Appendix. Introduction to Node.js
This appendix covers
- The Node.js ecosystem for JavaScript-based tools
- NPM as a way to install new Node.js-based modules
- The difference between local installation and global installation
- The contents of a package.json file
- The proper way to handle version numbers
Back in 2009 some clever people at a company called Joyent released Node.js, a standalone implementation of Google’s V8 JavaScript engine. Its original goal was to provide an environment for fast network applications. Little did Joyent know that years later and long after the initial hype, developers would be using Node.js for all sorts of things: servers, command-line applications, and even webcam-driven quadcopter steering.
Even though it has become popular because of its primary use of server-side JavaScript, there’s much, much more to Node.js. It removes the restrictions caused by the browser environment (which is bound to a platform that’s made for display only) and offers developers access to the operating system via a language they already know. The ability for people to have a premier scripting language available for literally any task they want to achieve has contributed to Node’s success.
This appendix aims to give you a general introduction to Node.js and the Node.js ecosystem by example.