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Node.js

The JavaScript runtime that server-side JavaScript is built on, with the npm ecosystem behind it.

FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line
Official websitenodejs.orgDownload pagenodejs.orgSource codegithub.comDocumentationnodejs.org

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About Node.js

Node.js runs JavaScript outside a browser, on Google's V8 engine. It is the foundation for most JavaScript web servers, build tooling, command-line utilities and desktop apps built with Electron, and npm is the largest package registry of any language.

The release model matters when choosing a version. A new major version arrives every six months, in April and October. April releases become long-term support each October and are the ones to use in production; October releases are supported for eight months and are for trying new features. The project is governed openly under the OpenJS Foundation rather than by a single company.

Strengths

  • The largest package ecosystem of any language through npm
  • Predictable release schedule with clearly marked long-term support versions
  • Open governance under the OpenJS Foundation rather than one company
  • Runs almost everywhere, from servers to Raspberry Pis to CI runners

Limitations

  • Single-threaded by default, so CPU-heavy work needs worker threads or another process
  • The size and churn of the npm ecosystem is itself a supply chain risk
  • Startup time and memory use are higher than newer runtimes such as Bun
  • Choosing between Current and LTS trips up people every release cycle

Details

Pricing
Free · Free and open source under the MIT licence, governed by the OpenJS Foundation.
License
MIT
Developer
OpenJS Foundation
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
How it runs
Downloadable app
Account
Not required
Works offline
Yes
Best suited for
Running JavaScript on a server, or any of the tooling that assumes Node is installed
Categories
Developer tools
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Dev Tools); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 3 sources on file.

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