Keeping Node.js Fast: Tools, Techniques, And Tips For Making High-Performance Node.js Servers

Node is a very versatile platform, but one of the predominant applications is creating networked processes. In this article, we’re going to focus on profiling the most common of these: HTTP web servers.

By David Mark Clements

Node is a very versatile platform, but one of the predominant applications is creating networked processes. In this article, we’re going to focus on profiling the most common of these: HTTP web servers.

If you’ve been building anything with Node.js for long enough, then you’ve no doubt experienced the pain of unexpected speed issues. JavaScript is an evented, asynchronous language. That can make reasoning about performance tricky, as will become apparent. The surging popularity of Node.js has exposed the need for tooling, techniques and thinking suited to the constraints of server-side JavaScript.

When it comes to performance, what works in the browser doesn’t necessarily suit Node.js. So, how do we make sure a Node.js implementation is fast and fit for purpose? Let’s walk through a hands-on example.

Node is a very versatile platform, but one of the predominant applications is creating networked processes. We’re going to focus on profiling the most common of these: HTTP web servers.