Node JS Best Practices That You Need To Follow in 2023

Hardik Thakker

Published On: May 19, 2023

Node.js is a web app development framework that is specifically built on the Chrome V8 engine, provides caching of single modules works as a Javascript runtime environment that helps in developing scalable apps easily.

Many times, it happens that this cross-platform and open-source technology might create complex errors if you’re not strictly following Node JS best practices.

Big names like Netflix, Uber, Twitter, and Trello are using the Node.js framework as their first choice for backend development services and get tremendous improvement in their software services. You need to know Nodejs best practices to achieve such results.

Let’s explore Node.js best practices in 2023 that help you design and create robust web applications for your business needs.

Node JS Best Practices in 2023 To Follow

It’s time to explore Node.js best practices that you must implement in developing robust web application for your business needs.

1. Initiate Your Node.js Development using npm init

   One of the standard and best practices of Node.js that you need to follow is to start your Node.js development using npm (Node Package Manager). The excellent part of npm is that you can efficiently add couplings and dependencies in your web application development.

   Moreover, npm plays an essential role in browsing all of the Node.js packages required for your business.

   

   It will be helpful to you, as it provides you with a new bundle for every project you create. In addition, with JSON, you may include a ton of metadata that will be useful to other Node.js developers working on the same project.

   With the help of Node.js, it becomes easy to add versioning-compliant updates of Node.js within the same package. This is among the most critical Node JS best practice.

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2. Setup .npmrc For Your Node.js Development

   The .npmrc file is the essential file, especially for Node.js developers. Do you know why?

   It is the sole responsibility of the .npmrc file to ensure that the npm install always updates the package.json and requires an exact match for the installed dependency’s version.

   

   So, just mention your script object and property in your node.js project’s package and a start key in the JSON file.

   Copy

   {
     "name": "albiorixtech",
     "version": "1.0.0",
     "description": "Project description",
     "main": "main.js",
     "scripts": {
       "test": "node main.js"
     },
     "author": "albiorix",
     "license": "ISC"
   }
   
   

   Now, everything is ready, and you need to push the command “npm start”. All the dependencies from node modules/.bin will be redirected to the $PATH, and you won’t need to install dependencies using NPM globally.

   Related Post: NodeJS vs Python

3. Use Environment Variables

   Node.js is a programming language that requires robust configuration management. It includes the process of decoupling code, services, database configuration files, and many more, especially during development, production, or quality analysis.

   The primary role of accessing environment variables configuration management is to find the values from process.env in your code. For example, you can efficiently examine the NODE ENV environment variables in the Node.js env file.

   So, the biggest and most important Node.js best practice you must follow is appropriately using the environment variable in your program. In addition, you would use it to discover values during the intelligent web development process.

   With the help of the command nvm, you can quickly deal with the process of adding additional consequent plans, regular expressions, and most code setup workflows. Also, it is one of the biggest advantages for many cloud-hosting providers.

   Copy

   //main.js
   console.log("Server is Running at "  + process.env.NODE_ENV);
   

4. Use Components For Better Application Structure

   One of the most challenging part for large applications is to prepare and maintain a huge coding structure with multiple dependencies.

   Such code complexity results in slowing down the developer’s skills and they cannot include new features in the existing Node.js applications.

   To overcome such a situation, the best option is to perform the code partitions into components. In simple words, we can say that every components will have its own dedicated folders/codebase, resulting in keeping every unit small and simple.

   Let’s explore an example of proper Node.Js folder structure.

   

5. Making Appropriate Usage of Style Guide

   The next in our list of best Node.js practices that you must follow is selecting an existing Node.js coding rule and ensuring code readability throughout the entire project chain.

   Let’s say your defined Javascript coding style differs from the developers who have previously worked on the project; what would you do?

   No worries at all!!! You need to replace the spaces with tabs or adjust the position of the braces, and you’re good to go. Yeah, it’s a time-consuming activity and is actively responsible for making your task tedious.

   I would like to personally highlight some of the code styles guides that are specifically adopted by global tech behemoths:

   • Airbnb – https://github.com/airbnb/javascript
   • Google – https://google.github.io/styleguide/javascriptguide.xml
   • jQuery – https://contribute.jquery.org/style-guide/js/

   Trust me; it’s among the innovative and most preferred node.js development best practices.

   Related Post: jQuery vs Angular

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6. Avoid synchronous functions

   If you’re using Synchronous functions in the Nodejs application, you can smoothly eliminate other coding functionality from running since it is completed.

   One of the best recommendations is that you turn on the -trace-sync-io flag, making it easy for you to ensure that no synchronous function is now a part of the code. Moreover, it displays a warning when an asynchronous API is encountered.

   The primary role of Asynchronous API is to prevent other code files from running while an asynchronous code is in use. Furthermore, such an inspiring async function is the most challenging factor for other programmers to understand an application’s business logic flow.

   With the help of async functions, your coding throws an alert directly to your node.js app’s asynchronous API. However, the async function automatically outputs warnings and stack traces during the testing phase.

   Related Post: Best NodeJS Frameworks

7. Handle inaccuracies

   A minor inaccuracy is solely responsible for getting bad feedback for your entire Node.js development process. It will eventually throw multiple errors on your business application, and there are more chances of losing your app’s customer experience.

   An application relies heavily on accurate exception management. And the easiest way to cope with the many programming faults is to adopt the asynchronous code structures while writing asynchronous code for your Node.js application.

   For example, promises provide you with a.catch() handler that will elegantly propagate all possible code errors to be dealt with.

   Copy

   //main.js
   doSomething()
   .then(doNextStage)
   .then(recordTheWorkSoFar)
   .then(updateAnyInterestedParties)
   .then(tidyUp)
   .catch(errorHandler)
   
   

   So, even in the case of failure of the previous function, you’ll get the error Handler option that will prompt you with the results to manage the error handling process smoother.

   And yes, it’s one of the NodeJS best practices that every Node.js developer or business owner should adopt. Therefore, you must be following these Node JS best practice for product development.

8. Confirm that your app restarts automatically

   Your web application can be efficiently affected by the slight mistake of dependency, even if you’re dealing with the perfect error-handling standards.

   So I recommend you opt for the process manager to ensure that the app recovers successfully from a runtime fault or when the server fails.

   Apart from this, the best option is to restart your program if you feel that your entire service fails. Your program needs to continue as soon as possible for this particular case. PM2 KKeymetrics is the perfect option for process management.

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9. Use the latest stable version of Node.js

   One of the Node best practices that you need to take care of is always keep your Node.js version up to date to benefit from the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches. Till date, Node.js 20 is the stable version of Node.js development.

10. Use package.json for dependency management

    Utilize the package.json file to manage your project dependencies and specify their versions. This helps ensure consistent and reproducible builds.

11. Use npm or Yarn

    Use package managers like npm (Node Package Manager) or Yarn to install and manage your project dependencies. They provide helpful features like dependency resolution, version management, and script execution.

12. Modularize your code

    Break your code into smaller, reusable modules with clear responsibilities. This improves maintainability, testability, and business logic code reusability.

13. Follow the Single Responsibility Principle (SRP)

    Each module or function should have a single responsibility, making it easier to understand, test, and maintain. Avoid creating monolithic functions or modules that perform multiple tasks.

14. Handle errors gracefully

    Use proper error handling techniques, such as try-catch blocks or error-first callbacks, to catch and handle errors effectively. Implement appropriate custom error objects logging and error response mechanisms.

15. Implement logging and debugging

    Incorporate logging statements strategically throughout your codebase to aid in debugging and dealing with any robust monitoring system. Tools like Winston or Bunyan can be used for more advanced logging needs.

16. Implement proper security measures

    Follow security best practices to protect your Node.js applications. This includes sanitizing input, validating user input, using parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection, and applying security headers.

17. Implement automated testing

    Write unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests to ensure the correctness of your Javascript code and detect regressions. Popular testing frameworks for Node.js include Jest, Mocha, and Chai.

18. Utilize static code analysis and linting

    Use tools like ESLint or TSLint to enforce code style and catch common errors or specifically anti-patterns for built-in error object. This helps maintain a consistent codebase and plays an essential role to improve code quality using various leading static analysis tools.

19. Optimize performance

    Identify and optimize performance bottlenecks in your application, such as database queries, network requests, or CPU-intensive operations. Use tools like profiling, load testing, and caching to enhance performance.

20. Implement proper logging and monitoring

    Monitor the health and performance of your Node.js applications using logging, metrics, and tracing. Tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or New Relic can assist in monitoring and diagnosing issues.

21. Regularly update dependencies

    The last on our list of Node JS best practices that you need to follow is to keep your project dependencies up to date to benefit from bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements. Regularly review and update your dependencies while considering compatibility and stability.

    To regularly update dependencies in a Node.js application, you can follow these steps:

    • Understand your project’s dependencies: Review the package.json file in your Node.js project to identify the dependencies and their versions. Note down any specific version constraints or compatibility requirements.
    • Monitor for updates: Regularly check for updates to your project’s dependencies. One way to do this is by using tools like npm-check or npm outdated. These tools provide information about outdated packages and their available updates.
    • Evaluate the updates: Assess the updates based on their release notes, changelogs, and documentation. It’s essential to understand any breaking changes, new features, or bug fixes introduced in the updated versions.
    • Update one dependency at a time: To minimize potential issues, update one dependency at a time instead of updating all dependencies simultaneously. This allows you to isolate and troubleshoot any compatibility or regression issues that may arise.
    • Update the package.json file: Manually update the version numbers of the dependencies you want to update in your package.json file. Alternatively, you can use the npm update command followed by the specific package name(s) to update them automatically.
    • Run tests and perform integration checks: After updating a dependency, run your application’s tests and perform integration checks to ensure everything still functions as expected. This step helps catch any compatibility or regression issues early on.
    • Resolve conflicts and compatibility issues: In case of conflicts or compatibility issues, you may need to adjust your application’s code to work with the updated dependency. This can involve making code flow changes, updating config files, or finding alternative packages that are compatible with your project.
    • Repeat the process: Regularly repeat steps 2 to 7 to keep your dependencies up to date. This helps ensure your application benefits from the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches.

Conclusion

To conclude, I must say that you need to follow the NodeJS best practices discussed in the article to ease the work of developers and business owners. Furthermore, following such practices for your business application development can efficiently boost business productivity.

By adequately implementing such Node best practices, your business application can automatically minimize JavaScript runtime errors and turn into a high-performance, robust node.js application and node process.

Still, if you’ve any queries regarding the Node.js development, feel free to contact Albiorix. We have a strong team of talented Node.js developers to help you build innovative and robust web applications.