Introduction to Node.js (Lecture)
Topic Outline (40-min)
What is Node.js?
Node.js is a runtime environment that allows developers to execute JavaScript code outside the browser.
Built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, it is designed for building scalable network applications.
Key Features of Node.js:
Non-blocking I/O: All I/O operations (e.g., file or network calls) are asynchronous and do not block the main thread.
Event-driven architecture: Uses an event loop to handle multiple concurrent operations efficiently.
Cross-platform: Works on major OS platforms including macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Use Cases and Examples of Node.js in the Industry:
Web applications: High-performance APIs (e.g., Uber, Netflix).
Real-time systems: Chat applications and collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Trello).
Microservices architecture: Modularizing applications into small services for scalability.
IoT solutions: Handling multiple sensor data streams efficiently.
The Node.js Event Loop and Its Importance:
The event loop is the mechanism Node.js uses to handle asynchronous operations.
It works in a single-threaded environment but achieves concurrency using callbacks and the event queue.
Components of the event loop: Timers, I/O callbacks, poll, check, and close callbacks.
Node.js Versions and Semantic Versioning (SemVer):
Even-numbered versions (LTS): Long-term support for production applications.
Odd-numbered versions: Short-term experimental releases.
SemVer ensures backward compatibility through three components:
Major.Minor.Patch. Example:18.15.0.
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