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jiil
jiil

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I Switched from Node.js to Go for My Backend — And My API Got 7x Faster (Here’s Why)

#go #node #webdev #programming

I used to love Node.js.

But last year, when my e-commerce API started hitting 500+ concurrent requests, everything changed.

I had a simple endpoint:

GET /api/products?category=electronics&limit=20

Node.js (Express + MongoDB):

  • Avg response time: 850ms
  • Memory usage: 320MB
  • CPU spiked to 95% under load
  • 3/10 requests timed out during peak hours

I tried everything:

  • Redis caching
  • Connection pooling
  • Optimizing queries

…nothing fixed the fundamental problem:

Node.js is single-threaded. One slow request blocks the whole event loop.

And when 50 users clicked “Add to Cart” at once?

My API didn’t just slow down — it froze.

🔍 I Started Looking Elsewhere

I asked:

“What language is used by companies that handle millions of requests per second?”

Answer: Go.

  • Uber
  • Twitch
  • Dropbox
  • Cloudflare
  • GitHub (yes, their backend runs on Go)

So I spent 3 days rewriting my API in Go + Gin.

🚀 The Results (After 1 Week of Migration)

Metric Node.js Go + Gin Improvement
Avg Response Time 850ms 110ms ✅ 7.7x faster
Memory Usage 320MB 42MB ✅ 87% less
Concurrent Requests ~120 before timeouts 1,200+ stable ✅ 10x more
CPU Usage 90–100% 15–25% ✅ 80% lower

And here’s the best part:

I didn’t optimize anything.

I just replaced Express with Gin.

That’s it.

💡 Why Go Won (The Real Reasons)

Node.js Go
Async by design — but single-threaded True concurrency via goroutines
Callback hell → Promises → Async/Await Clean, synchronous-looking code
Heavy dependencies (1000+ npm packages) One binary. Zero runtime deps.
Memory leaks are common Garbage collector is predictable
“It works on my machine” Compiled. Stable. Portable.

Go doesn’t try to be “everything”.

It’s focused.

It’s fast.

It’s designed for the server.

🛠️ My Stack Now (For Context)

  • Backend: Go + Gin (lightweight, zero-allocation routing)
  • Database: PostgreSQL (with pgx driver — native, fast)
  • Cache: Redis 7
  • Deployment: Docker + Nginx + Makefile (make up → live)
  • Monitoring: Built-in /health endpoint + Prometheus

And yes — I still use Next.js on the frontend.

JavaScript isn’t dead.

It’s just not the best tool for every job.

🧠 What I Learned

Speed isn’t about “optimization”. It’s about choosing the right tool.

I don’t hate Node.js.

I still use it for:

  • CLI tools
  • Scripts
  • Frontend apps
  • Prototypes

But for production APIs under load?

Go is the quiet, reliable engineer who shows up early, works hard, and never breaks.

📦 Want to See It?

I open-sourced my full e-commerce platform built with this stack:

👉 https://github.com/JIIL07/E-Commerce

It includes:

  • Full Go API with Gin
  • Next.js frontend
  • Docker Compose setup
  • One-command deploy: make setup && make up

⭐ Star it if you’re tired of slow APIs.

💬 I’d love your feedback — especially if you’ve been through this too.

💬 Final Question for You:

Have you ever switched from Node.js to another language for performance?

What was your “aha” moment?

Let me know below 👇

(I read every comment.)

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