JavaScript has revolutionized the entire web development vertical by enabling next-level scaling and portability for most of the activity.
Developers no longer have to engage themselves in writing tedious and boring code snippets and programs. They can implement their skills into developing logic and overcoming loopholes in web development while JavaScript frameworks handle all the manual work.
These new-age programming frameworks will take care of everything that does not involve any critical thinking or creative work. Hire dedicated Node JS Developers and see wonders happening for you right away.
Just like all the other programming languages, JavaScript frameworks also have some things that developers should cover to ensure product development activity.
In this blog post, we are going to discuss tips and tricks that Node.js.Developers must keep in mind while working with Node.js.
So, let’s begin.
1. Use Nodemon
Node.js developers would agree that we have to do the tedious activity of running Node.js app every time we change something in the source code because we need to test the changes to ensure everything works as intended. So, we save the source code and run the app to check whether the system behaves correctly.
This activity of having to run code every time makes the process redundant and time-consuming. That’s why tools like Nodemon come handy.
This tool helps you develop Node.js applications by automatically restarting them whenever the tool detects any file changes in the directory. You do not require any extra weeks in your source code and method. It also does not require any command from the external output to execute the code.
Now, Node.js developers no longer have to run the app themselves. It will save a lot of time for developers by automatically restarting the application as soon as some changes happen in the app.
2. Use Built-in Debugger
Debugging the application is one of the most critical aspects of the programming journey. When a programmer writes any code, he or she debugs before deploying the system to the application.
Therefore, debugging is one of the essential activities of programming. It allows you to identify errors and loopholes in the application.
Compared to debugging procedures of other programming languages like Java, C++ or C#, Node.js’ process can be overwhelming for developers if they are not acquainted with the platform.
There are several third-party debuggers that you can try and use to debug your code. But I’d recommend using the default tool. Node.js also comes with a built-in debugger that you can use to debug your code. You simply need to run the debugger by calling it through the command-line-interface.
If you go with third-party tools for debugging, you might have to be dependent on third-party dependencies to debug your Node.js code. You also have to install any package or GitHub repository for debugging your code.
The built-in debugger of Node.js code does not require any of these things as it comes out-of-the-box with Node.js and it is sufficient enough to execute all the necessary tasks on its own.
3. Use NPM Scripts
NPM scripts help you to start, develop, test, and deploy your Node.js application. Whenever developers come across a new node project, NPM scripts is the first thing they check.
In a nutshell, every Node.js developer has to work with NPM scripts, and that makes them a standard tool to leverage the JavaScript framework to utilize it to its fullest potential.
The reason why everybody loves using NPM scripts is that it enables automation. You just need to deploy NPM scripts, and it will handle specific steps on its own.
Supposedly you want to execute two or more processes to rebuild your code, you can effortlessly achieve this with the help of NPM script. You no need to write the code every single time.
Similarly, find out the necessary steps that your Node.js app has to execute and make the NPM script to automate those steps.
4. Run Records in Parallel
When you are working on a web application, you will have several processes and functions that have to be executed efficiently to provide a unified output to end-users.
Sometimes, among several procedures, both of them also have to be completed to execute subsequent processes as out of the previous ones would be inputs of the latter.
In such cases, if your processes execute linearly, the user experience would be at a halt. That’s why the asynchronous nature of Node.js is a game-changer.
You could go ahead and execute these procedures and execute them in parallel. Node.js supports asynchronous JavaScript nature and therefore can efficiently run multiple functions at the same time.
This particular method will not only cut down the number of middleware but also improve the speed of the whole process significantly.
5. Avoid Sharing Too Many data in The Session
Whenever someone logs in to your application, the app notes sessions that have several data of the user. Usually, developers also parse the entire object in the session, which would then have so much data about the user’s activity.
Please note that if the session’s size is vast, the application will become slower while running. Heavy session impacts the loading of the server because the data inside a session is stored in the memory of the server.
You either have to reduce the number of information stored in a session or switch to some other type of storage facility.
For example, instead of using the entire object in the session whenever the user logs into your application, just pass the user id if possible.
This will save a lot of time and server speed into processing the entire task. Moreover, the whole user experience would also be improved at the front end.
6. Understand and Use Functional Inheritance
JavaScript enables a dynamic inheritance style which allows the objects to inherit characteristics from other objects.
This is the nature of a JavaScript program that you can leverage the power of a particular object by forwarding their characteristics to other objects.
It will allow you to simplify so many things in your Node.js application.
The functional inheritance might seem overwhelming to beginners, but once you get acquainted with it, your application would perform at a much more productive rate.
7. Secure Your Node.js Project
Web applications have always been the number one target of hackers and malicious entities to enter into the system of the organizations and jeopardize everything.
Especially when it comes to web applications, any potential threat might result in a complete shutdown of the app and organization.
The security breach also impacts the user experience and also destroys the reputation of developers and organizations involved.
To avoid any such scenario, make sure that you are keeping a security checklist.
Install SSL certificates for applications and enable several SSL headers.
One of the essential headers is X-XSS-Protection that enables cross-site scripting filters built into new-age web browsers.
There are also many packages available that can help you cope with session management, brute force attack, authentication, data validation, and doesn’t compromise the user experience of the app at all.
8. Handle node_module Folder Carefully
The wrong usage node_module folder might crash your entire application.
If you ever come across that folder, make sure you never open and access the content inside it.
Now, if another developer checks your source and at the same time runs NPM install and downloads all the modules, everything looks fine at the surface level.
Now, what is the other person who is checking out the source code is on a different operating system, now the module will be compiled even though it’s installed via NPM. In this scenario, the application will crash.
9. Leverage Microservices
When you are working with large-scale projects, the Node.js application has to be developed as efficiently as possible. Otherwise, the app would go into deadlock.
You have to provide services as efficiently as possible to make the large-scale applications work cohesively and provide unified output to the end-user.
Else, you can use microservices.
1. Explore Docker, which is a software technology giving container that wraps a piece of software in a complete dedicated file system and has everything to run the code. It also has a runtime, system tools, and system libraries that you can leverage to run your Node.js code.
2. Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
Please ensure that you understand microservices’ nature to leverage them for your application.
10. Use NodeFly
Monitoring the performance of an application might be challenging yet crucial for a developer because these evaluations help you with future upgrades of your app.
The evaluation of the performance of the application can help you understand how the code is performing and whether it is delivering the intended results to end-users.
By studying the performance, you can also anticipate the user experience of your application in the real-time scenario and determine the changes you need to make.
NodeFly can help you with real-time monitoring of your Node.js application.
It allows the developers to gain detailed and transparent performance evaluations quickly and accurately.
Conclusion
I hope you found this article helpful and get a lot of new tips and tricks for Node.js development. If you have got something to add to these tips, you are welcome in the comments below. Either way, let me know what your thoughts are about the blog.
