Node JS Use Cases: When, Why & How to Use Node.js? (Comprehensive Guide)

If you have used JavaScript or C++, then you must also have heard of Node.js. If you are wondering: Why Use Node.js or What Are The NodeJS Use Cases?

It has been gaining popularity amongst programmers. That’s why there is so much demand for the Best Node JS Development Company.

One reason could be its association with JavaScript that gave the development community easy access to Node.js—the second being that it is proficient with the internet fundamentals of HTTP, DNS, and TNS.

Fun fact– It was set up on May 27, 2009, by Ryan Dahl, almost 13 years after the introduction of JavaScript. It was designed to surpass the limited possibilities that came with accessible servers of that time.

If you have settled down on using Node.js for web app projects, then you must ask around the community. It is of utmost importance to be aware regarding it and reading up all documentation as well.

An introduction to Node.js

What Is Node.js Used For?

It is built on the Google V8 JavaScript engine and is open-source. The modules of Node.js use an API that reduces the complexity of web applications.

It also allows the creation of scalable servers through its event-driven program model. This model uses call-backs to signal the completion of the task.

The NodeJS Use Cases are not limited to web applications. There are many other areas where you can use Node.js.

Some of the popular ones are as below:

• Backend and Servers
• Microservices
• Development of API
• Front end
• Script and automation

Node.js builds several smaller applications instead of larger ones. It helps in building applications that will enable change and the addition of newer functions!

Since JavaScript is the primary language used to build applications, it is the most commonly used language in the tech industry today. These together make for an influential server revolutionary. Why stay behind the trend when you have the option to hire NodeJS developers now and create the revolution?

Advantage Of Node.js

People always think that, Why Use Node.js?

There are many advantages of using the Node.js framework for web applications.

Some of the advantages are as listed below:

• Speed & Performance
• Non-Blocking I/O
• Support For Real-Time Applications
• Unified Database Queries
• Easy & Fast Coding
• Open-Source NPM Repository
• Proxy Server Ability
• Fast Development Cycle

Exploring The Use Cases Of Node.js

The pointers indicate that the Node. js is suited best for applications where a continuous connection can be maintained between the browser and the server.

Let’s discuss some NodeJS Use Cases. These apps mentioned are some of the prime examples of Node JS Use Cases.

Data Streaming Apps

The Problem: it requires heavy processing

Data streaming on apps is complex and usually requires uninterrupted streaming of data by different devices and sources.

Solution: Node.js will help make data streaming easier

Knowing When to Use Node.js is crucial. It is perfect to use NodeJS for online streaming platforms, as it does not store temporary data or caching, since its connection remains open.

It also has an interface that allows streams that are readable and writable.

For Example:

Netflix, the infamous movie/tv show streaming platform, uses Node.js. As you know, Netlfix requires to stream a lot of data, that too at a quicker rate.

That’s where Node.js was a perfect choice. It solved the data streaming problem for Netflix and increase its efficiency.

Server-Side Proxy

The Problem: A third party proxy can cause chaos in web apps

Nginx and HAProxy are some standard third-party servers that are not scalable or feasible to handle multiple requests sometimes.

Solution: Node.js will help build a more relaxed and better server proxy

Developers complain of most proxy servers not being able to handle the multiple demands associated with server-side proxies.

NodeJS comes in handy in such cases by employing a collection of data from third-party servers.

For Example:

A company that uses NodeJS is BBC news. It handles its numerous connections by using its non-blocking nature.

For example, the BBC news website that communicates with a variety of third-party servers gathers data from different sources. Here Node.js will help in proxying various services with varying timings of response.

Big Data Analytics

The Problem: It can be troublesome to deal with extensive data in one browser

When dealing with more significant data i.e. Big Data Analytics, you make users wait for longer, which is not acceptable.

More than 5 minutes with a frozen browser is annoying no matter how good the analysis.

Solution: Node.js will help to make the processing of data more accessible

We know that Node.js ensures a flow of data between the browser and the server.

Here, it will allow the data flow without any interruption by breaking up the data in smaller portions, unlike the others.

For Example:

A fitting example of When to Use Node.js would be online shopping/retail sites such as Amazon.

Amazon is an online shopping website that contains a large amount of data loaded in a web browser. Node.js makes the data more accessible and therefore the uptime of the website will always be high.

Wireless Connectivity

The Problem: Bi-directional signals and the bandwidth consumption

Bandwidth consumption is the major challenge for connectivity! A reliable source that collects data and sends it to the rightful destination can be a challenge.

Here, collection and routing of data between devices and then a reliable Bi-directional signal are of priority.

Solution: Node.js will help ensure blockage free data connectivity

We have come to depend on the internet too much. An interruption in it can ruin the perfect day at work.

Here, Node.js helps create a proxy server for connectivity and routing, as it provides non-blocking services.

For Example:

GoDaddy one of the most popular domain name registrar and web hosting company makes use of Node.js for building their back-end infrastructure. Due to node.js, GoDaddy has been able to increase its uptime as it provides a non-blocking service. It can also handle multiple requests with ease.

System Monitoring Dashboard

The Problem: real-time data pushing at scale can be difficult

Dashboards are used to display and convey a large amount of information swiftly. However, it is difficult to find the most applicable information and then to present it in real-time.

When using the dashboard, sometimes you may not be notified of the strange behavior and then manually monitor it to detect the problem.

Solution: Node.js will help push real-time data

These are usually used to deliver substantial information quickly. Its amalgamation with the

Node.js event loop capability will help make a more robust system monitoring dashboard.

It can also be used to collect real-time data by using WebSockets.

For Example:

eBay is a famous eCommerce website that was facing the issue of handling real-time data while managing their dashboard for sales & marketing. That’s where the company decided to opt for Node.js. It helped them to collect real-time data and also made their system robust & secure.

Real-Time Data Apps

The Problem: It holds up in the scalability of real-time data

Here, the main problem lies in scaling and sizing of the data streaming in real-time, especially if the application runs 24X7.

Extra resources may be required to execute the operations to meet serviceable arrangements.

Solution: Node.js will help real-time data advantage for apps

Node.js an awesome choice for building real-time web applications. It uses push technology over web sockets. It is also the best bet when it comes to server-side applications. Node.js also allows sharing and reusing.

For Example:

An example of real-time data apps where Node.js Usage is involved would be google doc. Here, its event-driven and non-blocking nature comes into use.

It will allow for a no hang-up operation and instant update of the work.

Node.js is vital in such a case because it:

• lets developers share library codes
• will handle I/O tasks effectively
• it is fast and scalable

Queued I/O Output

The Problem: the app can crash if the data load is huge

Collecting vast amounts of data can lead to a rather congested database and hence result in the application crashing.

Fixing this damage is also expensive, and so is the queuing of data in order to maintain concurrency.

Solution: Node.js will help handle the enormous data load with the help of its asynchronous nature

Node.js is asynchronous and hence handles heavy data flow with ease.

Thus, unloading and making the process smooth by queuing infrastructure or caching.

It thereby helps in un-congesting the database and applications that will not crash.

For Example:

You can consider the tracking of user-written data that needs to be processed in batches. The counting of likes on a Facebook post is a perfect example of this situation.

Node.js is asynchronous in nature and therefore, it can process a large amount of data in a Facebook with ease.

Chatbots

The Problem: Investing in customer service calls is expensive for businesses

An average of 265 billion customer support calls is made. This makes a business spend roughly $1.3 trillion each year.

Solution: Node.js will help by offering chatbots that are cheaper and fit in the budget

Interfaces that require quick exchanges of messages must use Node.js, especially chat rooms on Browser games.

The API is more straightforward and allows real-time data/message exchange by using Express.js. Numerous apps and websites use chatbots to help customers daily.

For Example:

Drift is a perfect example of this use case. It makes use of chatbots that connects business with qualified leads. Drift allows users to interact directly with the chatbot which enhances the customer experience of business.

Web Scraping

The Problem: Manually extracting data is tiresome

Data extraction from different sources cannot be done manually as it usually ranges in millions.

Moreover, the analysis of data can be challenging, and even the amount that needs to be pushed.

Solution: Node.js will help by making it quicker and cheaper

A manual web scraping is a tedious job and will take hours, making it somewhat challenging.

Node.js can automate this job by using 2 packages- cheerio and request.

Here, the request will download the page while cheerio will generate a document object model.

For Example:

LeadSquared – one of the popular marketing automation platforms is reaping the benefits of Node.js. For marketing automation, the tool requires to scrap the customer data.

That’s where Node.js could be a perfect option. With great packages, it can automate this thing with the utmost ease.

REST API

The Problem: SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) makes API complex

Even though SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) has a higher capacity in terms of data transferring, the API integration remains complex.

Solution: Node.js will help build a REST API that hastens the integration process of API

REST or representational state transfer is essential to build software architectures and shows a heavy usage of the HTTP protocol.

This NodeJS Use Case involves it offering a framework to Express.js and hence creating a lighter and faster REST API.

While usually, the SOAP makes the API rather complicated, which is what NodeJS solves.

For Example:

NASA is an organization that has adopted Node.js and also reaped the reward for that. They wanted to streamline the workflow where each API and operate smoothly. For that purpose, Node.js was a perfect choice. It helped them to handle multiple functionalities with ease.

Command-Line

The Problem: Security of Command-Line Apps

The security of command-line applications has been a massive challenge over the years. Developers have tried many solutions, but haven’t found 100% success with it.

Solution: Utilizing a scalable, reliable & secure platform like Node.js

Node.js can help in building useful command-line apps. Such a platform will ensure the command-line app is reliable and has access to thousands of packages. They are explicitly designed to make powerful command-line tools.

The hence produced command-line app will be faster, cost-effective because of libraries like yargs, commander, and oclif. Node.js is perfect for developers who are not friendly with backend languages.

For Example:

The most popularly used Create React App is a perfect example of a command-line tool made in node.js.

They were facing massive security issues. But, with node.js, reliability, security, and scalability came into play. So, the app became faster and stronger than ever.

Single Page Application

The Problem: Developing single-page applications that can handle multiple requests with ease

Single Page applications are a common technique being used these days. It allows the whole application to fit on 1 page to deliver a desktop-like experience efficiently.

Solution: Making use of Node.js and its asynchronous nature

NodeJS helps build SPAs that will handle asynchronous calls in a well-organized manner and even the heavy I/O operations.

SPAs are usually used in social networking sites, text or drawing tools, and mail solutions. Here, the use of NodeJS will help catch the multiple client requests that pop up.

It simplifies the process and makes the site reusable by approaching both the front and back end.

For Example:

Gmail and Twitter are of the finest examples of single page application that has Node.js as a part of their technology stack. As Node.js is event-driven and asynchronous in nature, it is highly suitable for SPAs.

Microservice Architecture

The Problem: Using microservice architecture for business logic

Microservice Architecture is an approach that helps develop an application as smaller groups of independent services. These will play unique roles in business logic.

It became trendy and was commonly used on Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix websites. The web app will communicate using REST/HTTP protocols and the JSON structure of data.

Solution: Making use of the Node.js framework that is fast & efficient

Node.js helps build microservers that are stable, lightweight, efficient, and easy to maintain.

Thus, helping a company enhance its performance and even reduce the codebase by a significant amount.

For Example:

Applications like Facebook and Amazon were making use of Microservice Architecture for business logic.

That’s where they were compromising the performance. With Node.js, they can uplift the performance and also reduce the codebase.

Browser Games

The Problem: Creating games for browsers with a seamless user experience

Developing a game-specific to browsers is a challenge. Now, add user-experience to it and it becomes a complicated case to solve for any developer.

Solution: Making use of a platform like Node.js that is supported by browsers

NodeJS can be used in-game development along with HTML5 and Socket.IO to create multiplayer or single-player games that will work directly on the browser.

They will not require third party plugins and provide a game developer with tools to make the management of the multiplayer games easier.

For Example:

Games such as Ancient beast, Anagrammatix, etc. that usually have inbuilt chat rooms use Node.js. It will also help developers share code between the server and even the client.

Industries That Can Take Advantage of Node.js Use Cases

Media and Entertainment

These industries require their content to reach a broad audience. In such cases, a free and open network is of top priority as they may be entering and handling up to 500k requests in a day.

They require a more scalable application that can also store massive data almost daily. Moreover, Node.js will ensure the data is cut into chunks instead of massive files. It can bring about a significant change in the industry.

Instead of sending all the data in one single packet, it can send the data in smaller chunks instead. This will ensure that initial requests are executing within the first seconds of the video while the rest gets downloaded as the video progresses.

NodeJS can help by queueing up the data or simply sharing it in an asynchronous manner, so the request is not blocked. This will help the viewer see the video without any blockage/interruption.

Real-Time Example

Netflix

It is the most popular movie/tv show viewing platform across the globe today. However, it previously lacked performance.

Why did the company choose Node.js?

• Application Scalability
• Data-intensive applications

Therefore, improving the performance by the non-blocking nature of it.

Social Networking

Social media is everybody’s obsession, with a person spending 4 hours a day surfing on it. These apps with the help of Node.js could build, personalize, or scale the activity of the streams on various social media apps.

It can also easily stay updated and maintain the large community that a social networking site usually harbors. The app will also be faster since it is extensible. The faster the app, the more people will prefer its usage.

Real-Time Example

LinkedIn

The LinkedIn application had previously been using ROR, which was synchronous and made the system more cumbersome.

Why did the company choose Node.js?

• Made app faster than before
• Doubled traffic capacity
• Server cut down from 15 to 4

Healthcare

In this sector, Node JS Use Cases could provide quicker results in real-time and lead to a faster diagnosis.

There are already existing apps that help doctors attain such information regarding their patients.

They offer consultations online! Node.js will tackle the overflow of data with ease on the app, also offloading it at the same time.

Real-Time Example

AsthmaGuide

AsthmaGuide is a healthcare application developed with the HealthNode framework and it monitors the health of asthma patients.

Why did the company choose Node.js?

• Secure exchange of data between patient & doctor
• Scalable technology so incorporate more people

Banking

On average, banks are responsible for processing numerous transactions and, at the same time, manage the details of these transactions.

Adopting JavaScript could ease the process and also fasten while adding easy customizations too since Node.js is said to be light on the server. Here too, it could help take the load off the bank app drastically.

The adoption of JavaScript runtime by banks such as Capital one has allowed speedy development and even customization.

Here Node JS Use Cases took advantage of its asynchronous architecture pattern—thus helping banks handle multiple requests as well as reducing the server load.

Real-Time Example

PayPal

PayPal is a company based out of the US and functions as an online payment system. It is built on Node.js and copes with the many active uses seamlessly.

Why did the company choose Node.js?

• Faster building times
• Reduced line of codes
• Handles a large amount of data seamlessly

eCommerce

Ever since its introduction, numerous websites migrated from the previously ROR stack to the Node.js stack.

Most of the eCommerce sites handle multiple countries, and the data can be processed from wherever you are with the help of Node.js.

A Node.js eCommerce Web App will also ensure the job of the developer is more comfortable, and the site is faster.

Groupon shifted from the initial ROR app to Node.js stack; this gave the company amazing results that helped it grow.

Real-Time Example

Walmart

Wallmart is one of the pioneers in the e-commerce business. Earlier on, its developers faced issues with making multiple updates in one go and showed a lower than average performance.

Why did the company choose Node.js?

• Efficiently handling concurrent requests
• Asynchronous I/O

Transportation & Logistics

Since Node.js is a versatile platform that will help in building apps that require real-time data, in transport and logistics, Node.js could help implement the search engine that has APIs that are highly responsive.

The app thus could have a front-end library as well as a custom backend. Frameworks such as Koa or Express will help create an API that handles requests from the app, perform business logic, and even store data.

Real-Time Example

Uber

Yes, this United States ride-sharing provider uses node.js. Uber became scalable using Node.js and saw a drastic improvement in its performance.

Why did the company choose Node.js?

• Quick Iterations were possible
• Asynchronous I/O
• Active open-sourced community

Education & eLearning

This industry has seen a boom as the internet reached the hard to reach places. Node.js in this field can produce low cost and feature-rich education apps that provide you with online lectures of courses. These will be speedy and scalable.

Real-Time Example

Quizlet

Quizlet is an American online study application that allows students to study science via learning tools and games.

Why did the company choose Node.js?

• Event-driven technology that allows handling simultaneous requests
• Faster execution as Node.js is lightweight

Project Management

Node.js can help build project management apps that can be updated in real-time, such as the google doc sheets.

It will help a user create documents that can be easily shared with companies or the team. These companies and team members can make edits and additions to the files. The update will be immediate!

Real-Time Example

Trello

Trello is one of the finest project management applications. It allows you to organize projects in a highly systematic manner.

Why did the company choose Node.js?

• For a constant update, Node.js is a perfect fit
• Amazing prototype tools for single-page apps

When Not to Use Node.js?

Heavy Server-side Computation

While it may be a good idea to use it to build complex web programs. Node.js usage may create difficulty when dealing with CPU concentrated tasks, as this may lead to massive blockage and significant data loss.

How to make it work in such a case?

• Offloading to background process: since Node.js uses a single CPU core. Here developers should take precautions while adding concurrency on servers.
• Make a cluster module: This will help to offload the heavy computation to background processes and communicate that via message like in RabbitMQ.

Server-side App With Relational Database

Since there is a wide variety of options available on Node.js, it makes it rather challenging to keep track of the diversified implementations.

A commenter on Stakoverflow.com calls the node projects to often appear ‘radically different from the next’ because of the growing pool packages.

You can instead use Ruby on Rails which are best used in case of relational data access. They provide an automatic data access setup!

To conclude, it is a nest used for real-time applications such as games, chat rooms, etc.

Also Read : Top 13 Node.js IDE For Application Development

Chintan Gor

CTO, eSparkBiz

Enthusiastic for web app development, Chintan Gor has zeal in experimenting with his knowledge of Node, Angular & React in various aspects of development. He keeps on updating his technical know-how thus pinning his name among the topmost CTO's in India. His contribution is penned down by him through various technical blogs on trending tech. He is associated with eSparkBiz from the past 14+ years where one can get premium services.