DEV Community: Ankit Karody

NodeJS vs. Golang in 2022

Ankit Karody — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 17:46:12 +0000

The two main options for setting up your backend in 2022 are NodeJS and GoLang.

A backend retrieves data so a frontend framework — like a website or a Mobile App can display it.

Scalability, performance, and ease of development are of utmost concern when choosing a development framework.

NodeJS

NodeJS was developed to make it easy for developers comfortable with Javascript. This enabled Javascript to run on a standalone machine, not just the browser.

It is a runtime environment developed in C that runs javascript code. With NodeJS, both your frontend and backend are written in the same language, Javascript.

This gives uniformity of development. NodeJS has been developed tremendously over the years since its launch in 2009.

NodeJS has the same concepts of objects(JSON), functions, syntax, and try-catch elements as Javascript with added features to make it support a backend server.

You can find 100’s of community packages that can help you easily write backend features like CORS, MongoDB manager, SQL managers, etc.

NodeJS has the full capability for what you will need in 2022 — from web3.0 to authentication!

Golang

Golang is a programming language that, unlike NodeJS, a runtime framework, is a language that compiles its binaries.

Golang was developed to make an easier and more efficient backend server language compared to its competitors, such as Java, C/C++, etc.

It added the flexibility and simplicity that the other general-purpose languages lacked in the context of a backend framework.

The purpose of Golang is to be fast, efficient, and scalable, making it a popular choice in compute-heavy circumstances.
It is a rigid, dependable language that benefits from a large community base of libraries.

Ease of Development

Both NodeJS and Golang were developed with ease of development in mind. But ease of development is instead a subjective issue than an objective one. Depending on your background, you may find one easier than the other.

For most fronted developers who are very familiar with Javascript and its concepts, learning and mastering NodeJS will not be an uphill task. It would be similar to learning any other library in Javascript.

However, if you do not have prior Javascript experience, it can be difficult, and at that point, Golang might seem like the easier option.

With its direct single-purpose origin, Golang makes it very easy to learn. It is very intuitional, with all the HTTP request/response logic embedded in its structure.

Performance

Regarding the backend, the key performance indicator is your data throughput every second time. Every time someone hits your API target, you must be able to respond quickly, thus reducing your response time.

You must also be able to handle a large no. of requests at a given second if the scale of your project is significant. Golang and NodeJS offer very good performance values in your options list for 2022.

Golang natively supports Multi-threading (concurrency), so unlike NodeJS, a single-threaded language, you can parallelize tasks and use all the CPU power available.
This gives Golang the superior edge when it comes to tackling scale.
But you need not worry as NodeJS, with its Javascript Asynchronous abilities, you can run processes in the background, making it seem like a multi-threaded language.

In 2013, when PayPal switched its backend from Java to NodeJS, it saw a 35% decrease in response time. When it comes to Web development, both languages have you covered for optimal response times.

Golang is statically typed, so it performs better far better during building and compiling. NodeJS, being dynamically typed, has a much slower time to compile. This is an important point to note if your build times are crucial.

Cost and Salaries

When discussing any topic in Programming, the cost is always a discussable factor. Depending on whether you’re a developer working for a company or hiring developers, your outlook may be different.

On a general basis, Golang developers are hard to come by and thus generally get paid more than NodeJS developers.
How much is the difference, you may ask? — The average salary of a Golang developer is $123 000 compared to $100,000 for NodeJS developers in the United States.

For a career option, it is best that you learn both, but according to today’s market, Golang seems the better option due to its low supply and high demand.

NodeJS also has a promising future and only falls short because it is considered an extension to frontend development. The median of a react developer makes $82,000.

Community and Support

Launched in 2009, Both Go and NodeJS have matured with superb community backing, which has always been concurrent and growing.

Golang was developed by developers at google, thus acquiring legitimacy in the space, while NodeJS is based on the ever-popular browser language Javascript.

NodeJS has a very broad usage, making its community very large. You can find packages of all sorts when using NodeJS. Most of the newer projects that delve into Web3 and Machine-Learning always have a NodeJS solution.

You can also find hundreds of hosting providers for NodeJS with different plans to suit your needs.

Golang has a decently sized and growing community, but it is nowhere near the degree NodeJS.

You may have to determine if certain community resources are available when using Golang, but you need not worry as most main concepts are there. Go is yet to reach its full potential, so there is enough room to grow.

Companies currently using NodeJS — Medium, Uber, and PayPal.
Companies currently using Golang — LinkedIn, Netflix, eBay, and Trello.

Final Thoughts

This article dives deep into the major differences between Go and NodeJS. Your decision to choose the option depends on what you need.

If performance and build are essential, then Go is the obvious choice.

But if the rate of development and ease is necessary, NodeJS, with its excellent support and community, can propel you to success. That is why many product-led companies prefer NodeJS.

How To Get Insanely Good at JavaScript

Ankit Karody — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 08:21:04 +0000

JavaScript is the most popular language in 2022, hands down. People are using it to develop everything from beautiful frontends to complex backends.

But with so many other options in the market, how did JavaScript come out on top? How is there so much demand in the market for JavaScript developers?

Simply put, you can make any web app, android, or IOS app with JavaScript. You don’t need to learn multiple languages like Java, Kotlin, Swift, etc. Just learn JavaScript, and you are set.

You do not need to learn any other language in 2022. JavaScript has got your back for everything.

Starting Off..

Are you new to the programming world, or do you have some experience in coding? Keep your answer in your mind.

If you want to learn JavaScript, a basic understanding of HTML is necessary.

JavaScript is a language that was designed to run in the browser.

Now let’s get to the learning part. You’ve probably heard of vanilla JS. This is pure JavaScript without any additional libraries. Some people believe you should learn vanilla JS before moving to any framework.

I would only suggest this route if you have absolutely no coding experience. Otherwise, I suggest you start by learning a framework like ReactJS.

When you learn with a framework, you use your intuition and code while you learn.

There are two broad uses of JavaScript today — as a Frontend Language and as a backend or a Server language called NodeJS.

As a Frontend Language

Most websites these days are HTML paired with JavaScript. JS runs functions such as logging in, submitting forms, etc.

Running Vanilla HTML-JavaScript is a decent approach, but today most developers and companies use popular JavaScript Libraries to build their Websites, such as ReactJS (maintained by Facebook), AngularJS (maintained by Google), and VueJS, to ease the burden of coding!

As a beginner, I recommend starting with these packages as the bulk of the coding is done in this, while only niche parts of the project would you require to run vanilla JavaScript.

Learning Frameworks like React, Angular and Vue

If you are an experienced developer, you can open up the documentation for the framework and start coding.

But otherwise, if you are a beginner, the best way to learn is by following a step-by-step tutorial. Suppose you want to learn ReactJS.

Open up the tutorial and code while you watch. At the start, you will have to copy exactly what is done in the tutorial.

But, eventually, you will get independent and can start referring to the documentation for any queries.
These tutorials go over all the basics needed —

It might seem slow, but follow through and trust me, because, at the end of the video, you will be able to create anything — From a Million-dollar Real Estate site to a cutting-edge Web3 trading dApp!

Let’s take a brief look at the frameworks mentioned above.

ReactJS is by far the most popular framework. It is incredibly versatile, with its concept of JSX, making it very Intuitive and beginner-friendly. It is very powerful. This will cover all your needs.

AngularJS is also a very popular framework. Unlike React(a library), it is a fully-fledged framework with its own DOM implementation. Due to its high complexity, it is difficult to learn and used only when necessary.

VueJS is an upcoming framework that bases itself on using pre-made Templates. It is made for building, ready-to-ship, performant websites on the Fly!

As a Backend Language

All websites need an automated entity to respond to user requests. A server comes in handy to do this. These servers are traditionally in Java, GoLang, or Rails. This versatility of writing frontend and having a Run-time environment to run a server, which encompasses the complete horizon of Full-Stack development, is only possible by using JavaScript.

That's why JS is so popular!

NodeJS facilitate JavaScript in a run-time environment. Using NodeJS, you can build your backend App.

Although there are new concepts and libraries required to develop a server, the way you handle requests remains the same when using it as a frontend or a backend language. Backend concepts like CORS, Middleware, APIs, etc., must be understood before you develop your server.

This tutorial will help you to develop a REST API that will go over using a Database (MongoDB) for storing information permanently —

Build A Restful Api With Node.js Express & MongoDB | Rest Api Tutorial — YouTube

Additionally, you can find in-Depth videos on this topic. Learn it only when you need it!

You will waste time if you watch a hundred videos but never get to work. Implement every tiny detail you learn.

NodeJS will take care of your server requirements for a large part, but due to some concessions made in its development, you will grow out of it at some point. But don’t worry, that day is far-far, far away!

Timelines — How long will it take?

You might wonder how long it will take you to get a basic grasp of all of the concepts.

So. as we know, there are two parts to JS to specialize in; they have different timelines.

With ReactJS, it will take about seven days to get a solid hold on it. It is reasonably straightforward, and end of it, you will have the confidence to build just about anything your mind proposes!

For NodeJS, it is a little more complicated, and a lot more depth is required. Building basic functionality is easy and can be done in 2 days, but understanding more profound concepts will only come with experience.

What Next?

Once you have learned the basic concepts, start coding. Look at open-source projects on Github that use your framework or library. If you learned React, check out React projects.

Join their Discord, Telegram, DevRev, and Slack channels to connect with developers. Look at the current issues in the project.

You can always reach out to other developers if you get stuck.

Feedback and practice will get you from a novice to a competent developer.

It’s Time To Get Your Writing on the Blockchain With dArticle.io

Ankit Karody — Wed, 25 May 2022 08:47:00 +0000

Welcome to the world of decentralized writing, where every idea has a voice. And your voice will not be censored.

You’ve probably heard so much about the blockchain and crypto in recent times. You’ve heard about art and music NFTs and how they are changing their respective industries.

Now it’s time to change the course of the writing industry.

As writers, it is essential to circulate your content on multiple platforms such as Medium, dev.to, Substack, Twitter, etc. But you’re still missing out on the most significant opportunity for your writing, the Web3 world.

By creating an article NFT on dArticle.io, your article will remain in the blockchain till the end of time. The blockchain is the true embodiment of free speech.

Creating a dArticle required no cost. dArticle is built on the polygon blockchain and makes use of gasless meta transactions.

So what are you waiting for? Make your dArticle now at dArticle.io !!!

The 5 Powerful Remote Work Tools for Your Startup or Online Business in 2022

Ankit Karody — Wed, 25 May 2022 06:38:22 +0000

Remember when you had to get up super early to get ready for work? You had to travel a couple of hours every day. It seems like ages ago, doesn't it!
Gone are the days when you had to take long cab rides to and from the office. Remote work has become the norm. The whole office resides in your small, compact laptop.
The change to remote work was a rather quick one because of the pandemic. Initially, startups were struggling to optimize their workflow, as they usually thrive with rapid improvements and development.
Unlike corporates, startups require everyone to be a generalist and hands-on. But this became quite hard because of no human contact.
So how were startups able to adapt to this change?
The answer is quite simple. Startups made use of the tools available in the markets. They needed a fast video conferencing app, so they started using Zoom. They needed to share data and information, so they started using Evernote.
These kinds of tools helped to bridge the gap between people.
If you are part of a startup, it is essential for you to up your productivity game to beat the competition.
Let's look at some of the tools that can make your startup or online business more productive.

Google Analytics

This seems like a pretty obvious tool. But you'd be surprised by how many startups and online businesses delay its integration.
Even if your startup is not a website, you'll probably have a landing page to acquire customers. If you want to track how many users are landing on your page and how they interact with your page, you need google analytics.
Google Analytics is an essential tool to analyze your website traffic. You can figure out what strategies work better to drive traffic to your website.
Integration is also effortless. You have to add a couple of scripts to your code and watch the magic happen.
You get to know the basic demographic of the user and how they landed on your page. Based on this information, you can tweak your social media ads.
The best part of Google Analytics is that you get information about how the user interacts with the website. You get details such as how long the user stays on your website and all the pages a user navigates to.
You get four types of information about the user -

General user data pertains to the example mentioned above - how the user landed on the website.
Session data gives you details about how much the user is opening the website, counting each individual visit.
Pageview data gives information about the pages a user visits.
Event level data is game-changing. You can track button clicks, link clicks, video views, etc. You can change up your website and get instant feedback from google analytics.

Figma

This is the tool that has taken the world by storm. Figma is an interface design tool that you can access from any Linux, Mac, or Windows system. You can access it from the browser or download the desktop version.
While Figma is primarily used for designing the UI/UX for Website screens, it can do much more. You can use it as your all-in-one tool for logos, banners, covers, etc.
The biggest problem with remote work is inefficient collaboration. Figma tackles this issue with such grace that you feel like your colleague is sitting right next to you.

With Figma, you can see what your teammates are doing with shared files. Just like google docs, you can see who's online and even where they click.
It helps teams feel accountable for their work. They feel like they are working in person together.
If these were all the features Figma offered, it would still be a great tool. But it doesn't stop here!
The collaboration with Slack in March 2022 is revolutionary. You get notifications about particular files, projects, and teams in any Slack channel.
You can get a feed of all the comments your team mentioned you in. You can also customize Slack channels with updates for specific projects.
Design is a vital aspect of any online business, and Figma is the magic tool to make the best designs.

DevRev

For new businesses, "building in public" is essential. It allows customers to give direct feedback. But usually, the input is not received immediately. This is because it travels across many people before reaching the developers.
This is where DevRev comes into play. It directly connects the developer and the customer, a so-called DevCRM.
Big companies take forever to fix essential issues faced by customers. In most cases, the problems just become backlogs and are rarely fixed.
Even if the company decides to fix the issue, there are multiple barriers. Companies must manage data across GitHub code repos, project trackers, ticketing systems, and DevOps tools.

With DevRev, developers have their skin in the game. They directly connect with the customers and, therefore, get immediate feedback.
Suppose, as a user, you had a problem on sign up and the page refreshes when entering your details. You can't find solutions anywhere online. You've tried all kinds of things like restarting, refreshing, and maybe even praying.
Now imagine if you could directly contact the maker of the feature. Wouldn't that be the best way to solve the issue? If anyone can solve the problem, it is the maker.
All of this makes DevRev integral for your online business or startup. With the product and the customer at the center, everything runs like a well-oiled machine.
No hassle, only happiness.
Making the user feel valued is a sure way to beat the competition!

Trello

Trello is a tool that helps teams organize workflows, create deadlines, track tasks, and much more. It is a very visual tool and makes use of boards.
Boards allow you to see all tasks at a glance. Trello organizes everything in a fun way with lists and cards. You get to know all the work left, who's working on what, and the level of completion of every task.
Organization and planning are usually taxing. Trello makes all of this simple. It makes all the boring stuff like sales, research, and training exciting. Think of Trello as Notion on steroids.
Trello has multiple integrations such as Slack, MailChimp, GitHub, Google Drive, Salesforce, etc. You can use Trello in tandem with your other tools to become a productivity powerhouse.
Trello is easy to use, and the best part is that it is affordable.

Final Thoughts

New startups are chaotic, and the road to success is never linear. The tools above can help your startup get some organization and race away from your competition.