In terms of web development, Node.js has emerged as a stronghold, powering websites across different domains, from real-time web applications with chatbots, single-page applications, and dynamic websites to streaming tools, collaboration products, microservices, and APIs. Built on JavaScript, the framework does quite well in e-commerce, IoT, crowdfunding, and payment processing, among other areas. By the numbers, Statista has it that Node.js is the most-used web development framework, holding a 42% share of use as of 2023. However, this means 58% of web projects do not use Node.js. In this article, we’ll explore the best Node js alternatives.
Whenever Node.js pops up in developer conversations, three key factors come into play: performance, scalability, and efficient utilization of resources. One of the most powerful reasons for picking Node.js is that it follows a single process to run applications through an event-driven input/output (I/O) operation model and an asynchronous paradigm.
Despite the number of requests, your software does not need additional threads. This thread's non-blocking technique allows Node.js to handle other tasks while waiting for responses, only to resume once available. In turn, the framework can manage bulk concurrent interactions with servers.
But, Node.js has its share of constraints. As we consider alternatives to JavaScript and Node, we’ll examine some drawbacks of the framework, spotlight the criteria you’ll want to consider when picking a framework and offer insights from real-world examples where projects have migrated from Node.js to other options. We will also link to the best resources for getting started with each technology.
Why Look for a Nodejs Alternative?
Before getting into the limitations of Node.js, it’s worth mentioning that the software development world is diverse. Some developers are good at scripting languages, while others excel at compiled ones.
No matter your strength, working with a familiar language enhances productivity and allows you to ship code faster. After all, the focus should be on solving problems and building reliable solutions, not the tools you use. Developers strive to stay competitive by expanding their knowledge and learning new technologies, and exploring other tech fields is also a good way to stay inspired at work.
The Limitations of Node.js
Perhaps the biggest weakness of Node.js is that multi-core scaling poses a significant challenge. Applications that require multiple CPU cores or parallel processing may not be a great fit for Node.js. Computational-intensive tasks consume a lot of CPU power to handle requests in the event loop, slowing down the loop and negatively impacting the application interface.
However, worker threads were introduced to solve this problem by leveraging additional threads. Node.js takes up more memory than other server-side technologies, though this can be addressed by writing quality code and monitoring it.
Scaling software heavily depends on writing asynchronous code, and Node.js uses callbacks to achieve this. This code structure results in deeply nested callbacks (callback hell) which makes code difficult to read and maintain. This issue can be solved by implementing Promises and Async/Await, though it can be pretty challenging for beginners. The Node API framework is also not stable. New releases often lack backward compatibility and force developers to use the latest version.
As this is a relatively new way of writing server-side code, not all modules and libraries are well-maintained or mature. Many tools in the NPM registry are of poor quality (written by developers learning the technology themselves) or haven’t been adequately tested and documented.
Because it is an open-source project, the quality of core Node.js tech code is supervised by major contributors, but many tools around the ecosystem do not explicitly follow global coding standards. If you’re working on a small project, the impact may not be noticed, but large codebases with many packages and dependencies introduce a management problem.
Additionally, Node.js lacks built-in support for some features like relational databases. To solve this problem, you can install additional modules. However, the greatest problem with relying on third-party packages is introducing security vulnerabilities, though practicing security-first development can mitigate this. There are also no middleware tools in Node.js to handle authentication and authorization.
As such, developers have to create their middleware from scratch or outsource other technologies like .NET for their identity platforms. All of these are good reasons to consider Node.js alternatives.
Instances in Which to Avoid Using Node.js
There are certain situations where selecting a JavaScript alternative or Node js alternatives are the best choices. For instance, it could be challenging and time-consuming if you’re not well-versed in asynchronous programming models. Practical use case examples include:
- Strong Object-Oriented Programming Needs: JavaScript encompasses object-oriented programming (OOP) but differs from other languages in supporting these principles. Several concepts come into question, including class-based inheritance, encapsulation, interfaces and abstract classes, static typing, and method overloading. This being an entire topic on its own, implementing these principles hinders some software architectural and design possibilities in complex applications with OOP as the fundamental building blocks.
- CPU-Intensive applications: A good example is applications with heavy computations, such as machine learning algorithms and image or video processing. Languages like Java, Python, and C++ are better performers for applications that involve complex calculations and real-time data analysis.
- Relational databases: Unlike NoSQL databases, Node.js does not have advanced libraries for relational databases. Suppose your application is tightly bound to transactions and SQL queries. In that case, you’d rather work with other technologies, considering the complexity of working with asynchronous code and the need for consistency in relational databases. In this case, Django on Python or Ruby on Rails would be a good fit.
- Simple HTML and CRUD Apps: If you’re building simple CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) applications that don’t require real-time data, non-blocking features, and scalability, Node.js might be overkill. To avoid unnecessary complexity and resource consumption, falling back on simpler frameworks such as Flask on Python or Laravel on PHP are viable node js alternatives.
- Large Monolithic Apps: It becomes increasingly difficult to manage dependencies, maintain a consistent code standard, and achieve optimal performance in ever-growing monolithic applications. Here, the best JS replacement is robust tech like Java or .NET.
Popular Node js Alternatives
Many popular server-side scripting options exist, but we’ll investigate some tools that are alternatives to the JavaScript ecosystem and cover other options here. If you’re interested in checking out options with JS, the Deno framework has been around for some time and is gaining popularity.
The five alternatives discussed here aren’t the only Node alternatives, but they are commonly used and reliable.
1. Go (Golang)
Golang, or Go for short, is an open-source web development and backend services programming language developed by Google. To tackle the need for parallelization tools (those that use multicore processors and distributed systems), Go draws inspiration from C, embracing its performance and syntax while adopting modern programming methods. It is a strongly typed and compiled language for creating scalable, high-performance software and supports concurrency programming techniques. Thanks to its high readability, Go has a relatively smooth learning curve. Golang’s high performance, improved efficiency, fast execution, code stability, and reliability are among the top reasons you’d choose it over Node.js.
Other than web development, Go suits some other software development realms. Cloud-native applications are an example in Kubernetes, where clustering is pivotal to scaling and container orchestration platforms like Docker. In turn, it’s a good tool for developer operations (DevOps) for projects that need CI/CD pipelines, extending the support to site reliability engineering. It also builds elegant command-line tools. Golang excels in creating and maintaining highly scalable databases. Start writing Go applications here.
Golang is relatively new in the marketplace, and programmers using it as their first programming language struggle with some libraries, more so when integrating with other platforms. The community is also small, hence the small number of third-party resources. Because there are no SDKs for third-party interfacing, development teams must write their own, adding some extra work when wiring up solutions that work with multiple programs.
Like the C programming language, Golang does not support generic functions, which limits code reusability and efficiency. Unlike other descriptive languages, Go can be time-consuming if you are used to achieving similar functionalities with one-liner code, like in Python. It also requires more boilerplate code than other Node js alternatives.
2. Python (Django, Flask)
Python, a general-purpose programming language, is a replacement for JavaScript for web development with a large ecosystem of frameworks and libraries. Its extensive automation tools and computing capabilities position it best in data analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Django and Flask are the leading frameworks for web development. Though Django is a full-stack development framework, it excels at writing server-side code. It is free and open source. Flask is a lightweight framework inspired by the Sinatra Ruby framework, but it’s customizable to meet your needs.
If you opt for Django, you access many established Python libraries, simplified data modeling through the model view template (MVT) architecture, compressed web applications with reduced load times, and a vast array of security features. Django offers an automatically generated admin panel and has a lot of reusable code with ready-made elements. It is made for applications with large user bases, lots of traffic, and advanced customization, such as marketplaces, online banking services, and large projects that need constant updates. Django is easy to learn through tutorials or its comprehensive documentation.
If you choose Flask, you get large standard libraries; there is no need for third-party libraries, routing, template rendering, secure cookies, static file support, and multiple development servers. The simplicity of Flask makes it a good fit for small to medium-sized web applications. It also leads to a smaller codebase. Get started writing Flask applications from the official documentation, or check out these tutorials.
Watch out for caching risks in Django! If the cache manager is not well configured, the whole site will likely be cached despite all elements functioning independently. Django deployments aren’t easy now that there are many components coupled together, and the same occurs when handling errors. It is also limited to handling multiple requests simultaneously. Flask, on the other hand, is prone to security risks, has slower MVP development, a complicated tech landscape, and higher maintenance costs for complex systems, which even get complicated for large projects.
3. Ruby (Ruby on Rails)
Ruby is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming and scripting language and strong contender in the Node js alternatives. Ruby’s simplicity has earned it the slogan, “designed for programmer happiness.”
Based on the convention over configuration technique, developers using Ruby can build applications faster. Simply put, there is no need for additional configuration if you follow certain conventions. This operation model is reinforced in the Ruby on Rails framework, allowing developers to spin up high-performing web pages quickly.
This framework builds desktop applications, automation tools, data processing services, static web pages, and real-time applications such as chat apps. Some notable examples of companies that use it include GitHub, BaseCamp, and Airbnb. Ruby on Rails follows don’t repeat yourself (DRY) programming conventions using the model-view-controller (MVC) architecture, similar to Django on Python.
Thanks to the Active Record library, the framework simplifies interaction with the database. Developers can write queries in Ruby and the library converts them into SQL queries.
Reasons to choose Ruby on Rails over other JS alternatives include a simple syntax that favors beginners and expert programmers alike and language flexibility, which is suitable for faster prototyping if you leverage the ready-made solutions and automated tools. The framework also provides advanced testing capabilities covering unit, integration, and system tests.
\The latest versions offer speed and performance matching .NET and Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Additionally, you benefit from standardized programming and file naming conventions that keep your project organized. The framework is also easy to modify and extend codebases, making it predictable and scalable.
It is also known to build secure applications, and the active community does well at finding solutions to the newest vulnerabilities. The Ruby and Ruby on Rails documentation are great resources for delving into this ecosystem, but if you prefer a guided path, The Odin Project open-source community would be an excellent start.
On the downside, Ruby is an interpreted language, which makes it relatively slow at runtime. It can be tricky to create an API with the framework and there are varying qualities and standards of documentation. Also, the price of a mistake in Ruby is high since poor judgment can easily slow down the whole application.
4. Java (Spring Boot)
Spring Boot is an open-source framework based on the Java programming language that is used to build backend services for web applications. Building on Java, the alternative to JS benefits from a rich ecosystem of mature libraries, tools, and frameworks.
This enriches the framework with many functionalities, including dependency injection (to write modular code) powerful authentication, an access control framework (to handle security), and transaction management (to handle databases with consistency and integrate RESTful web services). Spring Boot also offers built-in support for integration tests and an actuator to monitor and manage your application.
Unlike Rails, Spring prioritizes configuration over convention by providing external support for applications using properties files, environment variables, YAML files, etc. IDEs for Spring Boot are advanced and show suggestions, warnings, and errors— and they don’t compile with errors.
Spring outshines Node.js in application memory management and its ability to utilize multithreading. You can build various applications with Spring Boot, such as web applications, microservices, enterprise applications, and those that require real-time data processing. Use the Spring Boot docs to start writing applications.
The downside of using Spring Boot is that the automatic supply of resources on the backend takes more control out of your hands and leads to high processor usage. Spring Boot code is verbose, and the boilerplate code can get hectic when debugging. If there are unused dependencies, you may deploy big-size binary files.
5. .NET (ASP.NET Core)
Built by Microsoft, .NET is a high-performance application platform that uses C# for programming. .NET is cross-platform and comes with plenty of libraries and APIs covering collections, networking, and machine learning to build different types of applications. ASP.NET Core widens the .NET developer platform with libraries and tools geared towards web applications.
It supports multiple development paradigms like web forms, webpages, and MVC, making it flexible to use. .NET Core is simple to use, integrates seamlessly with websites made using HTML, CSS, and JS, follows effective code management, is easily maintainable, and follows a service-oriented architecture.
This technology embraces robust security through authentication, authorization, and encryption to help developers build secure digital products. A built-in Inversion-of-Control (IoC) container handles dependency injection natively, and developers do not need to use third-party tools as with other languages.
Only in the .NET can you build web applications, APIs, microservices, and real-time applications in one stack. Its highly customizable nature is a good choice for startups with limited budgets. Additionally, being a Microsoft product, ASP.NET Core integrates well with other Microsoft products, such as Azure Active Directory, to deliver competitive products. You can begin building applications by reading the ASP.NET docs.
Unlike other Node js alternatives, the ASP.NET Core does not have many libraries as most features are in-built. This structure makes it difficult for individuals and small businesses to leverage the technology for development. For instance, you need to pay for the license and subscription to use advanced features and tooling like the Visual Studio Professional and Enterprise Edition. However, you can still use VS Code, which is free to build with the ASP.NET Core tech stack.
Transitioning to Node.js Alternatives: Case Studies
First, let’s look at a journey from Node.js to Golang by Narendra Pareek, a product manager at LoginRadius. It seems they wanted to bring an on-premise solution to life for their Node.js cloud solutions, which needed many improvements. Not only did they need to convert their code from one language to another, but they also needed to transform it to leverage all possible benefits from their new language.
The new solution had to revolve around zero deployment dependencies, performance upgrades, single file distribution, memory management, compatibility with gRPC, and better readability and management. After in-depth research, the findings indicated that Go was the best in terms of the total time taken for tests, requests per second against data transfer rates, requests per second against time per request, and the total data transferred.
Second, we have Thomas Bandt, a software engineer and entrepreneur who moved from ASP.NET Core to Node.js and back. Inspired by curiosity and coming from a .NET background, Thomas built his blog with Node.js. After taking a break from the project to focus on another, two years later, he embarked on updating the project, but it wouldn’t run on his local machine. (Again, he hadn’t updated the software for two years.)
Only after failing after trying different Node.js versions did he revert to .NET Core. The migration entailed moving the platform (Node.js to .NET Core), framework (Express to ASP.NET Core), programming language (JavaScript to C#), database (MongoDB to static markdown files), and hosting environment (Ubuntu VM on Digital Ocean to Azure Web App). According to Thomas, the migration was seamless, and he did not change the front-end code. Also, it was still deployed via Git.
“ASP.NET does not stand in your way if you want to use battle-tested frontend tech you know well from other platforms. In fact, quite the opposite case – it embraces it.” -Thomas Bandt, software engineer.
Third, there’s Jim Wang, an author at Visual Studio App Center, where they merged two distinct microservices into one based on the .NET Core. With more collaboration across different teams and their customers running on non-Windows platforms, they needed to settle on a single platform. Based on their development IDE, need for cross-platform development, code convergence, and flexibility, .NET was the best option.
From a developer's experience point of view, Jim shares that porting code from a dynamically typed language to a strong one takes time. This means losing abilities like parsing JSON and dynamic object graphs to creating mapping types, and much time is spent on model classes. There are also subtle differences in string comparisons. On the bright side, the .NET core has fewer dependencies to manage, giving more control and explicitness.
No matter the choice or tool, all Node js alternatives will have to trade off some good traits for less desirable ones.
Bringing It All Together
Whether you choose to do a project in Node.js or not is a big decision that will affect the overall success and feasibility of your app. A few things to keep in mind are scalability and performance intricacies, which depend on effectively using load balancing, clustering, and caching strategies. There is also a need to consider a security-first development approach based on coding practices or standards and protection against common security vulnerabilities.
Code organization and structure will also influence your project with a direct impact on the maintenance, readability, and scalability of your code. From the DevEx point of view, the learning curve for writing asynchronous code should factor in. Developers are happy if they can ship reliable solutions within short timeframes. Another key thing would be monitoring and debugging tools— smooth experiences depend on application error tracking and performance profiling. Lastly, where you host your application is important. If you host it on the cloud, a blockchain network, or somewhere else, some solutions will come more naturally than others.
When it boils down to choosing Node js alternatives, the real question should be what problem you are trying to solve and which tools are the best for the job. Consider the analogy of cutting wood in half. There are plenty of tools out there: a saw, an ax, and a hatchet, among others. You’d pick a tool depending on the type of wood. If you’re slicing a log into timber, a power saw is the best machine, but if it's firewood, you’ll probably pick the ax.
In the same way, we should evaluate the problem at hand to pick the technology to use. Python is a good language that shines in data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. If you’re working in microservices and real-time features, Node.js is your go-to tool, although it can be a little tricky in production. For performance-critical and concurrency-type applications, perhaps Golang is the way to go. If you’re working on the cloud, why not build with ASP.NET Core? Native iOS and Mac applications are best written in Java. And if it’s gaming, C# is the best tool.
Happy coding!
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