Video streaming platforms became real game changers in the industry, that’s why it’s so important to consider them better. In the past few years video streaming platforms became really popular, everyday they are developing and offering something new. Their main goal is to reach worldwide audiences, so everyone could receive the same content and benefit from it. Video-streamed content is especially convenient while using it at home.

 

Making a video streaming platform using Node.js is really beneficial for businesses, as it gives companies a lot of different opportunities. If you are interested in creating real-time application, developing a streaming platform with Node.js can be the ultimate option for you. Though traditional web application frameworks still are popular among some developers, they can’t offer the same amount of interesting up to date options. That’s why now the majority of people focuses on developing a streaming platform by using Node.js.

 

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about pros and cons of Node. js for building streaming web platform. If you feel you want to know more about advantages and disadvantages of Node.js for a video streaming platform development, keep on reading!

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Contents

What Node.JS is used for

Why You Should Consider Node. JS for Video Streaming Web Platform Development

The first question that arises is: what is Node.js? Put simply, Node.js is a free, open-source runtime environment for networking and server-side applications. It runs on Windows, Linux, Unix and macOS. Its versatility is one of the reasons why it is so successful. Node.js executes JavaScript code, and JavaScript is widely used among many developers. Usually Node.js is used to provide web services and power up some of the most famous sites on the Internet.

However, if your goal is to make a video streaming platform with Node.js, it is also a perfect solution for you. Developers across the world are choosing Node.js for creating web development projects. Node.js is the most popular among its competitors like .NET, .NET Core, Pandas, Unity 3D, React Native, TensorFlow, Ansible, Cordova and so on.

There are many cases where Node.js is used. The creation of tons of sites was the result of Node.js web development. Usually Node.js is used for streaming websites, banking organizations and sales platforms. Streaming websites are really popular nowadays because they profit off of on-demand videos which are accessible basically to everyone. In this case Node.js is the ultimate decision. One of the most famous streaming platforms – Netflix – actively uses Node.js to achieve its goals.

Moreover, Node.js is extremely useful for banking organizations, as they find Node.js web app options to be suitable for large number of concurrent requests usage. Banking organizations benefit when they have an ability to work with great amounts of customers all around the world, and Node.js allows them to achieve their business goals. Finally, let’s talk about sales platforms. A lot of international platforms sell their products with the help of Node.js. One of the most famous examples is eBay. It contains some elements of Node.js. The most important feature that companies receive is the ability to create a platform that would satisfy needs of a lot of people and do it quickly.

As you can see, it’s extremely important to consider Node.js for any web platform development, not only for video streaming platforms. The main advantage that you receive when you decide to implement Node.js is becoming competitive in the market. Competitive advantage is difficult to overestimate today. There are tons of platforms in the market, and every one of them has a unique set of features to offer. That’s why it’s essential to be able to grow and enlarge your customers’ number.

Read more: Node.js developer hiring guide

Advantages of Node.js for Building Streaming Platform

Now you are more acquainted with Node.js – you already know why it’s so widely used and why the most famous streaming platforms are choosing to implement it into their business. Now it’s time to consider some key pros and cons of Node.js. Before you start the development process, you should be able to tell what will be beneficial for you, and which features it’s better to refuse from.

Scalability, high speed, active support – all these factors are definitely pros that will help you build a top-notch streaming platform. However, there also downsides which cannot be ignored. Multithreaded tasks can be executed poorly, the stable API can be absent, there can be issues with callback hell. Yet, there are always some minuses even in the most flawless approaches. Let’s look at some key advantages of Node.js for building video streaming platform.

Ability to scale

There are a lot of ways for your application projection when you are using Node.js. When the task needs to be executed, Node.js is single-threaded. In case you need to work with a large amount of users, it is possible to spread the runtime environment among different servers. This feature is extremely beneficial for your development performance, because it gives your developers a possibility not to care about rewriting the backend.

High speed

The programming model of Node.js is really unusual. The majority of tasks undergo an event-based process and launch in an asynchronous way. A lot of important aspects of the program are already preloaded, so it takes only to launch the rest of the program. It is done with the help of specific signals. The loading of separate important parts is a great plus, as it guarantees the high speed of the processes.

One language

It is not a secret, that focusing on a wide set of software can be challenging. The main issue is that your employees can have problems with knowing various programming languages. It puts a pressure on code maintenance. Moreover, you will become too dependent on specific people in your organization. Node.js solves this problem easily. It gives you a space for creating everything in one language, which simplifies your task significantly.

Fast and easy

Of course, traditional backend languages can give you the same results as Node.js. However, these traditional methods come with the complex program development, and it can be an issue for developers. Not all the employees can handle advanced programming techniques, which are very difficult. It definitely influences the price, so you have to pay more. Node.js is the ultimate option for those who are looking for a perfect balance between fast and easy results.

Community support

Node.js has proven its relevance in the market. Therefore, it is supported by a large developers community. For a comparison, the platform has more than a million packages in NPM repository, while other platforms have from 200 000 to 500 000 packages. There is a great library of materials, which is available for anyone interested. With the help of it, you can achieve fast and quality results. You can use already existing models, or you can develop them from scratch.

Cost-effective

The developers are able to write server-side code in JavaScript. This is a great chance for them to write codes on the frontend and the backend and do it easily. This way you don’t have to hire two resource teams, because one can do it just as effectively. It is a great way to save your time and resources, and, of course, money.

Cross-functional teams

When you hire two different teams that are responsible for different sectors of your project, it can lead to miscommunications between them. It all results in difficulties and gaps in development process. Node.js, however, can be a great salvation for this issue. When your development team works like a one system, it enhances your chances on a good quality final product.

Performance boost

If you are looking for a performance boost, you should definitely consider Node.js. If there are a lot of requests, your team is not always capable of handling them. Single-threaded event-loop model of Node.js allows you to boost the responsiveness of your app, which will be able to deal with a lot of users’ requests.

Node.JS Advantages

Disadvantages of Node.js

Now you know the reasons to build a video streaming platform with Node.js. However, it’s also essential to know its downsides to be able to fix possible issues. Let’s have a look at the main disadvantages of Node.js.

Absence of stable API

The flexibility of Node.js is definitely beneficial, but it can also bring some problems into development process. As there are many changes brought along the way, there can be many rewrites of the API. Sometimes you will have to choose between old versions of the runtime and large changes made later.

Disrupted large tasks

It is known that Node.js promotes singular tasks in one thread, and that’s where clients’ requests usually work. This way, creation of complex tasks can cause some issues. Even if they are being created, the process is extremely slow. However, if you want to make some small connections, Node.js is exactly what you need.

Callback hell problems

Though Node.js development is pretty simple, it still requires some experience from the development team. Nesting of callback across the code really influences the way the asynchronous software works. If there are too many of these callbacks, it can be difficult to manage separate elements. To avoid this issue, you need to know some advanced development techniques.

Slow CPU-bound response

We know that Node.js’ non-blocking input/output model allows it to accomplish all tasks asynchronously. As a single-threaded JavaScript runtime environment, Node.js is programmed to start a thread right after a request, prioritizing CPU-bound tasks to go first. Thus, when it comes to CPU-bound task execution, we might experience some difficulties. Because of its complex and heavy nature, CPU-bound tasks can take much more time to process than you would expect.

Weak library support system

Despite being a huge benefit, Node.js open-source libraries can play a cruel joke on developers. Unfortunately, all available units within the NPM cannot be adequately supervised. Therefore, some of the packages in the registry can have poor quality and negatively influence the development process. The main challenge here is to spot the best solution among a wide range of choices that will impact the code’s quality in an intended way.

Memory leak hazard

There’s no doubt that you have to code a web application really well so that it won’t have any tragic endings. Yet, in the case of choosing Node.js for building a server for streaming videos, you must be extremely careful and considerate with your tools and approaches. And all of that to avoid one of the most horrifying nightmares — memory leakage. The appearance of useless memory blocks might cause a storage shortage, which means Node.js processes won’t have any memory to allocate.

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Inoxoft provides cloud based web development services and outsource Node.js development services. Moreover, you can read everything you need to know about streaming platform for women. If you want to create a video streaming platform with Node.js, Inoxoft is the ultimate option for you. Moreover, you will be pleasantly surprised by affordable prices that we offer.

Our company’s top priority is our customers’ trust and content. You will get the best custom solutions designed for your business and effective teamwork. If you are looking for a reliable partner, you should definitely consider Inoxoft. Contact us, and we will help you develop perfect video streaming platform with the help of Node.js!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best Node.js framework to build a video streaming platform?

There are many Node.js frameworks you could use. The most popular one is Express.js. It has minimalistic approach and makes the coding process easier.

What kind of development Node.JS is perfectly suited for?

Node.js is used for data streaming apps, rest APIs, server-side proxy, chatbots and so on. If you want to know more about Node. js for streaming web platform, read the article!

Why do you need to develop a streaming platform using Node. js?

Using Node.js is quite beneficial for your potential project. It boosts your performance, saves your costs and time and simplifies the whole development process.