Node formerly known as Node.js ia an open source software framework that allows developers to run applications on multiple operating systems without requiring significant changes to the code. It is designed to run outside the browser on a computer or server OS. Node.js was first released in 2009. Initially, it was available only for the Linux operating system. Later, the npm manager was released in 2010.
Node.js runtime is built on Google Chrome’s V8 engine. Its standard library feature helps developers to build scalable and efficient backend applications. It allows multiple requests from I/O simultaneously without requiring completed operation. It includes APIs to interact with the OS. It provides global objects to manage runtime-level operations and asynchronous behaviour. It's bundled with npm (Node Package Manager) to install third-party libraries and dependencies.
Node is popular due to its speed, flexibility and ecosystem. Developers can use JavaScript for both frontend and backend which means less things to learn and more time can be used to develop. It has a rich ecosystem with npm and active community and support. It can be used to create real-time applications like messaging applications, gaming and live-streaming applications. It can also be used in single-page applications, API development and IoT applications. However, with all these benefits it does lack CPU-intensive tasks like video processing.
npm (Node Package Manager) comes with Node.js. It is used to manage JS packages like libraries, frameworks, etc. It simplifies installing, sharing, updating, managing packages which makes development easier. It keeps track of the package your project depends on. It hosts a large public repository of reusable packages. Its version control feature helps to manage different versions of packages which ensure compatibility and stability in your project.
