web applications, APIs, or micro services, then Node.js is a good choice. It is a fast, scalable, and event-driven platform that is well-suited for these types of applications.