When to choose Golang vs. Node.js for backend

by Nov 16, 2020#Cloud

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Table of Content

  1. Back end Development
  2. What Is Golang
  3. What Is Node.js
  4. Why People Choose Go
  5. Why People Choose Node.js
  6. Golang vs. Node.js

One of the first things you have to decide when doing software engineering is choosing the programming language and framework you will use. Not every language will be useful, and it highly depends on what you are trying to achieve. For example, you wouldn’t try to use Rust to create a videogame because there are no libraries available, and there are few people with the expertise needed to make it work. Development is all about bringing together the right frameworks and languages to make things work well. When you do that, you end up having a lot of success in your development efforts.

There have been many competing languages and frameworks for web development in recent times. The Internet rapidly changes, so it is almost impossible to keep up with new developments. However, many people don’t know which option to choose when it comes to backend development. Many languages were considered the best, but you are hard-pressed to find a conclusive answer because developers can be biased in this arena. Two of these languages are Go and NodeJS. Each language has its own upsides and downsides, and they will both be able to do the job you want. However, each one will be slightly better, depending on what you are trying to do.

Back end Development

One of the key roles you have to do on the Internet is back end development. You can find a good backend web framework to help you achieve this, but it is often difficult to make a choice since it is such a complex answer. The back end portion of the website is the part that interacts with the server and does all the functionality. An example of this is connecting to the database or an API. Back end development is the foundation of the entire Internet, so it is an essential skill for people who want to engineer the best website possible.

The backend has to do with other things to like scalability. You want a website that can be scalable and stable no matter how many people visit. The choice you make during back end development will have a profound impact on how successful you are. A good backend web framework can help you create a powerful website in only a few weeks. However, a back end framework has the downside of making it impossible for your website to succeed. Your website won’t be able to scale and grow with the number of people visiting. It is all about making those trade-offs to come up with the best solution for your specific needs.

What Is Golang

Google developed this as a replacement for Python. They saw that Python was powerful, but it had the downside of being incredibly slow for many tasks. Google is a company that has thousands of server clusters, and it makes sense for them to do things as fast as possible. Go has the benefit of being as fast as C, but it has the functionality and ease of use that Python has. This perfect blend of ease of use and speed is what makes it so great for creating the back end section of websites. You’re able to connect to many different frameworks, and you have access to a great garbage collected compiler that can create optimized code for every situation.

What Is Node.js

Node is essentially JavaScript that can be used for creating the back end of websites. It is built on the same engine that powers the Chrome web browser. Because it is JavaScript, you can use it to create real-time websites that update and act like desktop programs. This is a major benefit, and it is why so many people prefer to use it. You also have the benefit of having something that is quite powerful, so you don’t have to worry about your websites being bogged down by a slow framework. Node is an excellent choice for developers who want to have the flexibility of JavaScript and the unique features the platform brings with it.

Everything works together in Node to create the best experience for web users and developers. Programs using Node are also quite scalable, so it makes sense if you are going to be building a website that can scale to hundreds of millions of users. There also many developers available to you because it is JavaScript.

Why People Choose Go

Developers choose it because it is built for performance. Your websites and web applications are going to be the fastest they can be. It is also built for scalability, so you will be able to easily add new servers and features to make it grow to millions or even billions of users. Many current websites use it, and they can scale their user base quite easily. It is also easy to learn because it is so similar to C. Another huge benefit is how powerful it is since it has a built-in garbage collector. That garbage collector means you never have to worry about memory management and the other complicated parts of C. Threading is also relatively painless, so you don’t have to worry about your programs slowing down when you spawn multiple threads. It also has a better event system than other comparable languages.

Why People Choose Node.js

The biggest reason to choose this is JavaScript. For the people who love programming in JavaScript, it is a great way to continue building backends using the same system you’ve been using for a long time. There’s also the fact that your websites will have real-time user interfaces. Real-time web applications are better for the user, and people prefer it in the majority of situations. This will give you a leg up over the competition when using such a system. There are also many great libraries developers can use to extend the functionality that comes with Node. The other great thing is that you get access to all the tools JavaScript developers have built over the years. These tools will help you profile your applications, and they will help you optimize things to be the fastest and most powerful they can be. You also have a bigger network of developers that can help you with any problems. This is a tool being used to develop a significant portion of web applications today.

Golang vs. Node.js

There are different reasons to choose one over the other, so you have to sit down and consider what you will do with your application.

When to Use Node

  • When you need a mature stack.
  • Your developers already know Javascript.
  • You want your user interface to update in real time.
  • You want the Node event model.
  • Caching is important to your program.
  • Node extensions are necessary for you to build your program.

When to Use Go-lang

  • You want to use something close to C.
  • You prefer compiled code compared to an Interpreter.
  • Scalability is your most important priority.
  • Ease of deployment is important for you.
  • Concurrency is important for your program.

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