Why use Node.js for building eCommerce applications?

Node.js is an ideal platform for developing eCommerce platforms. It offers huge possibilities to build highly robust and scalable web applications.

What is Nodejs?

Node.js (also written as Nodejs or Node js) is an open source, cross-platform runtime environment for developing server-side and networking applications.

Node.js applications are written in JavaScript, and can be run on OS X, Microsoft Windows, and Linux. It was originally written by Ryan Dahl, an American software engineer, in 2009.

Node.js provides a rich library of various JavaScript modules which simplifies the development of web applications using Node.js.

It is not considered ideal to use Node.Js for CPU intensive applications because it is single-threaded and so blocks the event loop when a time-consuming task is running.

What do brands use node.js for?

Successful eCommerce brands have chosen to use Node.js for web applications.

Paypal relies on the Node.js platform to enable its users to transact with each other online quickly and easily in more than 100 currencies.

Another well-known brand using Node.js is eBay. It offers consumer to consumer and business to consumer internet sales services across 37 countries. Node.js helped them to maintain live connections with the server so that the application was as real-time as possible.

What is a typical application using Node.js?

I/O bound Applications

Applications that involve reading and writing data from an input-output system, as well as waiting for information, are considered I/O bound. These include applications like word processing systems, web applications, copying files, and downloading files.

Data Streaming Applications

Data streaming applications send data as it arrives or as it is created, or even data in existing files, directly to a client service or application such as a web browser, apps on a video player or apps on mobile devices. Examples of use include location data, fraud detection, real-time stock trades and marketing analytics.

Data Intensive Real-time Applications (DIRT)

Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. This is perfect for data-intensive real-time applications that run across distributed computers.

JSON APIs based Applications

APIs.json is a machine readable specification that API providers can use to describe their API operations, similar to how web sites are described using sitemap.xml. The likes of Fitbit use this type of application.

Single Page Applications

This is a web application or website that interacts with the user by dynamically rewriting the current web page with new data from the web server, instead of the default method of a web browser loading entire new pages. Gmail, Google Maps, AirBNB, Netflix, Pinterest and Paypal all use Single Page Applications.

Why is Node.js popular?

Here are some of the reasons why Node.js for ecommerce apps is a popular choice.

The Event Loop

The ability to support hundreds of concurrent transactions is what makes it ideal for supporting mobile applications that have high traffic.

Device Specific Content

Node.js allows store owners to customise the content based on the type of device and browser. This saves time for mobile shoppers as all the less important information is remove.

Smart Server Side

Node.js works as a viable back-end for eCommerce applications with HTML5 as a front-end. With fewer plugins and smart features, Node.js is an ideal platform for the ‘behind the scene’ workings of your store.

Fast and Scalable

With less switching between the front-end and back-end coding, Node.js developers can create eCommerce applications fast. And however busy your site is, the scalability offered by Node.js allows you to deliver satisfactory shopping experiences even during peaks in site traffic.

JavaScript Engine

Node.js uses JavaScript as its main language to build web applications and, as JavaScript is the popular language amongst professional web developers, Node.js is easy to code with.

No Buffering

Node.js applications never buffer any data as they output the data in chunks.

Lightweight

Node.js uses event-driven architecture. This means everything executed on it, including every individual operation and call, is a series of asynchronous callbacks. This enables Node.js to run on a single thread, unlike other web technologies where a new thread is created for every client request.

Single Language

Other web technologies like ASP.NET require developers to have knowledge in another language, such as Java or C#, to write code on the server-side. This means all functions have to include a different language on both the server and client side. Node.js uses only JavaScript for both sides which is easier and faster for web development.

High Performance

Big brands use Node.js to deliver measurably higher performance.

PayPal reported that its use of Node.js saw a doubling of the number of requests per second and a reduction of 35% in the response time.

Wal Mart put all its mobile-based traffic via Node.js on Black Friday 2013 and, as a result, servers stayed within 1% CPU utilization despite 200 billion online users.

LinkedIn moved from Ruby to Node.js to handle their mobile traffic, and reduced the number of servers from 30 to 3 and the new system was up to 20 times faster.

Is Node.js safe?

Like any programming language or framework, Node.js is susceptible to web app exposure or hacking. Although the basis of Node.js is secure, third-party packages such as Express, Angular and React may need more security standards to safeguard an app. Around 14% of the Node Package Manager (NPM) ecosystem is affected and the indirectly affected packages are estimated to be about 54% of the ecosystem.

Choose chilliapple for Node.js development

So, if you are planning a new mobile application, consider Node.js.  Our Node.js developers have years of experience in building the most secure mobile apps to help your business reach a wider audience.

If you would like more advice on whether Node.js is right for your next build, chilliapple would be happy to give you a free consultation for you to consider all the options.