Learn what is special about Node.js cross-platform capabilities.

Grzegorz is the Head of Development in Solidstudio and he has spent quite a few years here. He’s a skilled software developer that had a chance to work on numerous eMobility-related projects for clients from many different countries.

Grzegorz Bar

 has also heard about its cross-platform, event-driven, non-blocking I/O solution and its capabilities.
In this article, I would like to explain what makes 

 so special about that approach and what exactly rules all those I/O complexities behind the red curtain.
Before we start and dig deeper into the rabbit hole, let's go through a bunch of definitions that will help us understand the entire design better.

It is an event handling design pattern for taking care of service requests delivered concurrently to a service handler by one or more inputs. The service handler then demultiplexes the incoming requests and dispatches them synchronously to the associated request handlers.

. According to the documentation, we can find two abstract entities involved here: 

. The first one receives and delegates the I/O request to the appropriate handler, and when the request is processed, it will add the registered callback handler (

The program that manages the entire process is called the 

. An Event Loop is a single-threaded and semi-infinite loop. The reason why this is called a semi-infinite loop is that it actually quits at the point when there's no more work to be done. From the developer's perspective, this is where the program exits.
The above sounds quite simple, but taking into account those cross-platform, non-blocking I/O, and the asynchronous nature of Node, it doesn't feel like we tackled everything, not just yet.

Now we know the responsibilities of event demultiplexer, but this is just an abstract concept described in the reactor pattern. In the real world, its implementation differs across systems and is known under different names:

NodeJS takes advantage of the low-level non-blocking, asynchronous hardware I/O functionalities provided by these implementations.

The system and its I/O implementations are very complex, e.g., some parts of I/O are not fully supported in terms of asynchrony. Those issues are especially related to the 

 implementations provided by each system. It's worth mentioning that this also has an impact on some of Node's 

To preserve the complete asynchrony across platforms, Node uses a thread pool to address those operations which cannot be covered by system asynchronous I/O. Thread pool also covers CPU-intensive operations (some crypto functions and zlib async functions provided by Node) to prevent blocking the event loop that could eventually kill application execution.
This does 

 mean that a thread pool performs or delegates all the I/O for Node. Thread pool supports those parts of system I/O that are not asynchronous. Node and event loop are both single-threaded (same thread during execution), but there are some functions of Node (blocking operations) that take advantage of multi-threading thanks to thread pool. You can set thread pool size from the default 4 up to 1024 threads. Take a look this simple program and the results that depend on the thread pool size:

This simple usage of crypto.randomBytes shows that it is delegated to the thread pool for execution and the resulting time differs when the thread pool size is larger. Nevertheless, that does not mean that you can set the size to 1024 and completely forget about it.

Time of execution for size=1024 was longer than for other examples because of hardware limitations and memory allocation for the thread pool. Examples were performed on Quad-Core with 2 threads per core which give 8 available threads.

So far we’ve learned that Node takes advantage of system I/O and is supported by Thread Pool to achieve complete asynchrony, non-blocking behavior on heavy stuff, and even multi-threading. Is it Node that manages and handles all those things or maybe there’s some low-level library that pulls all those strings and only exposes the API for Node?

Following the documentation: it is a multi-platform support library with a focus on asynchronous I/O. It was primarily developed for use by Node.js, but it’s also used by Luvit, Julia, pyuv, php-uv, and many more.

libuv implements Reactor Pattern and provides an advanced implementation of Event Demultiplexer with the composition of an I/O processing APIs. Moreover, libuv provides the entire Event Loop and Event Queue mechanism.

libuv is a powerful low-level I/O Engine with cross-platform support that provides complete asynchronous capabilities for anything that is built on top of it. Understanding how libuv's implementation of Reactor Pattern work is crucial for everyone who wants to use Node.js efficiently.

Learn what is special about Node.js cross-platform capabilities. Read it all on Solidstudio's blog.

Take advantage over your competitors with cloud

Being a co-founder of Solidstudio, Paweł has got to see all the development phases. He’s a skilled professional with years of experience, both in the software and in the eMobility worlds.

Paweł Głogowski

At first glance, you may think that the e-commerce market has reached its maximum limit and there is no way to grow. However, by using new technologies companies can still increase their revenue - for example, by providing better recommendations or creating more attractive and user-friendly websites.

In this article, I will focus on describing new trends and technologies that help to improve e-commerce businesses. I won’t focus on Big Data technologies that are vital for e-commerce, but instead turn to the cloud technologies, Java, and Node.js.

There are always new trends emerging in online shopping on the e-commerce scene. First is using technologies that offer a literally one-click purchasing method that is quick but also safe. E-commerce ventures are also very interested in artificial intelligence (AI) - it includes chatbots or automatic customer service processes. AI is becoming more and more popular since it can easily interact with customers and facilitate the buying process. The last huge trend in online marketing is Machine Learning that helps profile the user experience for each individual buyer. However, it seems that e-commerce business won’t be able to achieve any of above if they don’t migrate their solution to the cloud.

One of the main problems in e-commerce business is its seasonality. There are some times during the year where the demand for online shopping rises - like Christmas or Black Friday. Companies used to lose billions of dollars because they couldn’t handle the increased volume of transactions. On the other hand, investing in architecture that will be used only for a couple of days during whole year isn’t very efficient. So is there a way to handle that situation? Yes - and the answer is the Cloud!

On AWS, it is possible to improve your architecture based on the current demand and then reduce it when it’s no longer required. This process is completely automated and adjusted to demand. It's very convenient and can help companies to save a tons of money. You can compare it to paying for electricity - you just pay for how much you consumed. You do not need to maintain and pay for servers on the virtual machine when you actually don’t need them.

Moving an e-commerce solution to cloud is also beneficial for other reasons. If your e-commerce solution is hosted on-premise, you need to deal with lot of additional problems like storing, maintaining and securing physical machines. Additionally, you should update software on a regular basis. Experience shows that it usually does not happen and sooner or later you end up with outdated software and less-than-expected availability. Also, you need more resources to maintain all servers. The cloud, on the other hand, is free from these issues. You need to set up your architecture once and then focus on developing software to meet the changing requirements. Your team won’t have to implement solutions like autoscaling or security backups since they are already provided by AWS.

At Solidstudio Software House, we have a lot of experience in moving monolith applications into the cloud, and maintaining and managing them accordingly. We are familiar with AWS solutions that can help your business grow.

Why Java is a great option for ecommerce?

Each branch of e-commerce is different and needs to face different problems. In e-commerce, there are many problems to solve. You will have problems with performance if you plan to sell a lot of cheap products relying on the scale of your project. However, if you plan to sell few but very expensive and luxury products then you need to rely on marketing and relations with customers. Each of these approaches requires different tools.

Java supports a lot of different frameworks which solve these problems. If you are an omnichannel company that needs complex tools for marketing or a CRM solution with customers, you may pick Hybris. If your company is smaller and you just need some basic support for orders or payments, you can choose one of the dozens available e-commerce solutions.

Java as a language that can also bring a lot of benefit for your company. It offers a lot of well-established tools, there are already many engineers who know how to use Java, the language itself is developed and updated accordingly to worldwide trends. That popularity makes it really easy to integrate Java tools with various solutions. The only drawback I can see from using Java as an e-commerce business is that for a very small scale it can be a little overkill. If you need to set up a small online shop, then using Java along with frameworks can end up becoming too costly. Consider using other languages to avoid following some Java conventions that are not feasible to all solutions.

Java is our main expertise at Solidstudio Software House and we already integrate our clients’ applications with dozens of third-party solutions, not only from the e-commerce field. We can help you choose the best option for your needs and integrate it with selected solutions seamlessly.

Node.js as a great tool for smaller scale.

If you do not need a complex CRM tool or support for online marketing and your business is rather small, you can start with some basic solutions based on Node.js. It uses Javascript for both the server and client side which can be beneficial since you need only experts with one programming language skills. It also offers great performance, so the costs of Node.js solutions are rather low. The existing Node.js frameworks like vue.js or koa.js can be really helpful for solving e-commerce problems. Node.js is a great tool to implement an MVP solution, however once your scale grows and you will need more complex tools and frameworks, we recommend switching to Java and one of its frameworks.

E-commerce has still a huge potential for growth and there is a lot of challenges that e-commerce ventures will have to face in the future. Technology can be a great support in achieving more, so keep a close eye on the cloud revolution. If you waste your time on outdated solutions, you will surely lose with your competitors. Start to move into cloud and use available tools wisely to be two steps ahead!

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AWS and Java - a good duo for your ecommerce environment

Improve your e-commerce application with AWS, Java and Node.js.

Our rank of the best JavaScript frameworks which you can use in 2020.

Being an eMobility leader in various projects across multiple startups, Piotr was responsible for OCPI and OCPP integration as well as EMP and CPO platforms development. With extensive expertise in the open standards field and eMobility tech solutions, he is leading teams of experienced developers and contributing with invaluable knowledge and experience.

Piotr Majcher

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey, JavaScript is the most commonly used programming language – for the seventh year in a row! There's no denying that JavaScript is the go-to technology choice for any web development project. The greatest advantage of JavaScript lies in its rich ecosystem of tools, libraries, and frameworks. New JavaScript frameworks emerge on a regular basis, helping to make the language more accessible and easier to use for software developers.

However, the profusion of tools also makes choosing the best-suited framework for the job a challenge. What are the most popular JavaScript frameworks in 2021? And what factors should developers take into account when choosing the technologies for their projects?

Read this article to get an overview of the best JavaScript frameworks on the market and their defining characteristics.

earned considerable popularity very quickly – it's the fastest-growing JavaScript framework today. Developers use this handy library to build and operate dynamic User Interfaces of websites that experience high traffic. That's why it's such a great technology fit for enterprise-grade applications. High-traffic platforms like Facebook and Instagram use React to support their UIs.

is widespread open-source framework companies use primarily for developing dynamic single-page web applications (SPA). Companies like PayPal, Freelancer, and LinkedIn use the framework for powering their UIs.

What's the key strategic advantage of using Angular in a project? It's one of the most powerful and efficient JavaScript frameworks on the tech scene. Its component-based architecture provides a high quality of code, and the use of TypeScript helps developers to write clean code and scale applications easily. The long-term support of Angular by Google is a mark of its quality – but it also means that the framework has a bright future ahead of it.

Since developers get to work with independent libraries, React is more flexible than Angular – and it offers comparatively better response time. All in all, the technology is an excellent pick for applications that need to deliver optimal performance under significant traffic pressure.

Vue was developed in 2014 and is currently used by giants such as Baidu, Grammarly, WizzAir, Facebook, and Buzzfeed. Vue is a great pick for building single-page applications, but it can also support more complex projects and deliver optimal performance.

The framework is known for its accessibility – it's a perfect starting point for developers who want to learn a new framework quickly. Since it goes back to its JavaScript roots, it's also very convenient to use – accelerating the development process and allowing teams to deliver value faster.

Vue is surrounded by an active community of developers who are happy to share their knowledge. The framework also offers detailed documentation that flattens the learning curve for developers who are Vue newbies.

Ember was developed in 2015 and since then has taken the tech scene by storm. The undeniable strength of this framework lies in the fact that it supports two-way data binding that allows developing a reliable platform for handling complex User Interfaces. Companies like LinkedIn, Netflix, and Nordstrom use Ember to build their websites.

The open-source framework is an excellent technology for single-page applications, but also large, complex web apps. However, Ember is known for being a highly opinionated framework – it makes many assumptions about the application and requires developers to conform to these expectations.

Meteor comes in handy to both frontend and backend developers, covering a major portion of software development. This open-source, full-stack framework provides support in a wide range of tasks, from database management and backend development to business logic and frontend rendering. Meteor was written using Node.js, so it allows creating cross-platform code and supports rapid prototyping. It easily integrates with other frameworks such as React, Angular, or Express. It allows developers to build hybrid applications using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. All in all, Meteor boosts the productivity of development teams by helping developers write less code. Companies like Qualcomm, Honeywell, Mazda use Meteor to build applications.

s is a server-side JavaScript run-time environment that enables development teams to carry out cross-platform projects to help them save time. One of the most frequently downloaded frameworks, Node is an open-source technology used for building backend services or APIs and developing server-side networking applications. Node is built on top of Google Chrome's JavaScript Engine (V8 Engine).

Node can handle multiple requests asynchronously thanks to a non-blocking single-threaded event loop – that's why it works so well for distributed systems that involve numerous network requests. Used by companies like Uber, PayPal, and Walmart, Node helps developers all over the world to boost the performance of their apps while writing fewer lines of code.

This framework is a collection of open-source modern JavaScript modules. Development teams can use it to implement any sort of interface – it comes in handy, especially for more robust websites. Aurelia is able to extend the HTML for various purposes – for example, data binding.

The framework offers a robust platform for building browser, desktop, and various mobile applications. Companies like Freska, Ordami, and BTEK Software use Aurelia in their projects. This is the only framework that allows developers to build components using TypeScript or JavaScript.

This client-side JavaScript framework is mainly used for developing single-page applications. It's easy to implement, small (< 8kb gzip), fast, and provides plenty of useful features out of the box.

Currently used by companies like Nike and Fitbit – as well as open-source platforms like Lichess – Mithril uses a sophisticated virtual DOM algorithm to minimize the number of updates and accelerate the development process and ensure high performance. It has a gentle learning curve that allows software developers to start using the framework after spending very little time learning about it.

Polymer is an open-source JavaScript library developed by Google. Development teams can use it to create various website elements without having to get into the complex level. Polymer supports both one-way and two-way data binding. That's why it can be applied to solve many different problems.

The framework has gained considerable traction on the market because it provides a structured design process. Polymer was built to take advantage of the features present in the web platform to allow developers to build components easily. It was the first library to enable interactive building applications by composing components. Many Google services and sites use Polymer – for example, YouTube and Google Play Music. Netflix benefits from Polymer as well.

Used by companies such as Sony Entertainment Network, Airbnb, and SoundCloud, Backbone is one of the most famous JavaScript frameworks. It has a gentle learning curve, and developers have an easy time understanding it. You can use it to create single-page applications and client-side applications that run in a web browser. The idea behind the framework was keeping all the server-side functions flowing through an API – that's how teams can build complex functionalities by writing less code. This lightweight library is highly flexible and allows developers to choose the right tools for a specific project.

Which is the best JavaScript framework for my project?

JavaScript frameworks bring many benefits to the development process by making it easier for developers to work with JavaScript. When choosing the framework for your project, pay attention to the level of complexity it can handle and key problems it promises to solve. If you're looking for a technology that would enable your team to bring a product to market fast, choose a framework known for accelerating the development process.

Are you looking for JavaScript experts who could help you pick the best technologies for your project? Get in touch with us; we have a lot of experience working with different JavaScript frameworks in projects across many industries.

10 Best JavaScript Frameworks for 2020

Barriers and benefits of introducing Continuous Delivery.

Barriers and Benefits of Introducing Continuous Delivery

Continuous delivery (CD) and continuous deployment are new trends that are becoming more and more popular within the IT landscape. However, at present, only around 30% of IT teams use CD on a daily basis. Therefore, before we try to determine if CD is worth it, let’s start by looking at some definitions:

 This is the practise followed by developer teams to integrate their working copies to a common codebase several times a day. It usually involves building the whole project, trigger executing automated tests and publishing in developer and test environments.

 The second step, after continuous integration, is continuous delivery and this process involves an application being released harmlessly at any time. While it still requires a human to activate the process by clicking a button, the entire process is automated. And, thanks to various tests, CD poses very few risks and will not damage anything.

: the initial costs for installation and configuration of CD can be high and integrating these processes can be very disruptive to business.

: for medium and large organisations that currently use waterfall or similar methodologies, introducing CD means that substantial changes are required in terms of internal processes and staff training.

: during the introduction of CD, you must also maintain your current projects. However, introducing CD to existing projects (especially those managed in a waterfall model) is much more complex than starting a new project with CD in place. Therefore, many companies shy away from introducing CD.

: some team members may be opposed to learning new skills such as test automation, so managers may try to minimise fuss and disruption from staff by sticking with methods which are already well known and established.

Let's imagine that your company is suffering due to one or more of the above barriers. You’ll understand just how hard and complicated introducing CD is, so the benefits must be worth it. How, then, do you convince managers to adopt CD? And what are the main benefits of introducing CD? Let’s take a look:

: one of the most important factors in company performance is the ready availability of feedback on functionality in a product. The speed of this feedback is crucial otherwise innovative products can quickly fail. For example, imagine you’re working with a six month release cycle. Once a new feature is introduced it can take seven to nine months to receive feedback on it. And if this functionality is not acceptable by the customer, this can lead to half a year’s worth of labour being wasted. And this can be costly.

: The release of a product can be a highly stressful time due to the uncertainty involved. If this process is executed manually, then it can be prone to errors. With a CD release model, however, the whole process is automated and the development team can redirect their energies towards producing better software.

: due to the introduction of more and more automated processes, less manual intervention by humans is required. This can reduce team size which, in turn, improves communication and allows team members to focus on other projects.

Despite some initial costs, which may be substantial in certain companies, you should seriously consider moving, even if it’s slowly, towards an overall CD model. At the very least, you should start introducing automation into your projects. It’s very challenging, but the benefits of CD will become apparent sooner rather than later. Most importantly, the benefit of immediate feedback will help your company in creating modern and innovative software. In this article I focussed on the barriers and benefits of CD, but in further articles I will explain how to start introducing CD into your company.

Pros and cons of introducing Continuous Delivery. Visit our tech blog to read the whole article.

How Node.js handles I/O?

03 MARCH 2020 • 9 MIN READ