Can Nodejs be used for mobile app development?
Yes, Node.js can be used for mobile app development but only on the backend of a mobile app. You can use Nodejs on the backend with either React Native, Flutter, NativeScript, Ionic Framework, or Cordova on the front end.
You can also use Android Studio, Xcode, or other native platforms for the frontend development of your mobile app and use Nodejs to serve and process data through API requests.
Since its development in 2009, Node.js has grown in popularity usage to become the most popular and commonly used server-side technology. According to a Stack Overflow Survey of 2022, Nodejs is used by 47.12% of professional developers.
Nodejs is also one of the most loved server-side implementations. It is loved by 67.36% of professional developers versus 32.64 of developers who dreaded it.
Node.js is used to build full-stack web applications using Javascript. You can also use Node.js to build backend services for mobile and desktop applications. Node.js is a very good choice for Real-time applications.
Nodejs is good for rapid development, it is a very good choice for the backend services of mobile applications, you will be able to build scalable applications quickly with only Javascript code. This is why Nodejs has become a popular choice for server-side applications.
Node.js is commonly used in the Javascript stack such as the MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node) and MEAN (MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node) Stack. To make it easy to work with Node.js, frameworks such as Express.js, Sails.js, Koa.js, etc. are popularly used.
Nodejs is used by a lot of websites and mobile applications such as LinkedIn, PayPal, GoDaddy, Walmart, Rakuten, Mozilla, Uber, Microsoft, Netflix, SAP, Twitter, Groupon, Medium, IBM, eBay, Trello, Amazon Web Services, and many others.
CAN I USE NODE.JS WITH REACT NATIVE?
Yes, Node.js and React Native make a perfect combination. All you need is to be good with Javascript. By using Node.js and React Native, you will be writing Javascript for both the server-side and the client-side of your mobile apps. You can use React Native on the client-side of your app and Node.js can be used on the backend.
CAN I USE NODE.JS WITH FLUTTER?
Yes, you can use Node.js with Flutter easily. Using APIs that you can develop in Node.js, you can access all the data that you need in your Flutter app. You can use Flutter on the client-side of your app and Node.js can be used on the backend.
CAN I USE NODE.JS WITH IONIC?
Yes, Nodejs is a server-side technology that you can use to develop the backend services of your Ionic applications. You will not be able to use Node.js directly in Ionic, but you can get all the data you need from Node.js using HTTP requests.
WHAT ARE ALTERNATIVES TO NODE.JS FOR MOBILE APP BACKEND?
There are many alternatives to Django for developing backend services for mobile applications. You can either use server-side programming languages or server-side web frameworks. Here are some of the popular ones.
PYTHON
Python is a great choice for making backends for mobile applications. There are many python frameworks that you can use, popular ones include Django, Flask, FastAPI, and CherryPy. Django is the most popular Python framework for making server-side applications.
Django can be used for mobile app development but only on the backend of a mobile app. You can use the Django Rest Frame on the backend with either React Native, Flutter, Ionic, or Cordova on the frontend.
Since its development in 2003, Django has grown in popularity usage to become the most popular python web framework. According to a Stack Overflow Survey of 2022, Django is loved by 53.10% of professional developers versus 46.90% of developers who dreaded it.
Django is used to build full-stack web applications using the. You can also use Django to build backend services for mobile and desktop applications. Django was used to build the backend for the popular social media platform Instagram.
PHP
PHP is the most popular server-side programming language, it powers more server-side applications on the internet than the rest of the server-side programming languages put together.
According to statistics from w3techs.com, “PHP is used by 77.5% of all the websites whose server-side programming language we know.” This makes a great choice of backend services for mobile applications, especially if you want to serve the same data for both website and mobile app users.
To make your development process easy, quick, and well structured, you can use PHP frameworks such as Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, Slim, Zend, Phalcon, CakePHP, and many others. These frameworks will help you to quickly and easily make backend services for your mobile app.
RUBY
Since its invention in 1995 by Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto of Japan, Ruby has grown in popularity and usage to become the third most widely used server-side programming language after PHP and ASP.NET.
According to statistics from w3techs.com, “Ruby is used by 5.9% of all the websites whose server-side programming language we know.” This makes it a great choice for making backend services for mobile applications.
Ruby on Rails is a popular choice for many startups working on mobile apps. It makes developing backends for mobile apps simple, straightforward, and quick. It has been used by companies such as Airbnb, Shopify, Twitter, Github, Basecamp, Dribbble, Hulu, Kickstarter, Zendesk, Fiverr, SoundCloud, and many others.
Its syntax is simple, elegant, and English-like, similar to that of Python. Getting started with Ruby and Ruby on Rails for app development is very easy and you will serve a lot of development time by using this language and its framework.
GO
GO is another popular choice for making backends for mobile applications. It is an open-source programming language supported by Google, Go is used to power fast and scalable applications. Some of the companies using Go are shown in the image below.
ASP.NET
ASP.NET is the second most used server-side implementation after PHP, it is used to build fast, secure, and scalable applications. You can also use ASP.NET to develop REST APIs for a range of clients, including browsers and mobile applications.
ASP.NET used the .NET and C# programming language. Some of the companies using ASP.NET include Stack Overflow, GoDaddy, Tencent, Siemens Healthineers, VQ communications, LightSail, AstroReality, and many others.
CONCLUSION
It can be seen that Node.js is very popular for making backend services for mobile applications. You can use Node.js with any mobile app development platform such as React Native, Flutter, Ionic, Cordova, or other native platforms.
If you are a big fan of Javascript, using Node.js and React Native will make a very good combination. You will work with only Javascript from start to finish.