Node.js
Node.js. Is a cross-platform runtime that executes JavaScript outside the browser, built on V8.
Blurb
Node.js® is a free, open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that lets developers create servers, web apps, command line tools and scripts.
Summary
Garden stance: We adopt Node.js for our estate.
Key points: | Topic | Notes |
|——-|——–|
| LTS releases | Even-numbered majors get long-term support; pin versions in production |
| Modules | ESM (import) is default in new projects; CommonJS (require) still common in older code |
| Package manager | npm ships with Node; pnpm and yarn remain popular for monorepos |
| Testing | Jest, Vitest, and node:test cover unit and integration layers |
| Observability | OpenTelemetry and structured logging integrate well with REST services |
Ecosystem: largest registry for web and automation libraries. Playwright, bundlers, and frontend tooling all target Node first.
Process management: PM2 daemonizes Node apps on bare metal. Prefer Docker when you need reproducible images and orchestration.
Alternatives: Bun as a faster drop-in JavaScript runtime for many workloads.
References
Details
| Topic | Notes |
|---|---|
| LTS releases | Even-numbered majors get long-term support; pin versions in production |
| Modules | ESM (import) is default in new projects; CommonJS (require) still common in older code |
| Package manager | npm ships with Node; pnpm and yarn remain popular for monorepos |
| Testing | Jest, Vitest, and node:test cover unit and integration layers |
| Observability | OpenTelemetry and structured logging integrate well with REST services |
Ecosystem: largest registry for web and automation libraries. Playwright, bundlers, and frontend tooling all target Node first.
Process management: PM2 daemonizes Node apps on bare metal. Prefer Docker when you need reproducible images and orchestration.
Alternatives: Bun as a faster drop-in JavaScript runtime for many workloads.
References