With Node.js, you can choose which version to run your server-side application on. The window object contains methods and properties available only in the browser environment. In Node.js, the global object goes by the name global. The JavaScript global object for the browser is called the window object. But, you do not have access to operating systems and file systems from the browser. This means you can interact with the operating system, access the file systems, and read and write to the files. Node.js exposes almost all the system resources to your programs. But Node.js does not have access to the DOM. And you can perform all the DOM operations. With the browser runtime, you can access the Document Object Model (DOM). But there are some key differences that you need to know. Differences Between the Browser and Node.js Runtime Environmentsīoth the browser and Node.js are capable of executing JavaScript programs. This makes it possible to build back-end applications using the same JavaScript programming language you may be familiar with. It's also built on the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine.

Node.js provides a runtime environment outside of the browser. And it was used to build only front-end applications. Before Node.js was created, JavaScript could only run in a browser. That is why they can run JavaScript code. And to run your code, you need a runtime environment.īrowsers like Chrome and Firefox have runtime environments. Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment: When you write JavaScript code in your text editor, that code cannot perform any task unless you execute (or run) it. Node.js is cross-platform: Node.js is not dependent on any operating system software. The Node.js contribution guide shows you how to contribute. And it's maintained by contributors from all over the world. Node.js is open-source: This means that the source code for Node.js is publicly available. So let's break it down and understand what it means. But for a beginner, this definition might raise further questions. This sounds like a cool, straightforward answer. What is Node.js? 'Node.js is an open-source and cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment.' - v Docs How the Node.js environment differs from the browser.In this article, you will learn about Node.js. Node.js allows developers to create both front-end and back-end applications using JavaScript.

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