Build fast, scalable network applications Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that executes JavaScript code outside a web browser. Built on Chrome’s V8 engine, it enables developers to build server-side and networking applications.
Quick Start Get Node.js up and running in minutes
Install Node.js
Download and install Node.js from the official website or use a version manager like nvm: # Using nvm (recommended) curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash nvm install --lts nvm use --lts
Verify the installation: node --version npm --version
Create your first application
Create a new file called app.js: const http = require ( 'http' ); const hostname = '127.0.0.1' ; const port = 3000 ; const server = http . createServer (( req , res ) => { res . statusCode = 200 ; res . setHeader ( 'Content-Type' , 'text/plain' ); res . end ( 'Hello World \n ' ); }); server . listen ( port , hostname , () => { console . log ( `Server running at http:// ${ hostname } : ${ port } /` ); });
Run your application
Execute your Node.js application: Open your browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:3000/ to see your application running.
Explore the ecosystem
Node.js has a rich ecosystem of packages available through npm. Initialize a new project and install packages: npm init -y npm install express
Learn more about modules and packages in the API reference. Explore by Topic Dive into the core features and APIs that make Node.js powerful
Core Concepts Understand the event loop, non-blocking I/O, and the architecture that powers Node.js
HTTP & Networking Build web servers, make HTTP requests, and work with TCP, UDP, and DNS
File System Read, write, and manipulate files and directories with the fs module
Async Programming Master callbacks, promises, async/await, and event-driven patterns
Worker Threads Execute JavaScript in parallel using worker threads for CPU-intensive tasks
Security Learn best practices for building secure Node.js applications
Key Features What makes Node.js the runtime of choice for millions of developers
Blazing Fast Performance Built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine, Node.js compiles JavaScript directly to native machine code for exceptional speed and performance.
Event-Driven Architecture Non-blocking I/O and asynchronous event-driven architecture make Node.js ideal for data-intensive real-time applications.
Cross-Platform Support Write once, run anywhere. Node.js runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and more with consistent APIs across platforms.
Rich Ecosystem Access over 2 million packages through npm, the world’s largest software registry, to accelerate your development.
API Reference Comprehensive documentation for all Node.js built-in modules
HTTP & HTTPS Create web servers and make HTTP requests
File System Synchronous and asynchronous file operations
Crypto Cryptographic functionality including OpenSSL
Stream Streaming data interfaces for I/O operations
Child Process Spawn and manage child processes
Events Event emitter and event-driven programming
Ready to build with Node.js? Start building fast, scalable network applications today with the JavaScript runtime trusted by millions of developers worldwide.
