Golang vs NodeJs: Let’s Settle the Debate for Best Backend Development

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Golang vs NodeJS 2024 Introduction

When it comes to web development, there are a lot of different programming languages to choose from. Two of the most popular choice are Golang vs NodeJS. So, which one should you use for your next project? Here’s an introduction of Go and Node in 2024 as both of them are growing backend technologies.

Golang is a powerful, statically-typed language that is easy to read and write. It is fast and efficient, making it a great choice for large projects.

On the other hand, Node.js is a runtime that runs JavaScript, that is more versatile language that can be used for both front-end and back-end development. It is also relatively easy to learn, and a large community of developers can choose from.

Although both Golang and NodeJS are highly popular among the developer community, the question is, who wins the battle? To answer this, here is a brief stating the major areas of distinction between the two languages. Read on to decide which will turn out to be the best fit Go or Node for your project!

What is Golang? An Overview

Go is a statically typed programming language of Google. Initially, Golang was created out of need. To be more precise, the development team at Google was discontent with their current solutions. Hence, they developed a language that would attain an excellent mix of the benefits of other languages to perform better. However, with time, Golang has undeniably won hearts.

Golang is an open-source programming language. Its core structure is built on Python’s principles for speed and C for safety. At present, the latest version of the language is Golang 1.19.

Golang deals in restricted garbage collection, memory safety features, structural typing, and additional key features, thus preventing tons of features of modern programming languages. However, this is another reason why Golang makes the code writing procedure more accessible and efficient.

Golang Adoption and Achievements:

• As per a survey of Stack Overflow 2020, Golang has obtained 5th rank among the most loved programming languages.
• Goroutines hold a rapid startup time as compared to threads. This renders power to Golang to maintain a neat and clean source code.
• As per Upwork the hourly rate of Golang developers is around $44.

Advantages of Golang

? Easy and Fast
The first and foremost advantage of Golang is its speed. It doesn’t need an interpreter and can directly compiled to machine code. With no middle man in between, it results in faster back-end development. It also has a non-complex set of codes, making it easy to implement and learn.

? Community Support
Though Golang has not been in the market for a very long time since its stable release in 2019, it still has a vast community of more than one million active developers available for any kind of assistance during the development process.

? Comprehensive Tools
Golang offers a wide range of comprehensive tools like an inbuilt testing framework that can generate code coverage reports, a linter, and many other tools for static analysis and IDEs like Visual Studio Code which make it easier for developers to work efficiently. Golang also has an inbuilt source formatting tool (gofmt.)

? Garbage Collection
Golang has automatic memory management, allowing you to work on other aspects of the development process without affecting the performance.

Garbage Collection is a bit of concern for a few developers, but the productivity and results supersede this hiccup.

? Compatibility
Golang is developed, keeping the past issues into consideration. So, the programs developed in Golang have excellent backward compatibility, which means the future versions of Golang will be compatible with the apps developed in the present version.

? Scalability
Golang has Goroutine functions that can run freely and concurrently. They take only upto 2kB memory, making Golang scalable when needed. Goroutines are a hybrid of JavaScript’s async and Java’s classic multi-threading method, enabling you to run numerous Goroutines without worrying about system crashes, giving you an edge over competitors.

What is NodeJS? An Overview

NodeJS is a dynamically typed (built on JavaScript) runtime environment that helps cover a whole web app development project under a single programming language. It is an open-source and cross-platform environment built on the V8 JavaScript engine of Chrome. NodeJS can run on multiple platforms, including Linux, Windows, and Mac. In addition, NodeJS provides a vast pool of libraries that streamlines web app development.

Initially, NodeJS was built to run JavaScript code. However, today NodeJS helps create code for both backend and frontend development and server-side development of web applications, thus making it a revolutionary and successful Web application programming language. At Bacancy, we offer 360-degree NodeJS development services to bring an evolution to your project back-end.

NodeJS Adoption and Achievements:

• Back in 2017 and 2018, NodeJS secured first place among being the most regularly and commonly used language in the Tools, Frameworks, and Library category as per Tech Overflow Survey.
• Upon adopting NodeJS, Netflix observed a dramatic 70% reduction in startup time.
• As per W3Techs, around 1.5% of every well-known website uses NodeJS.

Advantages of NodeJS

? High Performance and Efficiency
Node.js uses Chrome’s V8 engine to interpret the code. It has single module caching and event-driven architecture, contributing to concurrent requests without affecting the RAM. Its event loop and I/O operations permit faster code execution, reducing response time and boosting performance.

? Cross-Platform Support
Node.js enables cross-platform application development. It facilitates you to run a single code on multiple platforms with minor alterations as needed.

? Scalability
Node.js has a single-threaded model with an event loop. This mechanism assists servers in responding in a non-blocking manner and promotes scalability. The single-threaded program can cater to multiple requests at the same time, which makes it highly scalable.

? Packages
NodeJS has an extensive collection of Node.js packages, which are available for use for everyone being open-source. These packages make the development faster and easier. NodeJS has more than a million packages in its NPM ecosystem today.

? Event Driven and Asynchronous
NodeJS library has asynchronous, non-blocking APIs, meaning the server can move to the following API after calling one API. The response from the previous API call is received through the notification mechanism of events.

Choosing the most suitable backend framework for your project can be challenging.
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Golang vs NodeJS Comparison for Backend Development

Golang is a programming language, whereas Node. Js gives JavaScript a more flexible run-time environment. Golang gives greater flexibility and reliability when developing web servers, making it ideal for large-scale web development; however if you want to manage small projects or create front-end code bundles, Node. Js might be a more practical solution. To settle this debate, let’s take a closer look at a few fields to understand the difference between Node.js vs Golang for backend development.

Many might consider Golang as the ideal messiah for web development because it is highly popular among web developers. However, NodeJS is no less. Giving a tough battle, both are ideal choices based on personal preferences. Let’s dive into the Go vs NodeJS comparison by discussing their learning curve, performance, dev tools, and community. Go vs Node.js for business applications helps to you decide better by outlining the pros and cons of both.

End-to-end Comparison Between Golang and NodeJs

The Speed and Performance Comparison Between Go vs Node

When it comes to performance and raw speed, Golang performance has a little edge over NodeJS performance. Golang does not require any interpreter and is directly assembled into the machine code. This renders a similar level of performance to Golang as low-level languages such as C++. When it comes to IO operations, Golang is as good as NodeJS.

NodeJS is marginally trailing Golang in terms of performance. The optimized and improved single-threaded NodeJS enhance the efficiency and the V8 JavaScript engine makes sure that the application runs without any assistance or requirement of an interpreter.

Verdict: Both Golang and NodeJS are at par in NodeJS vs Golang

Golang vs NodeJS Comparison Based on Scalability & Concurrency Parameter

NodeJS manages Concurrency with APIs such as clusters, child_process, and worker_thread. These APIs make sure that NodeJS processes all the incoming requests reliably and seamlessly without moving into the bottlenecks.

On the other hand, Golang is developed to manage all concurrent tasks. Go developers use GoRoutines to run their multi-threaded functions. The bright side is, they do not use-up much RAM. All of this makes Go a better and reliable candidate in managing processing-intense and complicated tasks without harming and compromising on any other functions. Go beats Node. js in terms of scalability.

Verdict: Golang wins the battle of Go vs NodeJs concurrency and scalability.

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Golang vs NodeJS for Error Handling

Ideally, maximum developers might be familiar with the Error Handling< method of NodeJS. It implements the try-catch exception where potential errors are instantly trapped and handled at the runtime. However, the process is slightly different with Golang. Golang checks errors in a distinct manner during runtime and compilation. While Compilation errors are usually syntax-related and can be corrected in the code, runtime errors call for explicit handling. You need to inspect the return value of this function manually. Currently, studies are being done to implement better handling processes in the upcoming version of Golang. Verdict: Both NodeJS and Golang are similar here. It’s a TIE.

Development Tools Comparison Between Golang vs NodeJS

The existence of ready-to-use tools generally reduces the development time. In fact, NodeJS developers have access to over 836,000 open-source libraries and tools through NPM. While there is no shortage of any tools for NodeJS, selecting the right ones can be challenging.

Golang does not really enjoy a huge option when it comes to tools, but it definitely has a robust standard library. Golang tools are generally restricted. However, each one of them is built to make Golang programming easier. For instance: Golang Test enables developers to run a good series of tests on the code while the Golang Vet filters out the suspicious and unusual constructs.

Verdict: NodeJS wins in terms of quantity.

Community Comparison Between NodeJs vs Golang

NodeJS boasts the support of the likes of Microsoft, Intel, and IBM with the NodeJS Foundation. Speaking of 2018, the quantity of NodeJS downloads typically crossed over 1 billion. This is a clear indication of how fast is the NodeJS community growing. The widespread NodeJS community size actively supports its usage.

There are mere signs that Golang has tried to match, if not overcome, NodeJS in terms of popularity. While NodeJS is at 83.5k, Golang is at 93k stars on Github. In fact, open pull requests for Golang and NodeJS are quite similar. However, NodeJS has 24000 closed PR and Golang has 1200. Thus the fan following of both technologies are not equally distributed.

Verdict: NodeJS wins the battle in Node vs Go community comparison

Which One has Easier Learning Curve Between Golang vs NodeJS?

The learning curve for NodeJS is lower because JavaScript is already widely used, however, the learning curve for Golang is relatively high. NodeJS typically involves less learning curve as JavaScript already enjoys huge popularity. This makes it highly simple for programmers to learn the language. However, compared to Node, Golang, programmers usually face a steep learning curve.

Verdict: NodeJS is much easier to learn as compared to Golang.

Golang or NodeJS For Web Development?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Go faster than NodeJS for web app development?

Go is faster than NodeJS when it comes to raw performance and computation. It can handle upto 1000 concurrent requests per second. Its C and C++ characteristics make it fast and lightweight. NodeJS is statically typed and a derivative of JavaScript, making it slower than other languages.

Which do you prefer, Node.js or Golang? Why?

Go is preferable to Node.js as it offers businesses faster performance, better security, and scalability. It also has better error handling and has a Go Race Condition Detector. Whereas, Node.js is good in error handling and has extensive development tools but still lacks what is needed in today’s fast-paced market, which leaves Node.js behind in this race.

Is Go more powerful than Node.js for backend web development?

Go is a more powerful solution than Node.js for the backend because it offers better raw performance, computation, security, and scalability. It can handle upto 1000 concurrent requests per second, provides better error handling, and has a Go Race Condition Detector. However, Node.js has decent error handling and development tools but doesn’t meet the market’s expectations comparatively.