It is imperative to choose the right stack of technologies to build a high-quality application. Especially when it comes to choosing an apt backend development technology for your application/software product. The two most popular choices for building the backend of modern-day applications are Node.Js and Go.
If you intend to build a high-performance application, you can leverage Go or Node.JS based on the requirement of your project. Both of these technologies are equally powerful and have their unique sets of capabilities and features that help the developers to build robust applications.
Most developers are fairly familiar with Node,js framework which is a JavaScript framework launched in 2009, it uses JavaScript in the back end and has features like Event-driven and non-blocking I/O model, Cross-platform compatibility, and full-stack development capabilities. On the other hand, Go is still unexplored by many developers. Go which is also known as Golang is developed by Google and was also launched in 2009 and has some remarkably outstanding features such as Concurrency, Efficiency, Simple syntax, and memory safety which make it a great choice for building scalable, high-performance applications specifically in cloud computing environments.
Undoubtedly, Both of these technologies offer unique advantages but the question is Which one is the best fit for your Project? So, Let’s Discuss the Strengths and Weaknesses of Node.JS and Go and check out which is the best fit for your project.
Node.Js v/s Go – Advantages
So, we have tabulated the strengths of Node.JS and Golang, so you can identify which features you want to include in your product development:
| Node.Js | Go |
| Vast Community Node.JS is a JavaScript framework that is widely used by a larger community of developers which makes it easier for your development team to find resources, libraries, and tools for development. | Concurrency Golang supports concurrency, so it is easier to write programs that can execute multiple tasks at a time. This leads to efficient use of system resources and faster execution. |
| Non-Blocking I/O Node.Js has a non-blocking I/O model which is event-driven and is best suited for building real-time, data-intensive applications which need low latency and high throughput. | Scalability Go offers scalability, therefore it is a good choice if you want to build large, distributed systems. Moreover, its efficient memory management and support for concurrency make it a good fit for microservices architectures and cloud computing. |
| Supports Full Stack Development Node.JS can be used as a part of full stack development by combining other technologies such as a front-end framework, a database, a server-side framework, middleware, and other allows. | High-Performance Go is fast and efficient and has a compiler that generates optimized machine code, Hence it is well suited for building applications that are required to be high-performance particularly in cloud computing environments |
| Large Ecosystem Node.JS has an immense and growing ecosystem with modules and packages available on Node Package Manager (NPM) which helps to add functionality to the applications you are building and also allows the reuse of code. | Memory Safety Golang has typing and memory safety features that prevent frequent programming errors such as buffer overflows and null pointer dereferences. |
| Ideal for Real-Time Applications Node.Js is a good fit for building real-time applications such as online gaming platforms, chat applications, and collaborative tools as it supports real-time communication between the client and server. | Versatility Go is well-suited to build network programming and distributed systems, high-performance web applications, microservices, system utilities, command line tools, and real-time applications and APIs that require to handle high volumes of requests. |
| Easier to learn Node.js can be relatively easy to learn and start working with. This is because Node.js uses JavaScript on both the server and client sides, which can make it easier to share code between the two. | Simpler Syntax & Strong Typing Go has a comparatively simpler syntax, making it easier to read and write codes. Also, it is a statically typed language and its allows the detection of errors at compile time rather than at runtime which makes the code written in Go more reliable and easier to maintain. |
Node.JS v/s Go – Disadvantages
| Node.Js | Go |
| Lower Performance Node.JS has a lower performance as compared to Golang, especially for CPU-intensive tasks. | Error Handling Golang’s error handling system can be verbose and repetitive, which can lead to cluttered code and make it harder to read and maintain. |
| Debugging Debugging can be challenging with Node.JS, especially in the case of complex applications. | Lack of Generics Support Generics allows developers to weather allows can function with multiple data type structures without having to write individual codes for each type. This can make code more flexible and easier to maintain however Go does not support Generic codes because Go was designed to be simple and easy to learn and adding the complexity of generics support would detract the language from this goal. |
| Callback Hell Node.JS heavily depends on callbacks and if not managed properly it can create a situation called “callback hell” in which the code becomes unreadable and difficult to manage due to excessive nesting of callbacks. | Garbage Collection Limitations Go’s feature of garbage collection automatically vacates the memory which is not being used. Despite being a useful feature, sometimes it also results in performance issues, especially in the case of applications that need to garbage collect a large no. of objects. |
| Requirement of External Libraries For Some Tasks Unlike Go, Node.js doesn’t offer built-in support for some tasks such as PDF generation, image processing, and machine learning, these tasks need additional libraries. | Lack of Support for some languages features Go doesn’t have support for certain features available in some languages, eg- Go doesn’t support inheritance which is a common feature in object-oriented programming languages making it difficult to reuse the code in some situations. Go doesn’t support other features such as method overloading, operator overloading, default parameter values, and, Generics. |
| Possibilities of Runtime Error Node.JS is a dynamically typed language and therefore there are possibilities of runtime errors and bugs if it is not handled properly. | Immature Ecosystem Go is a relatively new language compared to other languages, therefore its ecosystem is not that mature. This makes it challenging for developers to find solutions to specific problems that might arise during the development process as there is a listed availability of resources and support for Golang |
Node.JS Or Golang? Which Suits Your Project Requirements?
Below we have compared Node.JS and Golang with each other in terms of Performance, Concurrency, Scalability, and Level of Ease. Check the information below to figure out which one suits your project requirements better:
- Performance
Golang is faster than Node.JS as Go is a compiled language and Node.js, on the other hand, is an interpreted language, So Go beats Node.js in terms of performance. Go is so great that it is often compared to C & C++ for its high performance and speed. It is suitable for projects which require high performance and low latency.
- Concurrency
As discussed earlier, Golang has built-in concurrency features, so it is easier to build applications that can handle large no. of requests at a time Node.JS uses a non-blocking I/O model that makes it an ideal choice to build real-time applications which require high concurrency.
- Scalability
Both Go and Node.Js offers high scalability but the scaling process of both languages are different. Go can handle a large no. of threads and processes at a time whereas Node.js is capable of handling a large no. of concurrent connections.
- Easy Usage
Node.JS is way easier to use and learn as compared to Golang. Also. it has a larger community and a wide range of libraries and tools are available which makes it easier to find support and resources for development. Golang, on the contrary, has a steeper learning curve but despite that, it offers your more flexibility and control over the architecture of the application.
Which Companies Are Using Go and Node.JS?
To meet the continuously evolving business environments, companies keep updating their tech infrastructure by adopting the latest technologies. This helps them to meet quality standards and achieve superfast performance. So, let’s find out the names of popular companies using Node.JS and Golang for their back-end:
Companies Using Golang
- Netflix
- eBay
- Paypal
- Trello
- Dropbox
Companies Using Node.JS
- Uber
- Twitch
- Sendgrip
- Soundcloud
Conclusion
Golang and Node.js are indeed two powerful languages and it is debatable that which is better Go or Node.js. The answer entirely depends on the requirements and characteristics of the application you want to develop. While Go is a good fit for building microservices and enterprise-level projects that require handling high traffic and request loads, Node.js has some great features for almost every challenge you might face during the development phase of your application, hence it can reduce the time-to-market of your project.
Still can’t decide which language to choose for the backend development of your project? Let our experts help you to figure it out. Send us your query or contact us right away.