node.js and responsive desgin

During the last few years the requirements for network connected software systems changed dramatically. Static or semi static websites for desktop computers were replaced by responsive, dynamic sites that load additional content via Ajax or even rely on push technologies like WebSockets. Streaming services are on the rise. Data of all kinds needs to be delivered to an ever growing number of users with different devices in different formats.

Those changing and growing demands can either be fulfilled by adding new hardware and extending existing software or by adding a new layer that utilizes existing infrastructure more efficient and supports all the most wanted new technologies like WebSockets and REST services.

Node.js as bridging technology

Node.js shines in modern web-connected applications that need to gather data from different sources, consolidate it and push it to many clients in real-time. This makes it a perfect bridging technology for existing systems as it provides an easily deployable migration layer that either proxies data to existing systems or collects and reformats data for different uses. Please watch this video by Eran Hammer Sr. Architect at WalMart to see how they did it.

Looking at all the industry voices and the level of adoption by enterprises it is clear that Node.js is here to stay.
While it is already quite mature, it isn’t bullet proof and should be monitored to tackle problems like memory leaks or slow external services.