Quite recently, Node.js announced the release of Node.js 10. Adding the cherry on the top, we have Node.js 11 here already. As a Node.js development company we highly embrace the upcoming features Node.js development will bring over the coming years.
The current release focuses more in improving internals, performance, and an update to V8 7.0. Two of the most notable features in the current versions include:
Interval timers have been rescheduled regardless of the previous interval throwing an error
Build no longer supports FreeBSD 10.
Node.js 10, released in April 2018, has now become the Long-Term Service (LTS) release on October 30, 2018. It means that it will generally be supported for 30 months.
What are the new features in Node.js 11 and how will it benefit a Node.js development company
- The V8 Version 7 JavaScript and WebAssembly engine has been included in the new version
- The default value of the windowsHide option has been changed to true in case of child processes.
- Windows performance counter support has been excluded completely.
- The read() method now requires a callback.
- The SyncWriteStream utility has been removed entirely
- Binding() has now little use in the current verison
- FreeBSD 10 is no longer supported.
Node.js 10 also gained multiple modifications since the time of its release in April 2018. Here are some of the new features:
- Support for the OpenSSL 1.1.0 security included in the toolkit.
- HTTP/2 now offers performance improvements over its predecessor HTTP/1.
- The V8 6.8 JavaScript and WebAssembly engine offers improved WebAssembly execution speed.
- N-API module lowers maintenance costs for native modules and reduces friction in upgrading Node.js versions during production deployments.
- NPM 6.4, with Version 6 of the JavaScript package installer boosting performance along with stability and security.
- ECMAScript (ES) 6 modules now has better support. While Node.js has had its own module system, ECMAScript 6 offers a standardized module system.
- Improvements in language, prototype.toString() now returns exact slices of source code text, and mitigations for side-channel vulnerabilities preventing information leaks.
- Error-handling improvements have been made by adopting error codes to ease constant error-checking.
- Performance boosts with the help of V8, including that for the async generator and array.
- Visibility into code performance has been increased.
- An API has been included which allows user code to enable and disable trace events on demand at runtime. This provides improved flexibility in diagnosing issues throughout applications.
The Merger
“The Node.js Foundation and JS Foundation boards have met several times already to discuss a potential alignment of the communities. The Foundation leaders and key technical stakeholders believe that a tighter alignment of communities will expand the scope of the current Foundations and enable greater support for Node.js and a broader range of JavaScript projects. We are very interested in hearing directly from the community and welcome all questions, ideas, and opinions so that the structure aligns with the expectations of the community. For this reason, no formal decisions regarding a merged Foundation and its potential organizational structure, governance policies, technical framework or leadership have been made at this point and will be formalized based on feedback from the community.”
Mike Dolan, Vice President of Strategic Programs, the Linux Foundation.
On the 4th October 2018, Node.js Foundation and JS Foundation announced a unified ecosystem with the aim to support the broad Node.js and JavaScript communities spread across the globe.
What are their goals?
- They aim at streamlining member engagement
- Need of enhanced operational excellence
- Increased collaboration across the JavaScript ecosystem
- Providing an “umbrella” project structure that brings stronger collaboration across all JavaScript projects.
Conclusion
Node.js development has come a far way since its inception. As a Node.js development company, we have been through the ups and downs in the software development environment. The undercurrents in the Node.js development diaspora suggests a bright future and a strong community.
