Node JS and Non-Blocking IO

Journey into Node JS!

Suppose you want a program that can handle server-side operations, like writing to a database or a file system, but you feel that content management systems like WordPress and Drupal have more features than you need — and may not be worth the maintenance and setup steps.

Or suppose you speak Javascript as your native tongue. but want to try writing a desktop application that can output files.

If you find yourself in this situation or a variant thereof, I recommend exploring Node JS — a lightweight open-source platform for developing server-side applications with Javascript.

As a developer who has mainly used Drupal content management systems or Android apps to interact with databases and file systems, I am finding Node JS to be an exciting foray into using Javascript to run server-side applications using a lightweight solution.

Requirements

Using Node JS requires a familiarity with the command line, and if your machine does not already have it, you will need to install it on your machine.

Hello World

Once you have Node installed, running a Hello World program is pretty straightforward. Putting that out there now because for me, getting something to work is usually my first step on the journey. That said, this post focuses mainly on what Node JS is and why it is unique.

Background

Node JS, originally released in 2009 by Ryan Dahl, helps to redefine Javascript’s place in the world by making it efficient at running server-side applications.

While it was not the first Javascript server side platform — that credit goes to Netscape’s LiveWire Pro Web in 1996 — it is set apart by being event-driven — in other words, being drivable by events such as user clicks. It is also distinguished by being able to do interact with clients, files, and databases efficiently without holding up other tasks.

And with the right modules, such as fs (file system), http, and MySQL, can enable server programs to interact with the file system, a database, and the browser client.

What draws me to Node

Of all of Node’s features, the file system capability is currently what draws me to it. While Node is widely used for websites and web applications, I am right now interested…