Building a startup involves many important decisions, including choosing a technology stack for web or app development. Nowadays, there are plenty of back-end technologies to choose from, making it challenging to decide what will best fit your needs.
Node.JS and Python, in particular, are two of the most popular back-end development tools used today. But how do you determine what to choose? Whatever you decide can make a huge difference in your project, so you should think this through beforehand. Check out this guide to learn more about the distinction between Node.JS and Python to find the best fit.
Node.JS
It is a platform and runtime environment powered by JavaScript and built on Google Chrome’s V8 engine. It was launched in 2009, allowing developers to execute JavaScript code outside the client’s browser to create scalable and dynamic server-side applications.
Advantages
Node.JS has attracted the attention of many developers and startups due to these key advantages:
● Speed. Since Node.JS is built on the V8 engine, it executes code quickly.
● Asynchronous Programming. Node.JS uses asynchronous programming, which means the APIs are non-blocking, and the server does not wait for them to return data. The Node.JS-based server moves on to the following API.If it gets no response, then the Events module is there to ensure the previous API returns data.
● Single-Threaded Paradigm. Node.JS operates on a single-threaded paradigm with event looping. It can respond to more requests than traditional servers, making it highly scalable.
● Single Unified Stack. Another great advantage of Node.JS is it allows you to develop client-side and server-side web applications with the same language—JavaScript. It is a significant selling point for startups since you need not learn a new programming language for full-stack development.
● Rich Ecosystem. The Node Package Manager (NPM) comes with over 800,000 code packages that you can use to build your apps. With this, you can include just about any functionality in your application.
Limitations
As beneficial as Node.JS may be for startups, it also comes with some limitations:
● Node.JS is not the best choice for process-intensive tasks since it uses JavaScript, which processes tasks with low consumption rates.
● While many NPM tools are established, some less popular ones are still mature and poorly built.
● Since Node.JS is relatively new, there are fewer developers with adequate skill and experience in the market today.
Python
Unlike Node.JS, Python has been around the web development space for much longer. It was released in 1991 and continues to be one of the most popular programming languages. Since it uses English syntax, Python is highly readable and easy to use and write. It is also used for full-stack development, allowing you to build front-end or back-end applications.
Advantages
Python is undoubtedly one of the top programming languages developers use for many reasons. Aside from being compatible with almost all operating systems, it has one of the most comprehensive libraries. Other main advantages include:
● Clear Syntax. Python has a clear and straightforward syntax with an indentation structure to allow easy readability. If needed, you can add whitespace between lines of code for a cleaner look, which is highly beneficial for startups new to programming.
● Leading Choice. Python is the leading choice for many data scientists today since it has built-in libraries that support data analytics. Thus, you can leverage technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) with this language.
● Rapid Prototyping. You can use Python for rapid prototyping since it is easy and quick to develop systems with the language. Given this, it will be suitable for building a minimum viable product (MVP) for your startup.
Limitations
While Python is widely used for many startup projects, it is not ideal for all use cases. Some of its drawbacks include:
● Speed can be a concern with Python, given that it has low latency and slow performance–particularly for server-side applications.
● Python is not native to iOS or Android, so it may not be the best choice for mobile development.
● Python is unsuitable for tasks that consume a lot of memory since it can quickly drain your memory space.
Bottom Line: Node.JS or Python?
As you can see, Node.JS and Python come with unique advantages and limitations for startups. However, looking at the tech space, you will find plenty of startups using either of the two technologies. For example, LinkedIn, eBay, and Medium use Node.JS, while Spotify and Coursera use Python.
Given this, the right technology ultimately depends on your startup’s needs. Python will be better if you need to write and execute code easily due to its straightforward syntax. Specifically, it is best for projects like advanced web applications, AI or ML networks, data science, and data visualisations.
On the other hand, if you need quick response times or are planning a project with low computational needs, Node.JS will be ideal. This environment is particularly suitable for projects like chatbots, messengers, microservices architecture, and gaming applications.
