What is Node.js?

What is Node.js? — 2/55 in the Node.js series. Full playlist companion: Node.js complete course on YouTube. Prefer one article? Read the complete Node.js tutorial.

Short description

Node.js lets you run JavaScript outside the browser. It is event-driven and non-blocking, which makes it great for APIs, real-time apps, CLIs, and microservices.

Steps

1. Remember: Node.js is a runtime, not a framework.
2. It uses the V8 engine to execute JavaScript on the server.
3. Use it for backend APIs, tooling, and streaming apps.

Quick mental model

// Browser JS  -> DOM, window, document
// Node.js JS   -> filesystem, network, process, modules
console.log('Node runs JavaScript on the server');