Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform runtime environment that allows developers to execute JavaScript code outside of a web browser. It is built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, which compiles JavaScript directly to native machine code for high performance.
Key Features of Node.js:
- Asynchronous and Event-Driven: Node.js uses non-blocking, event-driven architecture, making it lightweight and efficient for real-time applications.
- Single-Threaded with Event Loop: It operates on a single-threaded model with event looping, enabling it to handle multiple connections simultaneously without creating new threads.
- NPM (Node Package Manager): Node.js comes with npm, the largest ecosystem of open-source libraries and tools, making it easy to integrate third-party modules.
- Cross-Platform: It can run on various platforms like Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Scalable: Ideal for building scalable network applications due to its non-blocking I/O model.