Node.js Express Cluster vs SpringBoot MVC: Hello World performance

AN UPDATE OF THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN PUBLISHED HERE.

Introduction

In the ever-evolving landscape of web development, choosing the right framework can significantly impact the performance and scalability of your applications. Node.js, with its non-blocking event-driven architecture, has gained popularity for building fast and efficient server-side applications. One of its prominent frameworks, Express, simplifies the process of building robust web applications by providing a range of features and tools. On the other hand, Spring Boot, a part of the broader Spring Framework ecosystem, offers a comprehensive solution for building Java-based applications, including MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture that streamlines the development process.

In this article, we delve into a head-to-head comparison between Node.js with the Express framework in cluster mode and Spring Boot’s MVC framework. Cluster mode, a feature specific to Node.js, enables the utilization of multiple processor cores, leading to improved concurrency and enhanced performance. This addition to our analysis aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these frameworks stack up against each other, especially when considering scenarios where high scalability is essential.

Node.js with Express Framework

Express, often touted as the de facto standard for Node.js web applications, offers a minimalistic and flexible approach to building web servers. Its middleware architecture allows developers to easily integrate various functionalities into the application flow, such as routing, authentication, and error handling. The asynchronous event-driven nature of Node.js enables efficient handling of a large number of concurrent connections, making it suitable for applications that require real-time interactions.

Pros of Node.js with Express:
- Non-blocking I/O: Node.js’ asynchronous I/O model enables the server to handle multiple requests concurrently without being blocked by any single request, leading to enhanced performance.
- Scalability: Cluster mode in Node.js allows the application to take full advantage of multi-core processors, distributing the load and improving responsiveness.
- Vast Package Ecosystem: The Node Package Manager (NPM) provides a wide array of pre-built modules, allowing developers to rapidly integrate various functionalities into their applications.

Cons of Node.js with Express:
- Callback Hell: Without careful structuring, deeply nested callbacks can lead to a challenging-to-maintain codebase.
- Single-threaded Nature: While cluster mode helps alleviate this, the single-threaded nature of Node.js can still pose limitations in scenarios requiring heavy computation.

Spring Boot MVC Framework

Spring Boot, built on top of the Spring Framework, offers a comprehensive platform for building Java-based applications. Its MVC architecture facilitates the separation of concerns within an application, enhancing modularity and maintainability. Spring Boot’s emphasis on convention over configuration streamlines development and reduces boilerplate code.

Pros of Spring Boot MVC:
- Strong Typing: Java’s statically typed nature can catch errors at compile time, leading to more reliable code.
- Rich Ecosystem: The Spring ecosystem provides a wide range of tools and libraries for various functionalities, including data access, security, and messaging.
- Modularity: MVC architecture promotes the separation of concerns, making the codebase more organized and easier to maintain.

Cons of Spring Boot MVC:
- Learning Curve: Java, being a statically typed language, might require a steeper learning curve for developers accustomed to dynamically typed languages.
- Overhead: The comprehensive nature of Spring Boot can sometimes lead to additional overhead, especially for smaller projects where a simpler framework might be more suitable.

In the subsequent sections of this article, we will conduct a hands-on performance comparison between Node.js with Express in cluster mode and Spring Boot’s MVC framework. By subjecting both frameworks to the simplest “Hello World” use-case, we aim to gain insights into how cluster mode impacts Node.js’ performance and how it fares against Spring Boot’s MVC architecture in terms of response times, resource consumption, and overall scalability.

Test setup

Let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of our testing environment. We’ve got a formidable setup:

- Hardware: Our test bed is a MacBook Pro M1 boasting a hefty 16GB of RAM. This powerhouse is ready to tackle the most demanding workloads.

- SpringBoot: The Spring framework, version 3.1.0, is running on Java version 20.0.2, providing the robust foundation for our tests.

- Node.js: The other contender, Node.js, strutting its stuff in version 20.0.5.

To ensure our applications can handle the heat, we’re using the formidable Bombardier load testing tool. This tool will help us simulate high user traffic and analyze how our application responds under pressure.

To leverage the full power of our system, we’re running our Node.js application in a cluster size of 8. This matches the number of cores on our MacBook Pro M1, ensuring optimal resource utilization and performance.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the hello world code that powers our application:

Results

In our quest to assess the performance of Node.js and Spring Boot, we conducted a rigorous series of tests. Each test consisted of a staggering 5 million requests, and we assessed their performance under varying levels of concurrent connections: 50, 100, and 300.

To ensure a fair comparison, we configured the Node.js application to operate within a cluster of 8 instances. It’s essential to note that our metrics for CPU and memory usage represent cumulative data for the entire cluster, providing a comprehensive view of resource utilization.

Now, let’s dive into the results, beautifully presented in chart format for your convenience:

Conclusion

A scorecard is generated from the results using the following formula. For each measurement, get the winning margin. If the winning margin is:

• < 5%, no points are given
• between 5% and 20%, 1 point is given to the winner
• between 20% and 50%, 2 points are given to the winner
• > 50%, 3 points are given to the winner

Node.js Express application in cluster mode is less performant, even though it uses way more resources (CPU and memory). The clear winner is SpringBoot.

In the follow-up article, we’ll see how Node.js Fastify cluster compares to SpringBoot.