Node.js vs. Go - Why Hiring a Node.js Developer Matters

Do you want to explore the major difference between Node.js vs. Go? If yes, read this guide further, explore the ultimate battle between Node.js and Go (Golang), and find out why hiring Node.js developer matters. 

Choosing the right technology is essential for the success of your project in the world of backend development. During that time, Node.js and Golang often come up in discussions since they are a popular backend technology.

These technologies have gained more popularity and have unique weaknesses and strengths. Read the guide further and explore the comparison of Node.js and Go that help you make better decisions while choosing the right backend technology for your requirements. 

What is Node.js?

Node.js is the JavaScript runtime effectively built on the JavaScript engine. It will let developers run the JavaScript code on the server side, which opens the path to building efficient and highly scalable web applications. Node.js controls an event-driven and non-blocking I/O model, making it the best choice for handling real-time applications and concurrent connections. You can hire a node.js developer and clarify your doubt regarding node.js. 

What are Node.js Adoption & Achievements?

According to Tech Overflow Survey, Node.js secured the top place in 2017 & 2018 among the most commonly and regularly used language in the Frameworks, Tools, and Library categories. 

Around 1.5% of popular websites started using Node.js, according to the W3Techs 

survey. 

After adopting Node.js, Netflix has around 70% reduced startup time.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Node.js?

Pros:

JavaScript Ecosystem: Node.js benefits from the vast JavaScript ecosystem, which includes many libraries, frameworks, and tools. It will let developers leverage existing resources, speeding up the development process.

Asynchronous Nature: Node.js' non-blocking I/O model enables it to handle multiple concurrent requests efficiently. It is particularly well-suited for applications that require real-time data updates or heavy input/output operations.

Easy to Learn: If you are familiar with JavaScript, transitioning to Node.js becomes seamless. The syntax and language constructs remain consistent, reducing the learning curve for developers.

Cons:

Scalability: While Node.js excels in handling concurrent connections, it may face challenges when scaling vertically across multiple CPU cores. Additional measures like clustering or load balancing are required to utilize the hardware capabilities fully. 

Callback Hell: In complex Node.js applications, the excessive use of callbacks can lead to what is known as "callback hell." It makes the code difficult to read and maintain. However, newer features like Promises and async have somewhat alleviated this issue.

What is Go (Golang)?

Golang is an open-source programming language that Google has developed. It is effectively designed to be efficient, simple, and highly scalable, which makes it the best choice for building large-scale distributed applications and backend systems.

The statically typed nature of Golang and its focus on simplicity contribute to its reliability and performance. Without any hesitation, hire a node.js developer and get all the practical impacts of Golang.

What are Golang's Adoption and Achievements?

Golang has secured the 5th position according to the Stack Overflow 2020 survey of conducting the most loved programming languages.

The hourly charge of Golang developers is around $43, according to the Upwork report.

Goroutines hold a quick startup time when compared to threads. It will render the control to Golang to maintain a clean and neat source code. 

What Are the Pros and Cons of Go?

Pros:

Performance: Go's design emphasizes performance, making it an excellent choice for high-performance applications. Its compiled nature and lightweight processes allow faster execution and reduced memory usage. 

Concurrency: Go's built-in concurrency primitives, such as goroutines and channels, enable efficient handling of concurrent tasks. It makes it easy to write concurrent code and leverage the power of modern multicore processors.

Scalability: Go's ability to handle many concurrent connections efficiently makes it well-suited for building scalable applications. It simplifies the process of horizontal scaling by utilizing goroutines and lightweight threads.

Cons:

Learning Curve: Go has its own syntax and language constructs, which may require developers to invest time in learning and adapting to the language. This learning curve can be steeper for those coming from dynamically typed languages like JavaScript.

Smaller Ecosystem: While Go's ecosystem is growing steadily, it is still relatively smaller than Node.js. Finding libraries or frameworks for specific functionalities may require more effort or involve building custom solutions.

Comparison Node.js VS Golang:

Parameter	Golang	Node.js
Architecture Design	Go make use of the clean architecture. The design pattern uses the ‘separation of layers’ concept. It is a technique used by many software engineers for many years.	Node.js makes use of the “Single Threaded Event Loop” architecture for handling various concurrent clients.
Use Cases	Go is effectively helpful in carrying out the programming for large software systems and scalable servers.	The team’s productivity will increase since node.js never uses different programming languages for the back and front ends.
Performance	Golang has implemented many strategies for task scheduling, memory modelling, concurrency, and system calls.	Node.js is the most effectively used technology to build robust and high-speed applications.
Scalability	Golang is the best choice for various web development projects as its extraordinary feature provides software developers scalability and concurrency.	Node.js is scalable for various applications to enhance the single server's performance by measuring horizontally or vertically across many servers.
Documentation	It is a Godoc Documentation	It is an API reference Documentation
Coding Speed	Here less time is enough for the developer to type a code except for debuting.	Take more time to type the complete code.
The Community	Technology is growing every day.	It is a large-scale vibrant community.
Cost of development	It is based on the specification of the project.	It is according to the complexity and characteristics of the project.
Speed & Security	Many security professionals started liking Golang.	Programmers started using node.js for web development since it is 100% secure.

Knowing about Node vs Golang: which backend technology should you choose is very much essential to carry over your project to the success path. 

Conclusion:

There is no exact answer when choosing between Node.js and Golang for your backend development needs. The decision depends on various factors such as project requirements, team expertise, performance needs, and scalability expectations.

Node.js shines in scenarios that require real-time updates, handling concurrent connections, and leveraging the JavaScript ecosystem. It is an excellent choice for building lightweight applications quickly.

On the other hand, the performance, scalability, and simplicity of Golang make it the most effective choice for developing high-performance systems that handle many concurrent connections. It is particularly well-suited for various large-scale distributed applications.

Ultimately, the choice between Node.js and Golang plays a major role in understanding your project requirements and assessing the strengths & weaknesses of each technology. 

Consider the complexity of your application, your performance needs, and the skill set of your development team. Whether you hire a Node.js developer or go with Go, both technologies offer robust solutions for backend development, paving the way for successful and scalable applications.

Also Checkout - Why Use Node.js in 2023?