The Complete Guide to Node JS Best Practices

Node.js is a cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that helps develop server-side web applications. These applications are coded in JavaScript and can be run within the Node.js runtime on OS X, Windows, and Linux without changes. Read a guide to developing NodeJS large-scale apps with the use of Node JS best practices.

Node.js is a runtime environment that allows developers to create server-side web applications using JavaScript as the programming language instead of traditional languages such as C++ or Java.

Before jumping onto the Node Js best practices, let’s look into the advantages of Nodejs.

Node.js has a lot of advantages over other programming languages, such as:

• It is much faster than Java and Ruby
• Large community of users which means you will always have someone to help you with your problems.
• It is much more scalable than Python because it uses event looping instead of threads.
• Node’s asynchronous event looping model makes it powerful for real-time applications as well as quick development of fast websites or APIs (Application Programming Interface)

Begin Your NodeJS Project With Package.json

The package.json file is a JSON formatted file containing all the project metadata. It includes the project’s name, version, description, and dependencies.

create package.json filenpm init

This command will create a package.json file in the current directory, containing all the information required by npm to install and publish an application.

Install NPM init

The Node package manager (npm) is a package manager for the JavaScript programming language and has become the default package manager in the node ecosystem. It is used to install, share, and manage the development dependencies of node programs by linking them with npm modules. The npm command-line interface (CLI) is used to install, update and remove software packages. It can be invoked by typing npm on the command line. NPM comes with many built-in commands, such as:–

• “install” a package (can also be done through the CLI)
• “update” packages that have already been installed
• “watch” a package (manages the list of packages that are watched and runs npm install when they change); npm has many high-level commands, such as
• “search” for packages matching particular criteria
• “publish” your package on the registry (to make it available for others to use)package

It is highly recommended to install this package manager as it makes working in a team easy because everyone will have the same setup.

Use Environment Variable

Environment variables can be used to store and retrieve data that is used by a computer system’s operating environment. These are very helpful when the application is being deployed on a number of machines as they allow the code to be the same while still storing different data depending on which machine it is running on.

Tapping On The Asynchronous Methods

Asynchronous methods are a fundamental part of Node.js. They enable you to write non-blocking code, which is crucial for scalability, and performance. Node.js provides a wide range of asynchronous methods that can handle a variety of tasks, such as reading files and directories, making HTTP requests, or parsing opentelemetry data streams in the form of JSON objects or XML documents.

Organise The Code As Per Module Pattern

A module pattern is a software design pattern. It defines the way in which programmers should divide their code into separate sections or modules.

The modularity with consts is a way to organise the code and make it more readable.

The module pattern is used to create a set of smaller functions related in some way. These smaller functions are called modules, and they can be reused anywhere else where they are needed. A module pattern defines the following:

• How to name modules
• How to import modules
• what should be imported by default and what should not be imported by default
• how to avoid importing different versions of the same module
• how to handle cyclic dependencies between two or more modules

Make Use Of Third Party Tools Effectively

NPM or Node Package Manager consists of hundreds of feature-rich, well-maintained, and well-documented libraries, frameworks, and tools for various use cases. A developer should use existing tools/frameworks/libraries to make the app development easy, fast, and error-proof.

Following is the list of tools that Nodejs developers can count on:

• Winston: Logging framework
• Moment: Works with date & time
• Nodemon: Automatically restarts the app when code change is detected
• Agenda: Schedules the job
• Gulp: Task runner

The tools/libraries make the work of developers easy. Before using these tools, you should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses so as not to over-rely on them.

Best Practices For HTTP Requests In Node.js:

1) Use the async keyword to make sure that your code is not blocking the event loop. This will ensure that your code is running as fast as possible and will also allow you to use asynchronous functions like setTimeout().

2) Use request timeouts if you need to wait for a response from an API or service before continuing with your code.

Utilising Promises For Error Handling

A good Node Js best practice is to use multiple callbacks for inside promises to async errors. The best part of using this method is that it reduces code complexity and also makes the code more readable.

Following is example of code for the same:

return A()
  .then((a) => B(a))
  .then((b) => C(b))
  .then((c) => D(c))
  .catch((error) => logger.error(error))
  .then(E())

Code Example – using async/await to catch errors

async function E() {
  try {
    const a= await A();
    const b= await B(a);
    const c= await C(c);
    return await D(c);
  }
  catch(error) {
    logger.error(error);
  }
}

Lint The Code

ESLint is an open-source linter tool written in JavaScript that helps keep your code clean and consistent. It’s used by developers around the world to provide feedback on their coding style, enforce consistent conventions, and reduce errors caused by typos or missing semicolons. ESLint is designed for efficient operation with a large number of files, which makes it well-suited for use in projects with large teams, complex build processes, and/or long release cycles.

Incorporate Third Party Solutions To Restart The Application After Every Code Change

When an app is being developed in a NodeJS, a developer needs to restart the app to apply changes made in the code. This restarting process will prevent you from focusing on coding as a solution, and you should use automated tools that restart the app after every code change.

Following are the popular code monitoring packages for node JS:

Forever: It provides an automatic restarting feature along with some additional configuration options such as setting up a working directory and writing logs.

Nodemon: It restarts the application automatically whenever the change in the code is detected. You can also initialise this application by replacing the node with –the line in the command.

PM2: It is the best process management tool compared to other options. It has more features and gives you more control over the process running in the production.

You can use these tools even in the production environment. These tools ensure that the application restarts without any problem after a runtime error.

Final Verdict

Node.js is a lightweight JavaScript runtime environment that has been used for a variety of purposes, from web servers to data processing. Node.js is particularly popular with developers because of its scalability, an event-driven architecture, and its ability to use JavaScript on both the front and back end.

These Node Js best practices will help you get up and running quickly with NodeJS, as well as make your development process more efficient in the future!

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