Nodejs vs. Go — Which One Is the Right Choice for You?
You’ve decided to begin the journey of creating your very own app — that’s great! But one question immediately arises, which programming language should you use? Is it Node JS or Go? Are they similar? How do they differ?
Undoubtedly, the world of application development moves at an incredible pace, and these two languages have attained a new height over the years.
They have been used in some of the most prominent sites and applications on the internet, including Netflix, PayPal, and Walmart.
Both are open source, both are cross-platform, and both can be used to create server-side applications using an event-driven architecture.
Also, they are incredibly popular when it comes to building APIs and web applications. However, they have some different use cases, strengths, and weaknesses.
As per a recent report, around 50% of developers integrated Node.js technology to develop efficient web apps in 2021.
We will help you decide which language is the right choice for you through this blog post. We will compare Node JS vs. Go in terms of their features, development process, performance, and more.
This way, you will be able to decide your own which will suit your software development needs.
So, without further ado, let’s move in!
What is Node JS?
Node JS is a runtime environment for developing efficient web applications. It’s used to build server-side applications and can also be used for front-end development.
Node JS uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. It’s popular for real-time applications like chat, gaming, and streaming media. Moreover, it is open-source and free to use.
Node JS has a vast and active community that creates modules and tools to make development with Node JS easier. There are also many companies that use Node JS in production, including LinkedIn, Walmart, and Netflix.
Why Use Node JS?
Node.js has become very popular in recent years, and for a good reason. Below are some significant reasons you must use Node.js to build dynamic applications.
- Node.js is perfect for developing scalable network applications.
- Node.js is easy to learn and fun to use.
- Node.js has a large community of developers who are always willing to help.
- Node.js is open source and completely free to use.
- Node.js runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
What is Golang?
Golang is an amazing programming language developed at Google that emphasizes concurrency explicit error handling and has first-class functions.
It has statically typed, compiled code with garbage collection, runtime type assertions, and concurrency primitives for developers.
Golang is growing in popularity for web development, as well as systems programming.
It was created by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson. It was announced in November 2009, and the first stable release was made in March 2012. Golang is open-source software released under the Apache 2 license.
Moreover, Golang is used by a number of companies and organizations, including Google, Facebook, Netflix, Dropbox, and Heroku.
Why Use Golang?
There are many significant reasons why you might want to use Golang, but here are some of the most compelling:
- Golang is a compiled language, so it produces fast and efficient code.
- It has a simple syntax that makes it easy to learn.
- Golang is statically typed, which means that you won’t have to worry about runtime errors.
- Golang has comprehensive standard libraries that make it easy to build powerful applications.
- It is a concurrent language, which means that you can write code that takes advantage of multi-core processors.
- Golang is open source and supported by a large community of developers.
Node.js vs. Golang: A Fierce Battle
Node.js vs. Go: Performance
It’s no secret that node.js is faster than Golang when it comes to Node.js vs. Go performance. However, the difference in performance between Node.js vs. Go languages is not as stark as one might think.
Benchmark tests conducted by Redmonk found that node.js was 12% faster than Golang when it came to startup time and 20% faster when it came to execution time. While these differences are significant, they are not insurmountable.
In terms of overall performance, Golang is actually capable of outperforming node.js in some scenarios. For example, Golang can handle more concurrent connections than node.js without experiencing any negative impact on performance.
Additionally, Golang is able to execute tasks more quickly than node.js in some cases. You can also hire Golang developers to create efficient applications.
In general, Golang is a good option for projects that require high performance, and node.js is an excellent option for app development projects that require fast startup times.
Node.js vs. Go: Scalability
Node.js is an excellent choice for applications that need to scale quickly. Due to its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, Node.js can handle a high volume of requests without bogging down the system. In addition, npm’s vast library of modules makes it easy to add functionality to your application as needed.
In Node Js vs. Go, Go is also a good choice for applications that need to scale quickly. Go’s focus on simplicity and scalability makes it an excellent choice for large-scale enterprise applications.
Additionally, the Go compiler generates highly efficient code, making it suitable for running on low-powered devices. You can also contact Golang web development service providers to build the app for you.
Node.js vs. Go: Ease of Use
Node.js is generally considered to be more user-friendly when comparing Node.js vs. Go. Node.js’ event-driven, non-blocking I/O model makes it easy to build fast and scalable applications.
In addition, a large number of modules in npm’s repository makes it easy to find the functionality you need for your application.
Go is not as user-friendly as Node.js. Go’s syntax is more verbose and complex than Node.js, making it more difficult to learn and use. However, once you acquire past the learning curve, Go is a powerful and expressive programming language that is well suited for large-scale enterprise applications.
Node.js vs. Go: Error Handling
Node.js has a reputation for being less stable than Go. This is because Node.js uses an asynchronous programming model, which can make error handling more difficult. However, there are a number of tools and libraries available that can help you manage errors in your Node.js application.
Go also has a reputation for being more stable when comparing Node.js vs. Go. This is because Go is a compiled language, which makes it less susceptible to errors introduced by run-time environments and software libraries.
Additionally, Go’s focus on simplicity makes it easier to write code that is less error-prone.
Node.js vs. Go: Simplicity
Node.js is generally considered to be more complex than Go. This is due in part to the fact that Node.js uses an asynchronous programming model, which can make code more difficult to read and understand.
In addition, a large number of modules in npm’s repository can make it difficult to find the functionality you need for your application.
Go is generally considered to be less complex than Node.js. Go’s syntax is more verbose and concise than Node.js, making it easier to learn and use. Additionally, the focus on simplicity makes it easier to write code that is less error-prone.
Node.js vs. Go: Security
Node.js is generally considered to be more secure than Go. This is because Node.js uses a sandboxed environment, which helps to prevent malicious code from running on your system.
In addition, a large number of modules in npm’s repository makes it easy to find and use security-related modules.
Go is also considered to be more secure than Node.js. This is due in part to the fact that Go is a compiled language, which makes it more challenging for attackers to reverse engineer your code.
Additionally, the focus on simplicity makes it easier to write code that is less susceptible to security vulnerabilities. You can also avail of web development services by hiring a web developing company.
Node.js vs. Go: Tools and Libraries
Node.js has a vast ecosystem of tools and libraries available. npm’s repository contains over 300,000 modules, making it easy to find the functionality you need for your application.
In addition, the Node.js community is large and active, making it easy to get help and support when needed.
Go also has a large number of tools and libraries available. The Go community is also large and active, making it easy to find help and support when needed. However, due to the language’s focus on simplicity, the number of modules in Go’s repository is smaller than that of Node.js.
One of the significant benefits of Node.js is that it uses a single thread for event looping. This means that Node.js can handle multiple concurrent requests with ease. In fact, Node.js is able to handle nearly twice as many concurrent requests as Go!
Go, on the other hand, uses goroutines for concurrency. Goroutines are light-weight threads that can be used to run multiple tasks simultaneously. Go’s goroutine scheduler is able to efficiently schedule thousands of goroutines on a single thread!
Node.js vs. Go: community
Node.js has a large and thriving community. The Node.js ecosystem is massive, with over 300,000 packages available on npm. You also get plenty of online resources available to help you get started with Node.js development.
The Go community is smaller but growing rapidly. The Go ecosystem has less than 50,000 packages available, but this number is rapidly increasing. However, there are several online resources available to help you get started with Go development.
Node.js vs. Go: Skilled professionals availability
When it comes to finding skilled professionals, Node.js has the edge. This is because Node.js has been around for longer and is more popular than Go. Node.js has a large pool of skilled professionals available to hire.
And there are hundreds of Node.js courses and tutorials available online, making it easy for you to learn the basics of this programming language.
The Go community is still relatively small, so finding skilled professionals can be difficult. However, the number of Go courses and tutorials available online is rapidly increasing.
Companies Using Node.js
Netflix:
Netflix uses Node.js for its customer-facing website and web applications.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn also uses Node.js in many of its web applications.
PayPal:
PayPal uses Node.js in several of its core products, such as the Paypal mobile app and the Venmo app.
eBay:
eBay uses Node.js in several of its web applications, including the eBay search engine and the eBay marketplace.
Medium:
Medium uses Node.js for its blogging platform.
Walmart:
Walmart uses Node.js in its e-commerce platform.
Companies Using Go
Google:
Google uses Go for many of its internal applications, such as the Google search engine and YouTube.
Facebook:
Facebook uses Go for a large number of its backend services.
Dropbox:
Dropbox uses Go in several of its core products, such as the Dropbox file system and the Dropbox synchronization client.
Uber:
Uber uses Go for its real-time trip mapping service.
Dailymotion:
Dailymotion uses Go for its video streaming services.
SoundCloud:
SoundCloud uses Go for several of its microservices.
FinalTake
Node.js and Go are both popular programming languages that offer unique benefits to developers. Node is very fast and offers a large number of modules, while Go has excellent concurrency capabilities with fewer available modules.
If you’re thinking about which language to use for your next project, consider the needs of your app, then weigh the pros and cons of each language before making a decision.
Moreover, the key difference between these two platforms lies in their communities: Node.js has a larger community while Go’s community is smaller but growing rapidly with more resources available online compared to Node js.
The final choice ultimately comes down to what you need your platform to do: if you’re focused on concurrency, then Go may be best suited for your needs.
However, if you want access to as many modules and libraries as possible, then the node is likely better aligned with your requirements.
That’s All!
