3 of the Best Node.js Applications for a Dose of Inspiration

In our previous blog post, we discussed why Node.js is the best option for building web apps. Now we’re going to show you some practical examples so you can better understand why this is the runtime environment of choice for many top tech companies. We’ve listed 3 of the best Node.js applications, which will hopefully resonate with your needs. You’ll be able to see the benefits, and maybe at the same time, you will get some ideas about how to run your business more efficiently and effectively.

1. NASA Uses Node.js for Space Suits

Collin Estes, Director of Software Engineering – MRI Technologies at NASA, confirmed on Twitter that he is using Node.js to “build the present and future systems supporting spacesuit operations and development“.

To find out more details about how Node.js helps NASA keep their astronauts safe, check out their case study.

2. Paypal Uses Node.js for Their Application Platform

According to Jeff Harrell, Senior Director of Online Payments, Product and Engineering at PayPal, “Like many others, we slipped Node.js in the door as a prototyping platform. Also like many others, it proved extremely proficient and we decided to give it a go on production.”

Initially, they used it for their account overview page (one of the most visited pages on the PayPal website). Being such a huge company they identified this action as a big risk. In order to get things under control they developed at the same time another application for the same purpose using Java: “so if anything went wrong with the Node.js app, we could fall back to the Java one.”

Image Credits: PayPal Objects

This experiment provided some interesting facts about the application built using Node.js, as it was:

1. Built almost twice as fast with fewer people

2. Written in 33% fewer lines of code

3. Constructed with 40% fewer files It looks like this example is an interesting turnover with amazing results. This also marked the beginning of a new era in the PayPal development department because the Node.js application has:

4. Double the requests per second vs. the Java application.

5. 35% decrease in the average response time for the same page. This resulted in the pages being served 200ms faster— something users would definitely notice. All I can say is this: “Node.js, welcome to the future of web development and thank you for being part of such awesome new adventures!”

3. LinkedIn Cut Their Servers Tenfold by Using Node.js

After analyzing their backend infrastructure made on Ruby on Rails, due to performance and scalability issues, Linkedin decided to replace it with a new one made using Node.js. The results: their servers were cut to 3 from 30.

It seems that Node.js is not an obscure platform, seeing as how big companies (such as PayPal, Yahoo, eBay, Netflix, The Mail Online, Walmart and many others) have risked their reputation and switched to Node.js with spectacular results.

In conclusion, Node.js has a huge potential to revolutionize digital product development. Hopefully, this blog post has inspired you to give Node.js a try to create a real-time web app.

We have already implemented and launched several successful Node.js projects. If you are looking for a Node.js development company for your innovative digital product, then you should definitely take a look at our services.

These examples were just a few that impressed us. Do you have any others to add? Please let us know in the comments section below.