Introduction to Node.js
Node.js is a runtime environment for executing JavaScript outside the browser.
It enables the creation of web servers, REST APIs, and backend applications using JavaScript.
JavaScript Execution Before Node.js
JavaScript was originally designed to run inside browsers.
Browsers have JavaScript engines (e.g., V8 for Chrome, SpiderMonkey for Firefox).
JavaScript execution was limited to the browser environment.
The Need for Node.js
JavaScript couldn't run outside the browser, limiting its use.
Different browsers have different JavaScript engines, causing slight variations in execution.
The V8 engine (used in Chrome) became widely popular due to its efficiency.
How Node.js Was Created
A developer extracted the V8 engine from Chrome.
Embedded it with C++ to enable JavaScript execution outside the browser.
This allowed JavaScript to interact with the machine, access files, and perform backend operations.
Benefits of Node.js
JavaScript Beyond the Browser – Can now run JavaScript on servers.
Machine-Level Interaction – Access files, databases, and system resources.
Asynchronous & Event-Driven – Efficient handling of multiple requests.
Web Server Capability – Enables building full-fledged backend applications.
Final Definition
Node.js is not a framework or library.
It is a JavaScript runtime environment that allows running JavaScript on servers.
It utilizes V8 + C++ to execute JavaScript efficiently outside the browser.