Top Companies That Use Node.js and Why They Choose It

Node.js Usage Statistics for 2024

Node.js is quickly becoming the go-to choice for companies looking to improve their web development capabilities and join the ranks of industry giants that already rely on it as their core technology. According to Google Trends, interest in Node.js has reached 75% globally over the past year, showing its growing significance in the tech world. Here are some compelling statistics explaining why businesses are choosing Node.js in 2024:

• Node.js can reduce loading times by 50% to 60%, leading to a better user experience and higher customer satisfaction.
• Companies can cut development expenses by up to 58% with Node.js due to its efficient design and code reusability.
• Node.js ranks as one of the most in-demand technologies, with 18.1% of developers eager to learn and work with it, expanding the available talent pool.
• Node.js runs faster than many other languages and can speed up website performance by up to 50%.
• Integrating Node.js into business strategies can increase developer productivity by up to 68%.
• 71% of JavaScript experts praise Node.js for its exceptional instructional resources, and 85% report better accessibility to the development process.

Overall, there are many reasons why both developers and business owners prefer Node.js over other frameworks, and we predict that its usage will continue to grow over time.

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Node.js Benefits for Companies

Let’s focus on the key advantages of Node.js that we’ve found to be incredibly valuable for both businesses and software developers.

Higher performance 

Node.js is renowned for its high performance. With its non-blocking and asynchronous nature, it can handle many requests simultaneously without slowing down. This means your customers experience fast and responsive interactions even when traffic is high.

Overall, the technology’s performance advantage helps your business manage large volumes of activity and keep your operations running smoothly, even under heavy loads.

Faster development 

Node.js speeds up the development process, which is especially useful for startups and businesses aiming to launch new products quickly. With a wide range of libraries available, along with a large community of developers ready to assist with any issues, your team can complete tasks more efficiently. This means less effort for your developers and lower costs for your business.

Scalability

Node.js is highly scalable, which is particularly beneficial for growing businesses and startups. It quickly adapts to increased demand and integrates with most microservices by expanding its capacity or optimizing existing ones.

Many e-commerce companies, including Walmart, have already adopted Node.js because it supports both vertical and horizontal scaling. Additionally, its lightweight architecture allows your business to expand without facing technical constraints, ensuring your systems grow with your needs.

Faster time-to-market

Node.js allows you to develop and test new ideas quickly. Its extensive toolset supports the development of a minimum viable product (MVP), enabling you to validate your business concepts faster and at a lower cost. 

Besides, the ability to shorten development cycles means you can respond to market needs promptly, making timely changes based on customer feedback and staying ahead of competitors.

Cost-effectiveness

Node.js uses the same programming language for both frontend and backend development, which means you don’t need separate teams for each. This setup makes your operations more cost-effective and the development process smoother by simplifying your technology stack and saving time and resources.

Node.js Use Cases from Leading Companies

To understand why Node.js is becoming so popular, it’s important to look at Node.js site examples, the challenges they face, and how the technology helps them overcome those issues. We have chosen 5 leading companies that use Node.js and created a guide that explains, case by case, why you should consider switching to Node.js as well.

Node.js in Media & Entertainment

Streaming is quickly becoming one of the most profitable areas of the entertainment industry. Like e-commerce apps, streaming platforms need to handle large amounts of data and numerous simultaneous requests. Thankfully, Node.js is well-suited for this task.

Netflix 

Netflix is the top American movie-streaming web platform. It was founded in 1997 and has grown significantly over the last 27 years. In 2023 revenue Netflix accumulated was US$8.54 billion. Yet, even a large and successful platform like this faced technical issues, which led the company’s board to consider switching to Node.js.

Problem

Back in 2013, the Netflix website had some major issues with its performance:

• A large, outdated application with a complex Java codebase made it difficult to add new features and maintain the site.
• The 40-minute startup time frustrated developers and hindered the team’s ability to quickly iterate and respond to user feedback.

All these issues hit Netflix’s productivity and slowed down innovation. Rapid A/B testing became more difficult, and the need to write code twice – once in Java for the server side and once in JavaScript for the client side – made integration between client and server a real hassle. Even bringing in Java experts didn’t solve these problems.

Solution

When people ask, “What backend does Netflix use?”, they are often surprised to learn that Netflix relies on Node.js for its backend architecture. The story behind the company’s transition is pretty simple. 

Netflix needed a simpler tech stack to speed up its work and continue innovating. To achieve this, they switched to Node.js, which simplified their technology and improved performance. They also converted their website to a single-page application (SPA) format. This change allowed the site to update content dynamically without reloading entire pages.

Why the company choose Node.js

• The technology allowed the company to use a single codebase for both the frontend and backend, reducing the complexity of managing different technologies.
• Node.js has a non-blocking architecture, which helps the team handle high traffic – a key task for managing a streaming platform.
• Node.js has a rich ecosystem of modules, which help Netflix access many open-source tools and libraries, including modules focused on improving the user interface with high-quality features.

While the team had to adjust from Java to Node.js, the move has set Netflix on a promising path for future scalability. Although they are still transitioning, results already show a positive impact on Netflix’s performance.

Node.js in Social Media Communication

Social networking apps need to be both reliable and scalable, as they manage a huge amount of personal information and must be able to grow as their user base expands. Fortunately, Node.js provides excellent solutions for scalability, which hugely benefit social platforms.

X (Twitter)

X, commonly referred to by its former name Twitter, is an American news and social networking platform created in 2006. In 2023, the company counted more than 421 million users and US$3.72 billion in yearly revenue. And this social media also appeared among the companies using Node.js.

Problem

In 2015, Twitter used JavaScript on the client side and Scala on the server side. Although this setup worked well initially, the server still struggled with many complex issues: 

• The Scala-based server was slow to compile and hard to maintain due to numerous dependencies. 
• Finding skilled Scala developers was tough, slowing down problem resolution. 

As a result, the company’s mobile website lagged behind its iOS and Android apps, while the server struggled with complex data retrieval and rendering tasks, impacting user satisfaction.

Solution

In 2017, the company chose to rewrite its mobile website using Node.js, resulting in the launch of Twitter Lite. While the new version introduced a visual update and new features for users, the most significant change was the complete overhaul of Twitter’s web stack. James Bellenger, a Twitter employee, noted that this rewrite included a complete update of the backend to meet their goals.

Why the company choose Node.js

• As with Netflix, Node.js allows the company to use JavaScript on both the client and server sides, streamlining development.
• Node.js provides faster execution and lower latency compared to Scala.
• With Node.js, the app can handle a large number of concurrent connections, which improves performance on low-quality networks.

With Node.js, the company achieved impressive results: the app became cheaper to operate, with computing costs reduced to just 6% per view. While these results are already impressive, they are not the ultimate goals. With faster speeds, reduced code, a smaller team, and quicker app deployment, the app is on the path to even greater success.

Node.js in Transportation and Logistics

Node.js has changed for good the way logistics and transportation apps are created. Its unique ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and respond in real-time makes it perfect for dynamic applications. Uber, among the early adopters, quickly adopted these advantages to improve their platform.

Uber

Uber is a tech company known for ride-hailing, food and package delivery, courier delivery, freight transportation, and also electric bicycle and scooter rental services. As a leader in the gig economy with over 100 million monthly users worldwide, Uber needed a strong technology stack to support its non-stop growth and complex operations.

Problem

Unlike other companies that switched to Node.js later, Uber saw the potential of Node.js and integrated it from day one to address several key challenges commonly faced by transportation businesses.

• Uber needed a platform that could scale with increasing demand and support millions of real-time requests.
• The company’s system needed to allow for quick testing and rollout of new features and updates.
• The business required protocols that allowed quick data transfer between users, drivers, and services.

Solution

As mentioned earlier, Uber is one of the leading companies that adopted Node.js early on and successfully built its business around it. Uber’s dispatching systems run on Node.js, and when users open the app or visit the website to book a ride or check available vehicles via APIs, they may not realize that most of these very efficient systems are powered by Node.js.

Why the company choose Node.js

• Node.js allowed Uber to build a microservices architecture, making it easier to develop and scale different parts of the system independently.
• Node.js’s single-threaded nature reduced the need for additional server resources, helping Uber manage operational costs.
• The technology’s ability to process real-time data is useful for features like dynamic pricing and live tracking.

By using Node.js from the start, Uber built a powerful platform that supports its many services and fast global growth, making it a tech industry leader.

Node.js in Fintech

For any Fintech app, reliability is key. Users must trust that their personal and financial information will not be compromised, misused, lost, or stolen. Node.js helps provide this reliability and data safety.

PayPal

PayPal is an American company providing online payments in half of the world’s countries. Originally, PayPal was created in 1998 and made its first public offering in 2002. Also, there are more than 305 million active registered user accounts nowadays. 

Problem

Initially, built using Java and Spring, PayPal faced several challenges:

• Building and deploying features took longer than desired.
• Developing new features required large teams and extensive resources.
• The existing codebase was too complicated, leading to inefficiencies in the app’s work.

Solution

In 2012, PayPal decided to switch from Java/Spring to Node.js to improve development speed and efficiency. Matt Edelman, a full-stack engineer at PayPal, led this transition, which he called the “inner-source” transformation. Node.js was initially used for prototyping but proved to be so effective that PayPal adopted it for full-scale development.

Why the company choose Node.js

• Node.js allowed PayPal to build applications twice as fast compared to Java.
• The website built with Node.js required 33% fewer lines of code and 40% fewer files, making the codebase easier to manage.
• With Node.js’s simpler codebase, the team could more effectively identify and address potential security vulnerabilities.

The shift to Node.js at the enterprise level was gradual. To support this transition, PayPal sought advice and mentorship from industry leaders like Netflix. As a result, PayPal benefited from improved performance and will continue to excel thanks to the enhancements made to its app.

Node.js in Science and Research

In the realm of technology, particularly in science, Node.js’s versatility makes it ideal for various applications, such as managing complex research data and supporting real-time analytics.

NASA

NASA or The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent organization in the US with its astronautic program and space research. Nasa was created in 1956. Now, it is a well-known organization with a budget reaching around US$28 billion in 2023.

Problem

During a spacewalk in 2013, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano faced serious danger when water began leaking into his helmet. Within minutes, he struggled with hearing, seeing, and breathing. Fortunately, his spacewalk partner was nearby and quickly guided Luca to safety in the airlock.

Given the severity of the situation, NASA decided to halt all non-emergency spacewalks and launched an investigation to determine the cause. The investigation revealed the need for a reliable software solution to prevent such risks in the future. And, of course, the NASA team turned to Node.js.

Solution

NASA turned to Node.js to develop a complete system for managing spacesuit data. They focused on creating an API-driven Node.js architecture to migrate their system to the cloud without incurring extra costs. By using Node.js along with npm and Docker, NASA built a microservices framework that efficiently handled APIs, functions, and applications.

Why the company choose Node.js

• With Node.js, NASA brought big data to the cloud, allowing astronauts to live and work in space.
• Node.js’s asynchronous event loop was perfect for I/O operations, handling multiple data requests.
• Node.js streamlined hardware data processing, cutting down the number of steps from 28 to just 7.

So, mainly, Node.js allows NASA to evolve and conquer new horizons. The advancements already achieved are just the beginning. There is yet more waiting ahead as NASA likes everything to work like a “clock” – coherently and clearly.

Inoxoft’s Projects Made Using Node.js

With over 10 years of experience in custom software development and lots of Node.js website examples in our portfolio, we handle everything from building cross-platform mobile applications to creating streaming platforms and enterprise software solutions. Here are some of our projects to give you a better understanding of our capabilities:  

Case Study: Developing Web Application For Shopify Wholesale Merchants

Our client is an entrepreneur who has been running their Shopify store since 2013. Having managed separate retail, inventory, and sales accounts for years, the main goal for the project was to eliminate the need for multiple apps. 

The company turned to us to create a comprehensive solution that supports wholesale merchants and addresses their business challenges. Node.js’s single codebase for both frontend and backend was ideal for this task.

In collaboration with the client, our team developed a feature-rich web app that allowed store owners to manage their B2B operations, including net terms, custom shipping, order limits, product exclusions, and quantity breaks.

After the launch, the app has quickly become popular among merchants, providing them with a powerful tool that streamlines operations within the Shopify ecosystem.

Case Study: Creating First Women-Led Movie Streaming Platform

Our client, a US-based company, is focused on addressing women’s representation issues in mass media and entertainment. The CEO aimed to transform how women are portrayed in films by creating a streaming platform featuring women-led content and reimagining female roles.

After evaluating several options, the company chose us as its partner, because of our extensive experience with similar projects and deep expertise in Node.js, which is ideal for creating streaming services.

Our team developed an advanced web platform with versatile functionality: users can search for movies with prominent female roles, create personalized playlists, and even watch movies online with friends.

Our collaboration resulted in launching the first-ever streaming platform dedicated to women, building a database of female-led movies, and adapting the platform for mobile users, all using Node.js as the core technology.

Final Words

Node.js is quickly becoming the preferred option for companies wanting to boost their web development. Many industry leaders already rely on it because it accelerates development, scales efficiently, and simplifies the process of testing new ideas. Additionally, since Node.js uses the same programming language for both frontend and backend development, there’s no need for separate teams. 

Are you ready to bring the Node.js magic to your own business? Do you want to be counted among the progressive companies that use Node.js? Then, you’re in the right place. It’s always the right moment to adopt cutting-edge tech.

At Inoxoft, we specialize in Node.js website and application development, creating custom solutions to meet your unique needs. Our strong reputation shows our dedication to quality and our ability to earn the trust of businesses ready to innovate. Our expert developers stay up-to-date with industry trends, making sure your projects are both current and cutting-edge. Wait no more and contact us now to start your project!