NodeJS is designed to create several networking tools and web servers using Javascript and a range of modules. It is a platform built on Chrome’s JS to develop scalable and high performing applications. What makes the software so unique? NodeJS is based on an event-driven non-blocking I/O model, an ideal environment for data-intensive applications. However, these features do not even begin to cover the importance and benefits the software holds for developers. Enterprises of every scale hire NodeJS developers for a smoother and efficient development run.
Therefore, it is safe to conclude that in the era of responsive web, NodeJS managed to become a hit, all on its own. Since businesses today are looking forward to relying on NodeJS, we decided to make way for them to explore better results in limited resources. In this article, we will discuss how you can maintain and improve Node’s performance and efficiency at scale.
We will also focus on some of the essential hacks like caching, using web sockets and monitoring your NodeJS application to manage your online business app in the long run.
Without any further wait, let’s get started.
Front end Tooling:
- Task Runners and Module bundlers-
It is essential that whatever is given to the browser is displayed to the user on the front end side. This means that the data response should be as similar as possible. Especially when it comes to CSS files, Javascript, media and images. The tools that make this likely are task runners (For example, Grunt, Gulp) and Module bundlers (For instance, Rollup, Webpack, Parcel etc.).
Now, before you ask what these tools are and how they work, here’s a brief introduction.
The job of module bundlers is to process the group of modules and their dependencies into a component or group of files. They do this under the NodeJS umbrella. We call this, the process of minification. Further, the minification result is sent to the production to be deployed.
One key point to remember here is that minification varies depending on the tools you are using. But for most of the process, you can utilize the standard coding module format used for Javascript.
This also helps you with complex transforms. You can use a shorter syntax that corresponds to the original code or even shorten the multi-character variable name. Moreover, you can combine various JS files into one and control the number of network requests. There are so many possibilities to perform minification. Do not forget that this process applies to CSS minification as well, where you can remove extra comments or whitespace so that your browser loads faster.
Preprocessors and CSS modules :
As already mentioned in the previous section, the minification is applicable to CSS as well to control browser requests. Preprocessors such as LESS, PostCSS, SaaS etc., offer mix-ins, functions and variables to manage the CSS code and make the refactoring process less complicated.
In addition to this, you can combine all the files into one CSS file and control the number of browser round trips.
Not to mention that all the process is possible with NodeJS that lets you load the CSS module to the local component and use it whenever required.
Images/Media-
Images are another vital piece of data that must be considered while sending code to the browser. On a general basis, the lighter the image, the better it is. Sometimes, you might want to include various ship heads or compressed images, depending on the device. Or even better, you can utilize Gatsby, a NodeJS powered tool that transforms an image into its smaller version and serves them on demand.
Caching
Caching is a process to store data in the form of cache, which is a widespread technique to improve app performance. You can perform caching on both the client-side and server-side. Now let’s see what’s the difference between the two.
Client-side caching mainly includes temporary storage of contents like- JS scripts, HTML pages, multimedia contents, CSS style sheets etc. Client-side caching is going to benefit you by limiting data cost since you store the data on a CDN (Content Delivery Network) or your local browser.
On the other hand, server caching will control the server data cost through its underlying system. In most cases, client requests can either be responded to using several elements of the request or using the same request. So, why not leverage the caching system there. You are also going to maintain network congestion, meaning providing the data with less overhead.
Data Handling optimization
We all are familiar with the fact that data optimization is the key to efficient app performance since it simplifies the system process. But how is NodeJS and data optimization related?
Well, notice how NodeJS manages its data queries and API calls. In most NodeJS Web applications, data fetching is performed via API calls, and that’s how the response is shipped. This can make the entire loading process slow because of the I/O bound operation. One typical hack to overcome this challenge is Pagination.
Pagination is the process of categorizing the responsive data and displaying it on multiple pages using the same web page. You can use this technique to optimize the response while simultaneously saving on time and data.
Another approach can be Filtering. You can restrict the number of results here and only transmit the response relevant to the user. This will reduce your number of calls and help you filter and understand valuable content.
Conclusion
This article reviews specific caching solutions, data optimization techniques, and front-end management tips to improve NodeJS performance. These were some of the most preferred methods and hacks used by the companies to maintain a healthy run time of their NodeJS applications. Now, If you wish to dig a little deeper, you can always hire dedicated NodeJS developers to help you seek certain technical aspects of the technology. Till then, you can follow these tips and manage your business application efficiently.