Node.js: Build scalable applications with high developer productivity

Node.js. is an open source JavaScript runtime environment designed to build modern scalable applications.

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Integrate AI and large language models into Node.js applications

Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) are becoming increasingly powerful tools for building web applications. As JavaScript and Node.js developers, it's important to understand how to fit into this growing space. This article offers a curated list of essential AI tutorials that will help you get started on your path to understanding AI and LLMs.

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What is Node.js?

Node.js is an open source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that executes JavaScript code outside of a web browser. Built on Chrome's V8 engine, it enables developers to use JavaScript for server-side scripting, facilitating the development of scalable network applications.

Node.js’s small size and fast startup have led to its use in a broad range of use cases, including microservices, single-page applications, scripting and automation, agents and data collectors, desktop applications, and embedded software.

Why is Node.js important?

Node.js unlocks the ability for developers to work on both the back and front ends using the same language with consistency. It operates on an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, making it efficient for real-time applications and data-intensive tasks.

Node.js has a vibrant ecosystem with over 1.4 million modules published to npm, making code re-use and sharing easy.

Who should learn about Node.js?

Developers and architects who want to build high performance APIs and microservices can benefit from exploring Node.js and the advantages delivered by its event loop.

Node.js is also a great choice for developers who need to build front-end user interfaces. By learning Node.js, you can become a full-stack developer building applications that include both front-end and back-end components in the same language.

Node.js community

Red Hat is very active in the Node.js community, working in areas that are important to our customers including diagnostics, platform support, stable and predictable releases, and more while at the same time working to ensure that Node.js is well supported on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and OpenShift. To learn more about Node.js and our work at Red Hat, we invite you to watch this video and read through the sections on this page and the pointers to additional information that they provide.

Node.js Reference Architecture

Logging in Node.js

Understand what tools to use for logging in your Node.js applications.

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Code consistency in Node.js

Writing consistent code and how to enforce it with a linter tool like ESLint.

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GraphQL in Node.js

Recommendations for using GraphQL in your Node.js applications.

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Building good containers

Recommendations based on our experience building Node.js applications in containers for deployments.

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Choosing web frameworks

Readiness probes allow Kubernetes to inspect the health of your application pod.

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Code coverage

Learn how to measure code coverage and how to maximize your investment in testing.

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TypeScript

Why you might want to use TypeScript and how to get started.

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Secure Node.js applications

Key elements of building security into your software development process to make robust Node.js apps.

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Accessibility

Overview of some key areas that Node.js developers need to understand about accessibility.

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Typical development workflows

Understand typical development workflows when building tools and processes.

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npm development

Recommendations for creating and publishing your modules.

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Problem determination

Minimize problems in production and investigate common problems when they occur.

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Testing

A look at testing in the Node.js landscape and discuss the recommendations.

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Transaction handling

Completing more than a single update as an atomic unit (transaction) is needed to preserve data integrity.

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Load balancing, threading, and scaling in Node.js

Managing the need for larger computational resources in your Node.js applications.

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CI/CD best practices in Node.js

CI/CD practices for testing on code check-in and the use of a container pipeline.

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Node.js cheat sheets

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npm CLI Cheat Sheet

Lucas Holmquist
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Node.js Cheat Sheet

Alex Alykiotis
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JavaScript promises and async/await Cheat Sheet

Alex Alykiotis and Luke Holmquist
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Node.js e-books

A Developer's Guide to the Node.js Reference Architecture

Hands-on Node.js learning paths

Learning Path Feature image for Red Hat OpenShift
Red Hat OpenShift is a Kubernetes distribution that makes it easy to deploy...
Interactive Tutorial

This track provides an introduction to cloud-native development with Node.js...

Learning Path ORIN_IGX_NVIDIA_featured_image
Get an introduction to cloud-native development with Node.js by extending an...
Learning Path LLM Node.js learning path feature image
Learn how to access a large language model using Node.js and LangChain.js....
Learning Path Diving Deeper with large language models and Node.js
In this learning path we dig deeper into using large language models (LLMs)...

Latest Node.js articles and blogs

Article LLM Node.js learning path feature image

Get an introduction to AI function calling using Node.js and the LangGraph.js...

Article LLM Node.js learning path feature image

This tutorial shows you how to use the Llama Stack API to implement...

Blog Red Hat build of Node.js
Apr 28, 2025

Red Hat Build of Node.js Essentials

Lucas Holmquist

Things that are essential to know about the Red Hat build of Node.js.

Blog Node.js
Apr 08, 2025

Essential Node.js Observability Resources

Lucas Holmquist

A listing of Essential Node.js Observability Posts from Red Hat Developer and...

Article Node.js reference architecture

Explore how to run tools with Node.js using Llama Stack's completions API,...

Blog Node.js

A round up of Essential Buildpack resources for node.js developers

Node.js FAQs

What Node.js version should I use?

For most Node.js projects, especially those in production, it's highly recommended to use the current Active LTS (Long-Term Support) version. View the Node.js release schedule.

What is the Node.js event loop?

The Node.js event loop is a mechanism that allows Node.js to perform non-blocking I/O operations despite JavaScript's single-threaded nature. It operates by continuously monitoring the call stack and the event queue. It enables Node.js to handle multiple concurrent requests efficiently without blocking the main thread.

What is Node.js used for?

Node.js is primarily used for building server-side applications and command-line tools. It also plays a role in front-end development through build tools and development environments.