Node.js is a server technology that is used to build and run web applications, which is similar to the work done by ASP.NET, Ruby on Rails, or Spring frameworks. It uses JavaScript as the main development language, has a lightweight web server that comes with it, and a large number of plug-ins for Node package management (NPM), so you can shape web applications according to your own needs, such as adding MVC features, adding Restful services, OAuth or SSL security, etc.
Reuse of language
Technologies like ASP.NET or Spring require developers to learn a new server-side language, such as C#, VB.NET, or Java. Node.js uses JavaScript on both the server and the client, which means that developers only need to use one language at each level.
Easy to transform for developers
There is a fact that JavaScript is a language well known to web developers, and most people know or have used it. So, it is very easy for a web developer to transform from other technologies to Node.js.
Lightweight
Node.js uses an event-driven architecture, which means that every thing you do on it, every independent call and operation, is a series of asynchronous callbacks. This makes Node.js run on a thread, which is different from other web technologies. Each client's request will generate a new thread to process. This is also the essence of non-blocking I/O.
Support object database
It is very common to use object databases like MongoDB in Node.js applications. The difference between MongoDB and traditional SQL databases is that it uses a document-based model rather than a relational model. It does not use tables, but objects like JSON. This is very suitable for ORM lovers.
Widely supported by IDE and code editors
JavaScript has been around for quite some time, so IDEs like Visual Studio and Eclipse support JavaScript code prompts and highlights, and code editors like NotePad++ and Sublime Text also support these.
Can host services anywhere
Some web servers and cloud service providers support Node.js web applications. Let's talk about a few here, including Google, Microsoft IIS, Heroku, Microsoft Azure, Amazon (AWS), etc.
The above is the reason why node.js is so popular in my personal summary. If there are any omissions, please correct me.
node.js is really a powerful tool for development ~