Popular Libraries of Node.js in 2024
March 3, 2024
9 min read

For a few years now, Node.js has been widely recognized among developers. So, what is this latest buzz surrounding Node.js that we keep hearing about? Why is it so well-liked?

You all must be curious to know the answers to these questions, right? 

Well, websites have undoubtedly grown significantly during the past 20 years, and Node.js has also experienced rapid expansion. The well-known runtime already surpassed the one billion download mark back in 2018, and 1.2% of all websites worldwide utilize Node.js, according to W3Techs.

That’s over 20 million total sites across the web.

Isn’t this huge? 

It should come as no surprise that millions of businesses also favor it. Do you wish to be aware of the names? These include Twitter, Spotify, Godaddy, eBay, Reddit, and more. 

Do you still believe that Node.js has reached a saturation point in the digital space? 

It is now quite obvious that corporate organizations all around the world are using Node JS to create their revolutionary applications. Node JS appears to have something to offer to everyone, from Trello to Walmart, and even NASA. This is just what we call a piece of art!

What is Node.js?

For a few years now, Node.js has been widely recognized among developers. So, what is this latest buzz surrounding Node.js that we keep hearing about? Why is it so well-liked?

You all must be curious to know the answers to these questions, right?

Well, websites have undoubtedly grown significantly during the past 20 years, and Node.js has also experienced rapid expansion. The well-known runtime already surpassed the one billion download mark back in 2018, and 1.2% of all websites worldwide utilize Node.js, according to W3Techs.

That’s over 20 million total sites across the web. Isn’t this huge?

It should come as no surprise that millions of businesses also favor it. Do you wish to be aware of the names? These include Twitter, Spotify, Godaddy, eBay, Reddit, and more.

Do you still believe that Node.js has reached a saturation point in the digital space?

It is now quite obvious that corporate organizations all around the world are using Node JS to create their revolutionary applications. Node JS appears to have something to offer to everyone, from Trello to Walmart, and even NASA. This is just what we call a piece of art!

Why Node.JS?

Did you know Node.js can increase applications’ performance by 50%? Not only that, 85% use it primarily for web app development.

That’s what we call great statistics, right?

So, now let’s talk about why Node.js.

Well, the popular JavaScript runtime environment has been taking the developer world by storm. Node.js has become a hot topic in the tech community and for good reason.

Seamless App Handling

Node.js is renowned for being able to handle apps with a lot of traffic with ease. Because it employs an event-driven, non-blocking I/O approach, it can process numerous requests concurrently without obstructing any other requests. Because of this, it is perfect for creating real-time apps that need to be quick and responsive, such as chat applications or online games.

Extensive Library

Its large library of modules and packages is another factor in Node.js’ popularity. As a result, developers may quickly create complicated applications by simply integrating pre-built modules into their work. Because Node.js has a modular architecture, programmers can create apps as a collection of smaller, independent modules that are simple to reuse in other projects.

why node js

User-Friendly

Node.js is fantastic since it’s also highly user-friendly, especially for developers who are already familiar with JavaScript. Developers may create full-stack applications using their existing expertise since JavaScript is used on both the front-end and back-end of the application. Because of this, there are now a lot more developers who are adept at both front-end and back-end programming, which is quite desirable in the current market.

Supportive Community

The developer community for Node.js is large and active, constantly adding to the ecosystem. As a result, new tools, modules, and packages that can hasten and streamline development are constantly being created. Additionally, the community offers a plethora of tools, including documentation, tutorials, and forums, where developers may exchange knowledge and seek assistance as needed.

Node.js is still a popular option among developers as the demand for reliable and scalable web applications rises. However, choosing the best Node.js library for your project can be difficult because there are so many of them available. So, we have come up with some of the popular Node.js libraries of 2024. Let’s start!

9 Popular Node.js Libraries

Node.js has become one of the most popular and widely-used JavaScript frameworks, with a vibrant community that continuously develops new libraries and packages to make development easier and more efficient. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Node.js libraries that are currently making waves in the developer community.

  1. Express
  2. Socket.io
  3. Sequelize
  4. Async.Js
  5. Ethers.js
  6. UglifyJS2
  7. Mongoose
  8. Moment.js
  9. Sharp

Express

One of the most widely used Node.js libraries is Express and for excellent reasons too! It is a hassle-free web framework that enables programmers to create online apps and APIs fast and effectively. The best feature of Express is how straightforward it is. It offers a simple user interface for dealing with middleware, routing, and HTTP requests. This frees developers from having to worry about the underlying framework so they can concentrate on creating their applications.

Express flexibility is one of its main benefits. Because of its high degree of adaptability, developers can quickly add third-party middleware and plugins to increase its functionality. Due to this, integration with other libraries and frameworks is simple, which is crucial in the quick-paced development environment of today.

Scalable application development is another strength of Express. Because it is swift and light, it can handle heavy traffic without losing speed. For online apps and APIs that need to be able to manage a lot of queries, this is particularly crucial.

Socket.io

A well-liked Node.js framework called Socket.io makes it possible for clients and servers to communicate in real-time and in both directions.

With the aid of this event-driven library, programmers may create real-time applications that update without requiring the user to reload the page. Although its primary protocol is Web Sockets, it also offers backup options like AJAX long-polling and JSONP polling for contexts where WebSockets are not supported.

Additionally, it offers a straightforward API for dealing with real-time events, like incoming messages and client connections. It also offers a flexible architecture that enables developers to alter the library’s behavior to suit the particular requirements of their application.

Socket.io is highly scalable in terms of performance and can manage numerous concurrent connections. It is resistant to network outages and server downtime because it also offers automatic reconnection and connection throttling.

Sequelize

Developers may easily and intuitively connect with relational databases thanks to the Object-Relational Mapping module Sequelize for Node.js. It offers capabilities like database migration and schema synchronization and supports several different database systems, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.

Instead of utilizing SQL, it enables developers to work with databases using JavaScript. As a result, developers won’t need to learn a new syntax; instead, they may communicate with the database using the language they already know. It is a popular option for creating database-driven applications since it also offers a strong query language for executing sophisticated queries.

Without manually writing SQL scripts, developers can simply change the database schema. It offers a straightforward interface for creating and editing tables, columns, and indexes and creates all necessary SQL queries automatically.

Async.Js

Have you ever found yourself struggling with managing asynchronous code in your Node.js application? If so, then you’re not alone! Luckily, the Async.js library is here to help. Async.js is a powerful utility library that provides a wide range of functions for managing asynchronous code in Node.js.

The ability to handle asynchronous functions in parallel or series is one of Async.js’s important characteristics. Functions like async.parallel and async.series help achieve this. These functions make it simpler to handle complex workflows by enabling developers to perform many asynchronous processes concurrently or in a precise order.

The ability of Async.js to manage failures in asynchronous code is another helpful feature. The library offers a function that enables programmers to sequentially chain asynchronous functions coupled with built-in error management. This makes handling mistakes simpler and stops them from moving up the call stack.

Ethers.js

Ethers.js is a popular library for interacting with Ethereum blockchains and building decentralized applications. With Ethers.js, developers can easily connect to Ethereum nodes, interact with smart contracts, and manage wallets.

It offers a variety of features for keeping track of accounts and wallets, sending and receiving transactions, and accessing data from smart contracts. Additionally, the library is quite modular, enabling developers to pick the parts they require and quickly include them in their projects.

With features like support for hardware wallets and mnemonic phrases for key management, the library offers a safe and dependable way to interface with Ethereum blockchains. This makes it a well-liked option for developing decentralized applications that need to communicate securely and dependably with Ethereum blockchains.

With a large selection of plugins and connectors, Ethers.js is also quite flexible, making it simple to add new features and capabilities. For instance, developers can use integrations like MetaMask to administer Ethereum wallets in the browser or plugins like Ethers can to retrieve data from the Ethereum blockchain.

UglifyJS2

Have you heard of UglifyJS2? It’s a popular Node.jslibrary that’s used to minify and compress JavaScript code. If you’re working on a web application or a website, UglifyJS2 can help you reduce the size of your JavaScript files, which in turn can improve the performance and speed of your application.

Several options are available with UglifyJS2 for compressing and minifying JavaScript code. Whitespace can be cut out, variable and function names can be made shorter, and code can even be rewritten to be more efficient. Due to the library’s extensive configuration options, you can precisely adjust the compression parameters to meet your requirements.

Because it is built to operate swiftly and effectively, you can minify even big JavaScript files without experiencing any apparent lag. For web developers who wish to optimize their code without compromising performance, this makes it a fantastic option.

UglifyJS2 is not only quick and adaptable, but it is also open-source and constantly updated. It has a sizable and friendly developer community that is always striving to enhance the library and resolve any bugs or problems that may occur.

Mongoose

Mongoose library for Node.js is a powerful and popular library that provides a simple and intuitive way to interact with MongoDB databases. If you’re building a Node.js application that uses MongoDB as a backend, then Mongoose is definitely worth checking out.

It offers a schema-based approach to data modeling. In other words, you can use a schema to specify the structure of your data and then use that schema to create and edit documents in your database. This makes working with complex data structures simple and guarantees that your data is organized and consistent.

It enables you to create unique validation rules for your data so you can make sure it complies with the needs of your application. Additionally, it enables you to specify middleware actions that can be carried out either before or after particular database activities, such as adding or removing a document. 

Moment.js

As the name suggests, Moment.js is all about working with dates and times in JavaScript. It provides a simple and intuitive way to parse, validate, manipulate, and display dates and times in a wide range of formats.

Moment.js’s adaptability is one of the factors contributing to its popularity. Numerous date and time formats, including ISO8601, Unix timestamps, and unique formats, are supported. No matter what format the dates and timings are kept in, this makes working with them seamless and hassle-free.

The library offers many tools for working with dates and times, such as formatting dates, comparing dates, and adding and subtracting time. The syntax is straightforward and understandable, which makes it simple for developers to learn and use right immediately.

It offers a variety of plugins and extensions that permit programmers to increase their capabilities and modify their behavior to meet their unique requirements.

Sharp

Have you ever found yourself working on a project that involves image manipulation, resizing, or cropping? If so, you might want to check out Sharp, a high-performance image-processing library for Node.js.

Sharp is a powerful library that provides a wide range of features for working with images. It supports a variety of image formats, including JPEG, PNG, and WebP, and allows you to perform tasks such as resizing, cropping, rotating, and converting images. Furthermore, it enables sophisticated functions like image sharpening, blurring, and color adjustment.

It is constructed on top of the C-based, high-performance image processing package known as libvips. This indicates that Sharp can effectively and swiftly process photos, even those that are quite huge.

Sharp has an easy-to-use API and is likewise simple to use. It only requires a few lines of code to utilize in your Node.js project after being installed using npm. Additionally, the library offers excellent documentation and a vibrant development community that can assist you if you ever run into problems.

Antino Labs: Your Perfect Node.js Project Pal

Looking at the above stats and popular libraries at which Node.js has been transforming and becoming one of the most wanted technologies since its release in 2009, you can simply tell that it’s really powerful and will only expand in the future. Node.js has become a resolution to many issues by providing safety, scalability, and performance among other things.

These are a few of the key explanations for why major IT companies use it. Compared to rivals like ASP.NET, Node.js has several advantages. Why not use Node.js Libraries in your upcoming project now that you are aware of what it can do and how it can give a new life to your projects?

We know it might be a little too complicated for you to choose the best-suited Node.js Libraries for your upcoming project. But, don’t fret! Our experienced developers and engineers can make this process seamless and deliver the best project leveraging popular libraries. So, get in touch with us right away if you want to grow your business digitally! 

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AUTHOR
Divyam Mathur
(AVP- Technology, Antino)
Divyam is an accomplished mechanical engineer driven by a passion for building web apps with the potential to impact a wide audience. Possesses extensive experience in deploying various DevOps tools including Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, and Ansible. Specializes in areas such as Virtual Private Network (VPN), Cloud Computing, and Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD).