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To choose between these two programming languages, you have to be very clear in your head about their features, advantages, disadvantages, and limitations. JavaScript is more famous for sure, and most developers might make their final decision in favor of JS. It is a versatile and easy-to-learn programming language. This is what most developers would say while choosing JS; however, you better not be biased, and look for all potential alternatives available. The article Node JS vs JavaScript is a comparison between these two programming languages that you better know about as a front and backend developer.

What is Node JS?

It is an open-source and cross-platform language that provides a runtime environment to JavaScript. It acts as an interpreter for JS to run on the server side. With Node JS, you can run the JavaScript code outside the browser. Here you would also find a lot of modules to be used for web development purposes. Moreover, in Node JS, many relative libraries are typically used in JS. On Node JS, you can easily execute non-blocking operations that might not be possible with JavaScript. Unlike JavaScript, which can run on all browsers, Node JS can only be accessed through the V8 engine along with some libraries for networking purposes.

What is JavaScript?

It is one of the most popular scripting languages that can run on all browsers. JavaScript is an advanced version of ECMAScript. Being a high-level programming language, it also employs some OOP concepts. It is an easy-to-learn and powerful language that is used by developers to create web applications.

With JavaScript, you can also create HTML tables and dynamic web pages that would make your website look more interactive and user-friendly. The use of JavaScript language is very common in building mobile apps and games. As you can use this language for both server-side and client-side, it is also known to be the browser’s language.

Node JS vs JavaScript: Pros & Cons

Pros Of Node JS

• Node JS is a lightweight framework that uses very few modules. You can add more modules if required.
• Being a cross-platform language, it can work on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
• It is an open-sourced MIT-licensed language.
• To create server-side applications, it works with JavaScript.
• All of the library APIs in Node JS are non-blocking and asynchronous. In this framework, servers don’t wait for data to return from the API.
• The programming execution library of Node JS builds on the V8 JavaScript engine.

Cons Of Node JS

• There is no consistency because of the rapid changes in API. This can be problematic for developers because they have to keep updating their code in response to all changes.
• It doesn’t provide support for multi-threading programming.
• Unlike many other languages, it lacks functional libraries. Users have to rely on a common library to perform all tasks, such as object-relational mapping, XML parsing, and database management.

Pros Of JavaScript

• It is a fast, flexible, lightweight, and open-source programming language.
• It works with interfaces, modules, and classes to give an interactive look to your web pages.
• You can use it for both front-end and back-end development.
• All browsers support JavaScript, and you can run it on almost every device.
• You can create amazing web interfaces with JS, such as mouse hovers.
• Because of its versatile nature, you can use this language to build mobile apps, web apps, and games.
• JavaScript can be extended for developing large applications.

Cons Of JavaScript

• You can’t read or write files in client-side JS. This is for security reasons.
• You can only use limited libraries.
• Being a dynamic language, it is more prone to errors made by developers.
• In case of any error in the code, your whole website can be destroyed.
• There is only a single inheritance in JS, it doesn’t support multiple inheritances. This feature might be required by some programs.

Node JS vs JavaScript: What Are The Main Differences?

• JavaScript is a lightweight and powerful interpreted language used for client-side scripting; it runs on all browsers. Node JS, on the flip side, is a server-side language that runs on the V8 engine only.
• You can run JavaScript on any search engine, including Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Spider Monkey, and V8 engine. This is the main reason why it is very easy to work on JavaScript, and it can be executed on any browser. Node JS supports only V8 engines in Google Chrome. You can still run the JS code in any environment other than the V8 engine.
• JavaScript can be run on any browser that supports the JavaScript engine. Node JS is a running environment of JavaScript. You can make the most use of it through libraries that will provide access to JavaScript programming.

• JavaScript follows the standards of the JavaScript programming language. You write Node JS in C++ and provide an environment for the written JavaScript program to run on its browser.
• In a web application, JavaScript is used to perform client-side operations, including web page display, business validation process, and Ajax calls. On the other hand, Node JS is used in web pages for non-blocking accessibility and OS execution.
• JavaScript offers you a wide variety of interfaces. You can have direct visitor input and get server contact. Node JS provides around 500 modules that support concurrent request management. It also provides support for the IoT and microservice architecture.

JavaScript vs Node JS: What to Choose?

It is good that you have your mind clear about all the features, perks, and benefits of both Node JS and JavaScript now. Being a new web developer, you should know the different ways you can perform your job. In this article, we have a detailed comparison of Node JS vs JavaScript.

However, when it comes to choosing between these two languages, you can’t tell that one is better than the other in all possible scenarios. Considering the comparison made in this article, you can choose between these two programming languages easily based on your unique business needs. In the end, all that matters is the flexibility and simplicity of frontend designing in comparison with the framework that makes it possible to extend into the backend development space.

Final Words!

Being a web developer, you have to make a tool stack decision, and the choice depends on different scenarios. It is great you have found this comparison, JavaScript vs Node JS, before working on your project because you can still change your mind and make more informed decisions. Otherwise, switching from one language to another in the middle of your development project can be a headache.

So, it all depends on your website specifications, like whether it is more on the backend or frontend side. Based on these requirements, you can choose the best option available.

Hope the information shared in this article is useful. Do share your thoughts on this topic.