Node.js has been growing in popularity since its inception.
Looking at its popularity amongst the users, it's evident for NodeJS developers to update their skills if they want to remain in top form.
And we’ve got 16 tools for you to get started right away.
What is Node.js?
Node.js is a free and open-source platform that allows you to develop web applications quickly. It runs on JavaScript and is becoming increasingly popular due to its ease of use and speed. If you are considering using Node.js for your next project, read on further to get started!
Why use Node.js?
Node.js is an excellent choice, if You are looking for a fast and lightweight server-side JavaScript platform. It’s used by large companies like Netflix, eBay, and PayPal, and it's ideal for building real-time, high-performance applications.
Node.js is built on Google Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, and it uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it perfect for real-time applications. Node.js is also scalable, so it can handle large amounts of traffic without issue.
If you are considering using Node.js for your next project, here are some reasons to choose it:
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment to build scalable and fast web applications. Its roles and responsibilities are divided into four categories: Front-end, Back-end, DevOps, and Full Stack.
Front-end development:
Front-end developers are responsible for the application's user interface, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They also ensure that it responds well on devices such as desktops or smartphones.
Back-End Development:
Back-end developers are responsible for the application's server side, including data storage, database queries, and algorithms for storing data in a way that can be retrieved quickly by other parts of the software system, such as front-end or back-end developers.
DevOps:
DevOps engineers deal with all things related to the deployment of applications, including provisioning servers, configuring networks, setting up continuous integration pipelines, etc.
Full Stack Development:
Full-stack developers can do any role in Node Js. Node JS developers ensure that applications are up and running smoothly. They work with a team of developers to create high-quality, scalable software using the Node JS framework.
Furthermore, they are often responsible for managing dependencies, developing unit tests, and writing documentation. In addition to these duties, Node JS developers may also be required to participate in code reviews, troubleshoot bugs, and provide customer support. As a result, Node JS developers must have strong problem-solving skills and be able to work independently. They should also have experience with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS and be able to use tools such as Express and Mongoose.
Let's look at 16 top NodeJS tools for development in no particular order.
Babel is used to generate backward-compatible JavaScript lines of codes for older JavaScript engines. The best part is that it can run ECMAScript 2015+ (ES6+) code. In addition, Babel is an open-source JavaScript development tool that allows you to use multiple programming languages.
Using Babel, developers can use the latest JavaScript features by converting their source code to a form that web browsers can understand. Moreover, Babel plugins convert non-standard syntax into a backward-compatible version. In addition, it can automatically inject polyfills offered by core JS for support features that are entirely lacking in JavaScript environments.
BlueBird JS makes writing NodeJS applications even more accessible. It is a JavaScript Promise library with all the bells and whistles. With Bluebird, you may "promisify" other Node modules to use them asynchronously.
Promisify is a concept that comes in use for callback functions. This idea ensures that every call to a callback function returns some result.
Moreover, all the functions in the node module will automatically change to return a value if we Promisify the node module.
Broccoli is a JavaScript build management tool. It creates a distributable version of your application assets that you can run in a browser. BroccoliJS uses a modular plugin architecture to do configuration in JavaScript.
This build tool organizes the build pipeline for storing subdirectories and files using a tree structure (a set of nodes & plugins). You can also host your assets on the local HTTP server provided by Broccoli's built-in server for front-end development. This tool will save a lot of time and boost the productivity of your development team.
Chai is a NodeJS assertion framework for TDD and BDD that you can use in conjunction with virtually any other type of testing tool. Chai will also help you verify the asynchronous test results. Moreover, you can use NodeJS or a web browser to run Chai, with its many plugins serving as an assertion tool.
The best thing about ElectrodeJS is that both React and NodeJS programs run on it, making it a versatile platform. In addition, Electrode Explorer and Electrify are part of the best practices, standardized frameworks, and current technologies. These tools allow you to see your electrode's module tree, documentation, and how the io + Webpack project bundles are brought together.
ExpressJS is an essential framework for NodeJS web apps because of its simplicity.
Using NodeJS and ExpressJS, you may create server-side JavaScript applications. Moreover, you can use NodeJS to develop the server-side program and ExpressJS to serve the app on your website.
Keystone is one of the NodeJS development tools for those who want to learn and develop applications using NodeJS. It serves NodeJS database-driven web applications and APIs. The tool's most impressive feature is its user-friendly design, making it easy to manage your website.
8. KoaJS
The minimalist and modern NodeJS developer tool, Koajs, is a server-side framework that runs on NodeJS. The backend framework is significantly lighter than any other NodeJS framework. It is used extensively to build APIs and apps that remain relevant for a long time.
In addition, you can quickly create APIs that connect to other front-end frameworks and apps that render server-side views. In addition, you can add modules to this framework to make it more versatile.
MeteorJS is a JavaScript prototyping and cross-platform coding framework (Web, Android, iOS) built on NodeJS. It has MongoDB integration and can be used with any JavaScript-based UI widgets. Even Y Combinator, the world's most renowned startup accelerator, endorses this NodeJS development tool.
It is a popular NodeJS-based JS test framework widely used by NodeJS developers to run tests. This framework is excellent since you can run it simultaneously on NodeJS and browsers. In addition, it has several advantages, especially when sharing code and developing modules.
MochaJS is an excellent choice for behavior-driven and test-driven development. In addition, you can use it for unit and integration testing (BDD and TDD).
PassportJS is middleware, simple, and discreet authentication for NodeJS authentication. It offers over 300 options for authenticating your app, including the username and password model, logins, etc.
PM2 is a process manager used in NodeJS application development. It has comprehensive load balancing, application cluster, hot reload log management, container integration, and monitoring of critical metrics, among other features. This tool will help you eliminate most challenges connected with running NodeJS apps inside Docker containers.
For testing JavaScript, you can use SinonJS, a stand-alone framework. Compatible with any testing framework, it's compatible with stubs, spies, and mocks. In addition, it's cross-browser compatible and runs on NodeJS on the server.
Socket.io is a framework for real-time, bi-directional communication based on event-driven interactions between two computers or devices. The huge plus of this NodeJS developer tool is that it performs well on any device or platform. It's ideal for chat apps and is favored by large corporations like Microsoft and small startups like Zendesk and Trello.
A module bundler known as Webpack takes modules and creates static assets to represent those modules. To deploy a dynamic application to your server, you need to bundle it into static files. Therefore, it helps you to minimize the initial loading time of your application significantly.
Webpack's code-splitting ability allows you to break up your codebase into smaller parts. For example, if you want to use Webpack, you'll have to use JavaScript natively. You can, however, use loaders to convert additional resources written in CSS, JSX, SAAS, etc., to JavaScript.
You can also enhance the web pack's functionality by adding plugins and loaders with their configurations. The web bundle also includes an innovative method for analyzing any third-party library.
The WebStorm IDE is a fantastic JavaScript IDE. It is lightweight and has everything required for developing client-side and server-side NodeJS apps. In addition, it's a JS-specific tool; thus, it's an excellent choice if you're solely creating JavaScript/HTML/CSS. You can also debug, track, and conduct unit testing.
At this point, it is evident that using NodeJS developer tools can make you a better developer. If not better, it will make your NodeJS development journey a little (or a lot!) easier.
As a member of the Notchup community you can find world-wide remote jobs as a NodeJS developer. Join our community to see all our available gigs and jobs for NodeJS and other skills today.
