Node.js vs. React.js Comparison: Which to Choose for your JavaScript App Development?

Jan 14, 2022 Kiran Beladiya

Both Node.js and React.js are of JavaScript, yet both are completely different. The main difference between Node.js and React.js is that Node.js is a back-end framework, while React.js is used for user interface development for the app.

Yet, both have their cons and pros and unique use cases for mobile app development.

In this article, you will find the introduction of React JS and Node JS, their features, example for the app development and its difference.

Based on a detailed discussion on both the technologies, you can find the one you should use for your next software development.

Let's get started.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is one such framework that helps develop the back-end of applications with JavaScript. As per Google Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine powers, Node.js is more useful and lightweight. Developers highly use it for event-driven and non-blocking I/O models. Specially to host APIs, access the database, and serve HTTP requests, developers use the Node.js framework.

Who uses Node.js?

nodejs uses

Node.js is used by the majority of companies and has multiple famous clients, such as Netflix, NASA, Trello, PayPal, LinkedIn, Walmart, Uber, Twitter, Yahoo, eBay, GoDaddy, and more. Here we have who and why Node.js has evolved its framework of choice.

If we talk about Netflix, they went through A/B testing to offer a reach experience to 93 million users. And meanwhile, they faced some issues of conditional dependencies and app scalability.

Here comes the role of Node.js to crack these issues; the company has chosen Node.js to offer fast speed and effective usage. As a result, Netflix has reduced startup time by 70%.

Most prominent features of Node.js:

specialization of nodejs

Single-threaded: Node.js framework is lightweight and still more scalable compared to other frameworks because it operates a single-threaded design with event loopings. Overall, it helps to handle multiple requests compared to traditional servers like Apache HTTP Server.
Open Source: Node.js works as open-source for code as it is ready to use for free and available for the developer to use.
Enhanced Performance: If you want to develop an app with improved performance, choose Node.js. It helps the developers complete non-blocking functions that boost the app's performance.
Scalability: Node.js is powerful and got the capability to scale up the app performance both horizontally and vertically.
No Buffering: Applications developed with Node.js will show performance in blocks due to its callback function. So, the user receives the data faster and easily available with no waiting time for the operation to finish. It overall lowers the processing time, and thus no buffer on data.

Node.js usage statistics and popularity:

"As per the study and Node.js User Survey Report, most of 49.9% developers used Node.js and created it as most used frameworks, libraries, and tools in 2019.”

frameworks tools 2019

What exactly is React.js?

React.js is another famous technology that is open-source code library. It is highly used to design the user interfaces or front-end web applications.

React.js can improve the speed and offer a dependable platform to serve the front-end. Also, React.js is developed by Facebook and has been enhanced for better performance.

Who are the people using React.js?

Facebook, a known app that has allowed companies of all sorts, from content-driven websites like the New York times and Twitter as social media apps. It has served the best User Interface with the help of React.js.

A website like Facebook, Twitter and other entirely relies on interaction with the user and uses a dynamic framework. Instagram, another associate of Facebook, is yet another illustration of an app created with React.js.

Most prominent features of React.js:

specialization of reactjs

Easy Maintenance: React.js is easy to maintain as its library is brilliant, and it re-uses any crucial system elements. It helps in solving any issue about the updating of the React.js framework.
Extensions: Along with the UI framework, React offers a combination of extensions that allows users to develop a complete application architecture. React.js extensions help in web development with the essential benefit of Flux and Redux. So, React, a famous framework, is known for cross platform mobile app development.
Better Performance: Any app will improve its performance with the React.js framework as it uses the Virtual Document Object Model (DOM).
Stability of Code: React.js provides written code that is very stable due to its usage in the downward flow of data.
JSX: JSX is one of the excellent features represented as a markup language closely resembling HTML. It’s parallel to the result that is a mix of XML and JavaScript.
Virtual DOM: For a virtual DOM, a software development company helps in DOM object with React. It makes a virtual duplicate of the real DOM because the virtual DOM is a one-way data-binding.
Event Handling: React.js can apply its event system completely compliant with the W3C object model. And specially manufactured event examples will shield all native events. So as a whole, it combines a native event with a cross-browser interface.

Is ReactJS a framework?

React is known for its functionality and multiple User Interface benefits. It also helps in modularity and separations of concerns as the benefits. But it is essential to know that React.js is not a framework.

React, which is also learned as React.js or ReactJS, is an open-source and free JavaScript library. It is highly used for developing user interfaces or UI components for any app. React allows you to reuse its elements multiple times in a single web application.

Difference between Node.js and ReactJS are as follows

The favor of both Node.js and React.js is unquestioned as we see there are pros of both technologies. Both of these frameworks work best for software development as both have huge communities backing them up. If you are looking for an IT outsourcing company in India for your app development, we will help you choose the right framework for your project.

Node js vs React js: Final Verdict

Here are some key takeaways:

Node.js offers speed, scalability, and better performance for app development. So, it seems Node.js is more suitable for an assortment of tasks.
With React, it is seamless to develop lightweight web and mobile apps. As one can run React on the server side, and the virtual DOM will be rendered, it is highly used for the regular web page.
Both Node and React have vibrant and significant community support, so they can be used per business requirements.

You can make the front-end of the software app development with React and the back-end with Node js, as Netflix accomplished.

ReactJS Development