React is a popular front-end JavaScript package that can be used to create interactive user interfaces. NodeJS, on the other hand, is a server-side JavaScript environment that assists developers in developing scalable web programs with low latency and high functionality. What’s worth knowing is that it can be extremely beneficial for developers designing full-stack web applications to mix React and Node.js.

In this blog, we’ll look at why you should combine these two modern technologies and how they work together to create web apps that are easy to maintain and operate quickly. Let’s get going!

Introduction to NodeJS

NodeJS is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. It uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. NodeJS’ package ecosystem, Node Package Manager (npm), is the largest ecosystem of open-source libraries in the world.

NodeJS was originally used to develop server-side applications written in JavaScript, but its usage has now spread to front-end development as well.

5 Features of NodeJS

  1. Asynchronous and event driven: All APIs of NodeJS are asynchronous, or non-blocking. This means a NodeJS-based server never waits for any API to return data, but rather moves to the next API after calling it. Node uses the observer pattern.
  2. Fast: Being built on Google Chrome’s V8 JavaScript Engine, the NodeJS library is very fast in code execution.
  3. Single-threaded but highly scalable: NodeJS uses a single-threaded model with event looping. The event mechanism helps the server to respond in a non-blocking way and makes the server highly scalable as compared to traditional servers like Apache HTTP Server.
  4. No buffering: NodeJS applications never buffer any data. These applications simply output the data in chunks.
  5. License: NodeJS is released under the MIT license.

8 Advantages of NodeJS

  1. NodeJS is an open-source server environment.
  2. NodeJS is free and doesn’t need any kind of licensing.
  3. NodeJS runs on various platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OSX, etc.).
  4. NodeJS has a rich library of various JavaScript modules which simplifies the development of web applications.
  5. NodeJS uses the JavaScript programming language, which is easy to learn.
  6. The Node Package Manager (npm) makes the installation of NodeJS modules simple.
  7. Debugging NodeJS applications is really easy when compared to other web development frameworks.
  8. NodeJS applications are easily scaled both horizontally and vertically.

NodeJS is used for

  • Building real-time web applications
  • Data streaming purposes
  • Complex Single Page Applications (SPAs)
  • Server-side proxy

Introduction to ReactJS

React is a declarative, efficient, and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It lets you compose complex UIs from small and isolated pieces of code called “components”. We will look at how React makes life easier for developers by breaking down complex UI into smaller reusable components.

6 Features of ReactJS

  1. JSX: JSX is a syntax extension to JavaScript. It was created to make it easier to write React applications. With JSX you can write HTML-like syntax which gets compiled to JavaScript.
  2. Components: In React, everything is a component. A component is a small independent piece of code that can be reused throughout the application.
  3. React Router: React Router is a complete routing solution for ReactJS apps.
  4. Unidirectional data flow: React follows one-way data binding which means that the data flows from top to bottom in the application. This makes it easier to reason about the application.
  5. Virtual DOM: React uses virtual DOM which is a JavaScript representation of actual DOM. Virtual DOM is faster than the normal DOM because it doesn’t need to make any changes to the browser’s default DOM behaviour.
  6. React Native: React Native is a framework for building native mobile apps using JavaScript. It lets you use your existing React knowledge to build native iOS and Android apps without any recompilation required.

7 Advantages of ReactJS

  1. React is easy to learn and use.
  2. React is declarative, meaning that you can write code that describes what the UI should look like.
  3. React is component-based, meaning that your code is organised into self-contained components.
  4. React is fast, thanks to its virtual DOM implementation.
  5. React is scalable, thanks to its modularity and reusable components.
  6. React has a large community and many resources available.
  7. React is supported by Facebook, making it more likely to continue to be developed and maintained in the future.

ReactJS is Used for:

  • Single page applications (SPAs)
  • Building large social media sites
  • Web browsing apps
  • Creating user interfaces
  • Dynamic libraries

Can you use NodeJS and ReactJS together?

Yes, NodeJS and ReactJS can be used together to create web applications. NodeJS is a server-side JavaScript framework that runs on various platforms like Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OSX, etc. ReactJS is a client-side JavaScript library that is used for building user interfaces. Together, they can be used to create dynamic web applications.

10 Reasons for Using both NodeJS and ReactJS in Web App Development

  1. NodeJS is fast and scalable thanks to its event-driven architecture and non-blocking I/O model. This makes it ideal for building real-time applications.
  2. ReactJS is a declarative, efficient, and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It lets you compose complex UIs from small and isolated pieces of code called “components”.
  3. Both NodeJS and ReactJS are supported by Facebook, making them more likely to continue to be developed and maintained in the future.
  4. Combining NodeJS and ReactJS allows you to create dynamic web applications.
  5. The use of NodeJS and ReactJS together can make development faster and easier thanks to the modularity of the components.
  6. NodeJS can handle multiple requests at the same time, making it more efficient than ReactJS when it comes to handling large amounts of data.
  7. ReactJS is lightweight and fast, making it ideal for building user interfaces that need to be updated frequently.
  8. Both NodeJS and ReactJS are open source and have a large community of developers who are always creating new resources and tools.
  9. The MERN Stack comprisesMongoDB, ExpressJS, ReactJS, and NodeJS. These four technologies allow you to build amazing web applications.
  10. If you need a single-page app with asynchronous data loading, React and Node allow you to create a lightweight back-end model using call-back functions.

How NodeJS plus ReactJS help you meet market demands?

These two technologies are becoming increasingly popular, and will continue to do so in the future. Interestingly, their demand has spread outside Java.

According to Statista, ReactJS is the most used web app development framework. However, new technologies are also making their way into the development sector.

For developers who need to construct responsive, modern, online applications that manage large amounts of data, the combination of Node and React is a good choice.

React’s flexible design model allows you to create reusable UI elements with ease and freedom while the event-driven nature of Node allows you to handle massive quantities of traffic more effectively.

Wrapping up

For web app development, combining React and NodeJS can take your project to the next level. To design engaging websites or web apps, you just need to engage skilled full-stack developers.

If you’re keen to blend React as a front-end with Node as a back-end for your next web development project, the devoted and experienced developers here at Appomate are ready to start work.

Get in touch with us today