Node.js 11 is all about improving internals

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  • October 24, 2018
Technology

Node.js 11It’s been six months since Node.js 10 was released so if you’re hungry for something new, good news: Node.js 11 is here.

This release is all about improving internals, performance, and an update to V8 7.0. As explained in the blog post announcing the latest developments in the Node.js universe, two of the most notable features are:

  • Interval timers will be rescheduled even if the previous interval threw an error;
  • and the build no longer supports FreeBSD 10.

Check out the full changelog here.

SEE ALSO: Node.js 10 is here!

Node.js 11 is not the only good news though; Node.js 10.x will soon [next Tuesday] become the latest long term support (LTS) release. This basically means it will be ready to be used in production and by applications that need to scale. This release line has more “meat” than Node.js 11, including the fact that N-API is no longer experimental and HTTP/2 is ready.

There are still a bunch of experimental features in Node.js 10.x, including

  • Workers API: Every worker has its own event loop — similar to what folks experience in the browser; this can also lead to more detailed debugging of workers.
  • Top level await in REPL: This will allow you to just run Node.js in your terminal.
  • fs Promises API: This is a useful feature as it allows you to receive promises vs. callbacks.
  • NodeChakra released with Time Travel Debugging.
  • AsyncIterators support on Node.js Readable Streams.

Node.js and JavaScript: A match made in heaven

Earlier this month, Node.js Foundation and JS Foundation announced their intention to form a unified ecosystem.

As stated in the official announcement, the goals for this merger include:

  • Enhanced operational excellence;
  • Streamlined member engagement;
  • Increased collaboration across the JavaScript ecosystem and affiliated standards bodies;
  • An “umbrella” project structure that brings stronger collaboration across all JavaScript projects; and
  • A single, clear home available for any project in the JavaScript ecosystem.

It’s important to mention that the merger has not officially taken place yet but since the intent is there, we wanted to see how you feel about it so we launched a poll. You can still tag along! So far, more than 50 percent of the respondents are excited about the possibilities this merger might bring and almost 20 percent are cautious about the implications.

SEE ALSO: Bringing Node.js to IoT: Meet low.js

Are Node.js’ days numbered?

We talked about Node.js 11 and the fact that Node.js 10.x will soon [next Tuesday] become the latest long term support (LTS) release but we also need to address the elephant in the room. Not long ago, Ryan Dahl,  the creator of Node.js, announced a secure TypeScript run-time on V8 called Deno.

The bones of Deno might be similar to Node.js, but it’s the focus on security and a more lightweight system that make this new TypeScript runtime intriguing. In particular, Dahl highlights Node’s security issues as one of his major regrets about his last project.

This time, Deno takes full advantage of the fact that JavaScript is a secure sandbox. By default, scripts should run without any write access to the network or file system. Users can opt in to access via flags, making it possible for them to run untrusted utilities like a linter.

Learn more about Deno here. 

The post Node.js 11 is all about improving internals appeared first on JAXenter.

Source : JAXenter

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