Tag: asynchronous

11 Features in Node.js 18 you need to try

Posted on by Simon Helberg

Node.js 18 LTS is now available. What’s new?

Node.js 18 was released on the 19th of April this year. You can read more in the official blog post release or in the OpenJS Blog announcement. The community couldn’t be more excited!

Here at NodeSource,releases are a big deal. As a team of experts, enthusiasts, and core contributors to the open-source project, we love seeing the progress of Node! We are also one of the primary distributors of the runtime and have been since version 0.x (2014).

Developers download and use our binaries worldwide for their production environments (over 100m a year and growing!). We are incredibly proud to support this important piece of the Node ecosystem in addition to building and supporting customers on our Node.js platform – N|Solid.

“If you use Linux, we recommend using a NodeSource installer.” – From the NPM Documentation

If you want to lend a hand, we welcome your ideas or solutions contact us, or if you would like to help us continue supporting open source, you can contribute with an issue here.

Overall, the community is looking forward to this release with many new features and other benefits in addition to the official release earlier this year that included:

Security: Upgrading to OpenSSL 3.0

APIs: Fetch API is Promise based, providing a cleaner and more concise syntax.

If you are interested in thinking about the future of Node, we recommend checking out The next-10 group. They are doing some great work thinking about the strategic direction for the next 10 years of Node.js. Their technical priorities are:

Modern HTTP, WebAssembly, and Types.
ECMAScript modules and Observability

_OpenJS Collaborator Summit 2022
_

But now I’m sure you want to get into the changes in v18. What has improved, and what are the new features? That’s what you’re here for 😉. So let us explain 👇

Hydrogen. What is it?

The codename for this release is ‘Hydrogen’. Support for Node.js 18 will last until April 2025. The name comes from the periodic table, and they have been used in alphabetical order (Argon, Boron, Carbon, Dubnium, Erbium…) 🤓 Read more in StackOverflow.

LTS?

According to the Node.js blog, the “LTS version guarantees that the critical bugs will be fixed for a total of 30 months and Production applications should only use Active LTS, or Maintenance LTS releases”. – https://nodejs.dev/en/about/releases/

In short, it focuses on stability and being a more reliable application after allowing a reasonable time to receive feedback from the community and testing its implementation at any scale.

_Nodejs Releases Screenshot 2022
_

How do I know what version of Node and LTS I have?

You can easily do it by typing in your console:

$ node –version

Run the following to retrieve the name of the LTS release you are using:

$ node -p process.release.lts

_Note: _ The previous property only exists if the release is an LTS. Otherwise, it returns nothing.

If you want to be aware of the release planning in the Node.js community, you can check here: Node.js Release Schedule.

What’s new in Node.js 18?

Contributors are constantly working to improve the runtime, introduce more features, and improve developer experience and usability. Today as the worldwide community uses JS for developing API-driven web applications and serverless cloud development, the changes in this new LTS version are important to understand.

In honor of the number 11 (__#funfact__ Undici means ‘eleven’ in Italian), we decided to make our top 11 Node.js 18 features:

Fetch API
🧪- – watch
🧪 OpenSSL 3 Support
🧪 node:test module
Prefix-only core Modules
🧪 Web Streams API
Other Global APIs: Blob and BrodcastChannel.
V8 Version 10.1
Toolchain and Compiler Upgrades
HTTP Timeouts
Undici Library

The idea of this blog post is to relevel the functionalities one by one, so let’s start:

Feature 1: Native Fetch API in Node.js 18

Finally, v18 provides native fetch functionality in Node.js. This is a standardized web API for conducting HTTP or other types of network requests. Previously Node.js did not support it by default. Because JavaScript is utilized in so many areas, this is fantastic news for the entire ecosystem.

Example:

Feature 2:–watch

Using –watch, your application will automatically restart when an imported file is changed. Just like nodemon. And you can use –watch-path to specify which path should be observed.

Also, these flags cannot be combined with –check, –eval, –interactive, or when used in REPL (read–eval–print loop) mode. It just won’t work.

You can now use Node Watch index on your file name to start watching your files without having to install anything.

Feature 3: OpenSSL 3 Support

OpenSSL is an open-source implementation of, among other things, SSL and TLS protocols for securing communication.

One key feature of OpenSSL 3.0 is the new FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) module. FIPS is a set of US government requirements for governing cryptographic usage in the public sector.

More information is available in the OpenSSL3 blog post.

Feature 4: The Experimental node:test

The node:test module facilitates the creation of JavaScript tests that report results in TAP (Test Anything Protocol) format. The TAP output is extensively used and makes the output easier to consume.

import test from node:test

This module is only available under the node:scheme.
Read more in Node.js Docs

This test runner is still in development and is not meant to replace other complete alternatives such as Jest or Mocha, but it provides a quick way to execute a test suite without additional third-party libraries. The test runner supports features like subtests, test skipping, callback tests, etc.

node:test and –test

node:assert

The following is an example of how to use the new test runner.

More information may be found in the Node.js API docs.

Feature 5: Prefix-only core Modules

A new way to ‘import’ modules that leverages a ‘node:’ prefix, which makes it immediately evident that the modules are from Node.js core

To learn more about this functionality, we invite you to read Colin Ihrig‘s article Node.js 18 Introduces Prefix-Only Core Modules.

Feature 6: Experimental Web Streams API

A Web Streams API is a set of streams API. Also experimental, it allows JavaScript to access streams of data received over the network programmatically and process them as desired. This means Stream APIs are now available on the global scope. This would help send the data packets in readable and writable streams.

Methods available are as follows,

ReadableStream

ReadableStreamDefaultReader

ReadableStreamBYOBReader

ReadableStreamBYOBRequest

ReadableByteStreamController

ReadableStreamDefaultController

TransformStream

TransformStreamDefaultController

WritableStream

WritableStreamDefaultWriter

WritableStreamDefaultController

ByteLengthQueuingStrategy

CountQueuingStrategy

TextEncoderStream

TextDecoderStream

CompressionStream

DecompressionStream

Feature 7: Other Global APIs

The following APIs in the Node v18 upgrade are exposed on the global scope: Blob and BroadcastChannel.

Feature 8: V8 Version 10.1

Node.js runs with the V8 engine from the Chromium open-source browser. This engine has been upgraded to version 10.1, which is part of the recent update in Chromium 101.

New array methods for finding the last element and index of an array. Array methods findLast and findLastIndex are now available.
Internationalization support: Intl.Locale and the Intl.supportedValuesOf functions.
Improving the performance of class fields and private class methods.
The data format of the v8.serialize function has changed (No compatible with earlier versions of Node.js.)

Keep an eye out here.

Feature 9: Toolchain and Compiler Upgrades

Node.js always provides pre-built binaries for various platforms. For every latest release, toolchains are evaluated and elevated whenever required. Node.js provides pre-built binaries for several different platforms. For each major release, the minimum toolchains are assessed and raised where appropriate.

Pre-built binaries for Linux are now built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8 and are compatible with Linux distributions based on Glibc 2.28 or later, for example, Debian 10, RHEL 8, Ubuntu 20.04.
Pre-built binaries for macOS now require macOS 10.15 or later.
For AIX, the minimum supported architecture has been raised from Power 7 to Power 8.

Note: Build-time user-land snapshot(Experimental)

Users can build a Node.js binary with a custom V8 startup using the
–-node-snapshot-main flag of the configure script.

Feature 10: HTTP Timeouts

The http.server timeouts have changed:

headersTimeout (the time allowed for an HTTP request header to be parsed) is set to 60000 milliseconds (60 seconds).

requestTimeout (the timeout used for an HTTP request) is set to 300000 milliseconds (5 minutes) by default.

Feature 11: Undici Library in Node.js

Undici is an official Node team library, although it’s more like an HTTP 1.1 full-fledged client designed from the ground up in Node.js.

Keep alive by default.
LIFO scheduling
No pipelining
Unlimited connections
Can follow redirected (opt-in)

Of note, we support and love Lizz‘s work, so we recommend you check out her fantastic talk in Nodeconf.EU about New and Exciting features in Node.js to understand more about this feature.

Other Features/Changes:

The project undoubtedly has some great challenges in the near future to continue growing and maintaining its leading position in the ecosystem. These are some of the upcoming features. Most of them are experimental; without being the only ones to discuss, there is much work and proposals from an active community such as the Node.js Community.

Default DNS resolution
ECMAScript modules improvements
Improved support for AbortController and AbortSignal
Updated Platform Support
Async Hooks
Direct Network Imports
Build-time user-land snapshot
Support for JSON Import Assertions
Unflagging of JSON modules (experimental)
Support for HTTPS and HTTP imports
Diagnostic Channel
Trace Events
WASI

You can check the full changelog here.

Final Remarks

Node.js 12 will go End-of-Life in April 2022.
Node.js 14 (LTS) or Node.js 16 (LTS) or Later Node.js 18 will be LTS.
Node.js 18 will be promoted to Long-term Support (LTS) in October 2022 (NOW).
After being promoted to LTS, Node.js 18 will be supported until April 2025.

Upgrade Now!

Moving to the LTS version is the best decision for you to include the following improvements in your development workflow:

FetchAPI and Web Streams
V8: New advanced features, array methods, improvements, and enhancements.
Test runner without the need for third-party packages.
Deprecated APIs: Check the list here

Enhancement in Intl.Locale API.
Performance improvement in both class fields and private class methods.

Migration

To migrate your version of Node, follow these steps:

For Linux and Mac users, follow these commands to upgrade to the latest version of Node. The module n makes version management easy:

npm install n -g

For the latest stable version:

n stable

For the latest version:

n latest

Windows Users
Visit the Node.js download page to install the new version of Node.js.

Special Thanks

With 99 contributors and 1348 commits Node.js 18 LTS came to life 🎉. Special thanks to @_rafaelgss @BethGriggs_ @_richard_lau_ To make this release happen 💚

$ nvm install 18.12.0

And thank you to all of Node.js project contributors. Our complete admiration and support for such incredible work 💪.

NodeSource Node.js Binary Distributions

NodeSource, from the beginning, was created with a great commitment to the developers’ community, which is why it has provided documentation for using the NodeSource Node.js Binary Distributions via .rpm, .deb as well as their setup and support scripts.

If you are looking for NodeSource’s Enterprise-grade Node.js platform, N|Solid, please visit https://downloads.nodesource.com/, and for detailed information on installing and using N|Solid, please refer to the N|Solid User Guide.

We are also aware that as a start-up, you want ‘Enterprise-grade’ at a startup price, this is why we extend our product to small and medium-sized companies, startups, and non-profit organizations with N|Solid SaaS.

Useful Links / References

You can upgrade to NodeJS v18 using the official download link

New Node.js features bring a global fetch API & test runner. Check out the Node version 16-18 report

Welcome Node.js 18 by RedHat
Announcing a new –experimental-modules

NODE.JS Retro 2022

Posted on by Simon Helberg

Node.js was the top technology used by professional developers in 2022

Stack Overflow’s annual Developer Survey confirmed our experience; Node.js continues to grow its use across the globe due to its scalability and performance as well as its ability to integrate seamlessly with a wide range of technologies and databases make it an ideal technology for businesses of all sizes.

The Node.js open-source project, a cross-platform JavaScript run-time environment built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, allows developers to use JavaScript to create web applications and serve data quickly, securely, and reliably. That’s why professional developers have adopted it broadly; it helps them in many web-development tasks like API development, streaming, and web and mobile applications as it is fully compatible with existing JavaScript libraries (the Top Language according to Github’s Octoverse Report, it can be used to create highly scalable and dynamic web or mobile applications.

Img 1: Stackoverflow 2022 survey

NodeJS on an Enterprise Level

Node.js excels at simplifying the development process for enterprises. It requires less code to execute tasks, allowing developers to focus on creating high-quality code rather than endless lines of coding. By utilizing asynchronous I/O and non-blocking event-driven input/output makes it lightweight and efficient for building real-time applications.

Img: Node.js Org Use Survey

Node.js is designed to handle high amounts of requests quickly and efficiently. Its architecture is based on a single-threaded, event-driven model that makes it very efficient at handling concurrent requests. This event-driven design allows Node to handle requests without the need for multiple threads. This makes Node.js applications highly scalable, as multiple requests can be served without additional resources or server hardware.

Additionally, Node.js supports streaming and event-based programming, which allows developers to build asynchronous applications. Asynchronous programming will enable applications to respond quickly to multiple requests without waiting for each request to finish before responding.

Therefore the performance of Node.js applications depends mainly on how well they are coded and optimized. Careful planning and optimizing the application code are essential to achieve high performance. Additionally, Node.js applications benefit from caching, clustering, and other optimization techniques. These techniques can help improve the performance and scalability of Node.js applications.

The number one request we get at NodeSource is to help developers and organizations improve the performance of their Node.js applications. It’s a key reason we built our product N|Solid, to provide the visibility and insights to help identify and resolve issues fast without adding overhead like other APMs (NodeSource Benchmark Tool). And why we offer Professional Services from our Node Experts to go a step further with Performance Audits and Training and Node.js Support.

Optimization techniques in Node.js

In our experience, the most common optimization techniques in Node.js are caching, minification, bundling, optimizing database queries, code splitting, using async functions, and using the Node.js cluster module. Here is a quick overview of each.:

Caching

Caching in Node.js helps improve performance by storing data in memory to be accessed quickly when needed. This helps reduce the time it takes to retrieve data from the server and helps reduce the number of requests needed to be made to the server. Caching also allows data to be stored more efficiently, which is helpful for applications with large amounts of data.

Minification

In Node.js reduces the size of code files and other resources by removing unnecessary characters, such as spaces, new lines, and comments, without altering the code’s functionality. Minifying code can help to enhance the performance of your Node.js applications by reducing download time and improving browser rendering speed.

Bundling

Is the process of combining multiple files or resources into one bundle, which typically has a smaller file size than when all files are separate. Bundling can reduce network latency as fewer requests are needed to retrieve data. It also helps improve application performance as the browser can cache a single large file instead of multiple small ones.

Optimizing database queries

In Node.js involves utilizing techniques such as indexing, query optimization, and caching to ensure that database queries are more efficient and run more quickly. Proper indexing can contribute to faster query times. In contrast, query optimization can reduce the time needed to process a query by ensuring that only the data required is requested from the database.

Code splitting

Is a technique to reduce the amount of code sent to the client when a web page is requested. Code splitting efficiently divides code into smaller bundles and only sends the necessary code to the user when needed. This helps improve web application performance, as the user only needs to download the relevant code for the requested page.

Async functions

In Node.js allow code to be run asynchronously, meaning that the code is not executed sequentially. Instead, asynchronous operations can be executed in parallel and execute operations concurrently. This allows the code to execute faster and in a more efficient way. Additionally, asynchronous functions provide better error-handling capabilities and allow greater control over the flow.

Use of the Node.js Cluster Module

The Node.js cluster module allows you to create a group of child processes (workers) that all share the same server port, making it easy to scale your application across multiple CPU cores. It also provides a powerful way to handle requests in a distributed manner and makes it easier to manage and monitor the performance of your application. The cluster also provides an API for sending messages between workers, allowing them to coordinate their activities.

In addition to these optimization techniques in Node.js, it is important to consider the best development practices in Node.js.

The best development practices in Node.js.for 2023

Img: https://xkcd.com/292/

The list includes, but is not less:

Utilizing the latest version of Node.js and ensuring it is regularly updated. For your production binaries, we recommend using our distribution packages (best maintained, documented, and most used production binaries -NodeSource Node.js Binary Distributions

Implementing modern patterns and techniques such as asynchronous programming and proper error handling.

Leveraging dependency management to reduce code complexity and ensure packages are up-to-date.

Adopting modular development practices to create easily reused and scaled components across projects.

Investing in automated testing to ensure quality and stability in the codebase.

Use security libraries to prevent common vulnerabilities and protect against data breaches.

Optimizing memory and resource usage to keep operating costs low.

And to comply with one or several of these good practices, it is essential to use an APM.

Using an Application Performance Monitoring (APM)

Using an Application Performance Monitoring (APM) tool to monitor your Node.js application lets you gain insights into application performance and identify issues quickly. Some popular APM tools for Node.js include New Relic, AppDynamics, Datadog and N|Solid. Each tool offers performance monitoring, error tracking, and real-time analytics features.

Note: Last year, we released for the community an open-source tool to compare the main APMs in Node.js; we invite you to contribute or use it in your work.

Selecting the right APM for Node.js will depend on the specific needs of your project. However (yes, we are biased 🙂), we believe N|Solid is the best APM for Node.js is the best APM for Node.js; because it provides developers with deeper insights and key integrations and adds security features no other APM can.

Conclusion:

Node.js is quickly becoming a popular choice for enterprise-level applications. With its lightweight architecture, scalability, and flexibility,
Node.js is an ideal language for businesses that need applications that can handle high traffic and complex data.
Node.js allows organizations to develop highly-customizable web applications that are secure, reliable, and perform well at scale.
Node.js also has a vibrant open-source community, allowing developers to easily find and use existing libraries and frameworks.

Are you creating a Node.js application?

Follow these simple steps:

Start by selecting a framework. Node.js has many available frameworks, such as Fastify, Hapi, or Koa. Choose the one that best fits the needs of your application.

Set up a package.json file to better manage your project’s dependencies.
Create a folder structure to organize the components of your application.
Structure your code into separate files as your application grows.
Write automated tests for your application.
Implement error handling for any unexpected issues.
Validate user input before handing it off to your application.
Utilize caching to improve performance.
Consider deploying
Use an APM and follow our diagnostic blog-post series (Remember that for Node.js, N|Solid is the recommended option 😉 ).

Good programming could help create a project exactly how you want. In NodeJS, there are so many open-source projects to take inspiration from.

— Wait for our list of projects and technologies in Node.js to keep an eye on in 2023 —

With services from a NodeJS expert company such as NodeSource, you could make the most of the technology’s robust features to achieve your web development goals. We will be happy to support you in your node.js journey!

Here are our channels to follow us and continue the conversation:
– Twitter
– LinkedIn
– Github.
As always, the best place to contact us is via our website or [email protected].

About N|Solid

N|Solid is an augmented version of Node.js that includes additional features such as security, performance monitoring, and enhanced debugging tools. It’s an excellent option for projects that require robust debugging and performance capabilities.