Tag 2022

How to Choose Between Python and Node.js

Python and Node.js are both popular programming languages that can be used to create web applications, with each being more suitable for certain types of projects. Many users choose to use one or the other, but what should they choose in 2023? It depends. With both languages being powerful and with technologies quickly changing, the choice ultimately comes down to your skill level, the project’s complexity, and budget.

What is Python?

Python is a popular general-purpose computer language with a wide variety of uses. It offers high-level data structures, dynamic type, dynamic binding, and many other features that make it ideal for complex program development and “glue code” that connects components. It can also run C or C++ applications and make system calls to practically any operating system. Python is a popular programming language due to its versatility and ability to operate on almost any system architecture.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is a JavaScript-based framework that may be used to create online chat applications, video streaming websites, single-page applications, and various other I/O-intensive web applications and web apps. It’s built on Google Chrome’s JavaScript V8 Engine and is utilized by both vast corporations and young businesses (Netflix, Paypal, NASA, and Walmart, to name a few).

Thousands of developers use Node.js because it is open-source and entirely free. It has several benefits over other server-side technologies like Java or PHP, making it a preferable option.

Comparing Python and Node.js

If you’re a developer, you’ll know that there are many options when it comes to choosing a language to write your code in. Node.js and Python are two of the most popular choices for developers—and a good reason.

Both Python and Node.js are powerful web development environments with a lot of potential for large and small-scale projects. Python and Node.js have their differences, of course, and choosing the right one for your project is all about knowing what makes each unique—and what you’ll need to create the project you have in mind.

Architecture

There are a few similarities between Python and Node.js regarding development architecture. Both utilize event-driven, non-blocking I/O (input/output) calls. This means that the programming language can handle multiple requests at once without the need to wait for previous requests to finish up.

This parallelism allows developers to complete tasks more efficiently while freeing up server resources that other processes would have used in earlier web development languages.

Python is also less resource-intensive than Node.js. The setup takes quicker and simpler since less space and resources are utilized. Node.js, on the other hand, requires more resources and takes longer to set up than Python.

Libraries

Libraries are responsible for the rapid advancement of app development technologies in recent decades. The Node Package Manager manages a large number of well-documented libraries in Node.js. NPM is the world’s biggest package repository, with over 350,000 packages.

Pip, which stands for ‘Pip Installs Packages,’ manages Python’s libraries. Python libraries are well-documented and simple to deploy, according to industry standards. This is often true, but not in the case of new libraries. New technologies are often less thoroughly documented than older technologies, making newer libraries less dependable.

With both technologies, you’ll have many alternatives for libraries and ancillary-development tools. Both are equally effective!

Error Handling

Nothing beats the feeling of writing error-free code. As a result, CTOs will always choose the language with the best error-handling methods. Finding faults and problems in the code might be time-consuming using Node.js’ parallel-processing functionality.

Python’s simpler syntax, low-code interface, and absence of concurrent processes help when looking for problems and mistakes in the code. As such, it makes it popular within the small business demographic..

If error handling is a critical factor in your selection, you may have already deduced that Python has a considerable advantage over Node.js.

Data Processing

This may seem to be a minor factor, but it is important. A language/environment with higher data processing capability is naturally more efficient and adaptable.

If your app’s use case requires a lot of data, Node.js should be your first pick. The runtime environment’s technology makes it excellent for programs where data is often transferred and managed. Python is sluggish in processing data because it has a basic syntax and just one thread running at a time.

Node.js is the more efficient competitor because of its parallel processing and smooth I/O operations.

Conclusion

As you can see, both languages are impressive and have numerous advantages. Developing an app in either of them is a wise choice, depending on the needs of your business. Both are easy to learn for experienced developers—but much more difficult for newbies.

Node.js is more versatile and has more development resources than Python did in 2011. It has one distinct advantage: it runs on JavaScript, the most popular programming language worldwide and most developers’ primary language. This makes Node.js accessible to a larger number of developers: not just Java and C++ users but also Python and JavaScript users.

This makes Node.js a valuable development tool for companies that need to reach a wide audience. Browse application of Python and Node.js development to find more information.

One of the best strategies of getting your digital product off the ground quickly and efficiently  is to outsource the development to an experienced software development company. Building a digital product like a mobile app or web-based application requires significant planning and investment, and while searching for the right company, you will notice there are thousands of companies to choose from. How can you truly decide which development partner is right for you?

8 Questions to ask before outsourcing your digital product development

Answers are only as good as the questions you ask, and if you ask poor questions, you are going to get poor answers. In this article, we have added 8 questions you should ask your potential developer. These will help you decide if the company you are talking to is right for your project.

1. Have you developed applications with similar solution types to my product?

The focus here is on the solution type. It is far more beneficial for you if the company has built products that offer the same solution you are looking for rather than just working in the same industry. Try and find out how the solutions in the application solved the business problems, and find similarities in your product.

2. Do you have in-house developers or do you outsource the work to other companies and freelancers?

There are some companies in the industry that will represent themselves as companies registered in the US, UK or Western Europe and their hourly rates are reflective of those countries, but they outsource the web development to third-party companies or freelancers from other countries. This can cause a major risk to your project because the company you deal with doesn’t have complete control over the workforce used, and there can be inconsistencies in the procedure.

3. How will you ensure to stay within my budget?

Beware if the answer is ‘a fixed price.’ It might seem like the safest choice for you but let’s consider why it could be the worst decision for your project. Most custom software development requires multiple developers to build multiple features over multiple months. No app is ever the same so it is impossible to know exactly how long it will take or how much it will cost.

If the web development company offers a fixed price, they either have enough profit margin to offset any delays, or “scope creep” meaning you are overpaying for their service. Or, they will run out of budget at some point in the development process and compromise the quality of the development process, or fail to deliver at all. The worst case scenario is that you end up in a bitter legal dispute half way through the project which forces you to pay extra for things which are ‘outside the scope’ creating a very bad business relationship.

Look for a developer which has a clear rate card and understands the team lineup required and can estimate the length of time required based on similar solution types (refer question 1).

4. Will I own the Intellectual Property rights and when will I get the source code?

If you have had a billion dollar idea and decided to invest in building a digital product, the worst possible outcome is to get to a point where you realize ‘in the fineprint’ that you don’t actually own the source code.

Ensure that the software development company has a clear process of transferring the Intellectual Property rights to you and that they have no legal rights of owning your source code. The process of regularly transferring the actual source code and ownership of it should be very clear.

Some companies will offer you favorable conditions in return for part ownership of the source code but you need to weigh up whether you want to give control of your source code to someone you do not really know. In some cases, this might be a good solution for your project but you should seek legal advice before going down this route.

5. What is your quality assurance process?

Some development companies may only have developers and don’t place a large emphasis on QA testing during the process. Many companies will offer testing services after the development has finished, but you should look for a company that treats testing as an integral part of the development process.

QA stands for Quality Assurance and if quality is to be assured, it is vital for QA engineers to understand the goals of the project from the very beginning so they can help create the right test scenarios and constantly perform tests throughout development.

6. What tech stack will be used for my project?

This is kind of a “trick question” to see how the company treats technical recommendations. Of course, based on your high-level requirements, a reputable software development company will already have an idea of what technology could be used to create your digital product. But, beware of a company that will push a certain tech on you from the very beginning without understanding the business goals of your project, or knowing the ‘pain points’ of the target users.

One technology solution may be better suited to one project but not suitable for the next. Technology should always be secondary to the business model. For instance, if a company only has React Native mobile developers, then they will try to push React Native as the ‘best’ solution for your project, when in reality when video conferencing features or Bluetooth integrations are required a native approach may be better. It is important for you, at this stage, to see if they are open to different technologies, how they will identify the most suitable tech and whether they have developers in multiple different technologies.

7. Will I have access to the team throughout the development process?

A common frustration for many people who decide to outsource their development is access to the team. Very often in custom software development, you need to ask questions, make changes, get updates and seek advice. This is almost impossible if you can’t speak to the team.

Not being able to speak to the team can be a result of a lack of language skills, teams scattered across multiple time zones or a lack of communication channels set up at the beginning of the development. If there is no regular contact with the team it can be difficult when things go wrong, and at a time when you need answers ‘radio silence’ is your worst enemy. Ensure there is a clear process for regular meetings, reports and access to the team.

8. Why should I work with you guys?

After getting answers to all the questions listed above, the final question to ask is “Why should I work with you guys?” If you are interviewing many reputable companies, the final decision of which company to work with can be really difficult. It may just come down to the rapport you have been able to build during the RFP process.

When they answer this question, listen out for things which differentiate their company to others you have spoken to. What you should be looking for is a partner that wants to work with you long-term and will become a crucial part of your business, can add value to your team and will help your business scale, so that in the future you can hire your own internal team to grow the product for years to come.

The software development process is never truly complete. Even once a project is declared market-ready, it’s closely monitored and improved, with frequent new fixes and releases.

But the fact remains: development teams must deliver software quickly, in spite of it being unfinished to an extent. Given the fast-changing nature of software, technology can become outdated — even obsolete — extremely quickly. Plus, businesses must stay ahead of the competition by reaching the market ahead of their peers.

So, how do you escalate the software development process without sacrificing quality? It is possible — as long as you follow these guidelines.

1. Establish Clear Requirements From the Get-go

This is a fairly straightforward one, but it’s important to mention nonetheless: establishing clear requirements at the beginning is pivotal to steering the project successfully. Without these goals and demands, you’ll lack direction, which can lead to confusion and detours. All of that will undoubtedly delay your project further. By clarifying goals and resolving errors later on you’ll be saving time.
In addition to defining the requirements, make sure every team member involved is aware of and understands each objective. Again, this will prevent delays due to confusion.

2. Define Your Strategy and Roadmap

Requirements don’t exist in a vacuum. You must also determine how you and your team plan to successfully address them. That is to say, what’s your strategy?

A roadmap, detailing every stage of the project and benchmarks you plan to achieve along the way toward ultimate delivery, will serve as a guide for you, allowing you to meet your objectives in a timely manner.

3. Have Standards in Place

While there are, of course, industry best practices to follow, having your own internal standards in place will also serve as a guide, establishing further goals for you to meet.

In order to ensure that everyone is on the same page and understands the standards you have established, write them down and post them in accessible locations, such as an internal server or intranet. Ask employees to confirm that they have read and understood them. Projects should always conform to your company standards as much as possible, although there should also be a certain degree of flexibility.

4. Divide the Project into Components

Any project can seem overwhelming when you’re looking at it as an entire entity. But breaking it down into smaller chunks will make it more manageable. Consider it as a collection of smaller parts, and assign small teams individual tasks to meet.

This will make the process more accessible for each team and team member, who will likely have greater success meeting smaller goals quicker than they would attempting to tackle a huge project as a whole all in one go. This will also lead to better quality since teams will be laser-focused on achieving strong outcomes for “mini” projects.

5. Properly Manage Technical Debt

Technical debt refers to opting for a solution or approach that is easier and less time-consuming but is ultimately a weaker solution than one that might take more time but lead to higher quality work. While this might seem like an optimal way to cut the hours spent on your project, it will end up hurting you later on. Think of it as a Band-Aid approach: it masks the current, obvious problem, but it doesn’t address the underlying, root causes.

In fact, technical debt will often result in longer project timelines, because you’ll more than likely have to go back and address problems later on. It can also cause these issues to escalate further. Unfortunately, you can’t get rid of technical debt altogether. So you need to manage properly, only resorting to it when absolutely necessary and always coming back to pay it at the first opportunity.

6. Keep Work in Progress to a Minimum

Of course, it’s impossible to reduce work in progress (WIP) to nothing. But it’s helpful to your timeline to limit it as much as possible. With too many components and tasks currently on the table, things can easily get disorganized, and team members will feel stressed and overwhelmed.

One way to better manage WIP and the overall project is to use a project-management tool, which will allow you to track progress and keep tasks moving through the pipeline efficiently, as well as note when there are too many pieces on the table at one time.

7. Keep It Lean

Ultimately, your project needs a clear focus so, in order to meet your mission, you should keep it as lean as possible. This means cutting out the clutter and staying driven and focused on your goals and meet the project requirements. Rather than spending time — or wasting time — on unnecessary tasks that are time-consuming but don’t actually lead to real results, focus your energy on the tasks and pieces that truly contribute to the bigger picture.

Using Agile methodologies can also help keep your operations lean and manageable. Avoid repetition that isn’t wholly necessary. Repeat testing often is necessary, for example, but dozens of in-person meetings to touch base are likely not.

8. Automate Wherever Possible

While not every task or process should be automated, automation is a critical tool to have at your disposal when you’re looking to speed up development. For example, it’s often used in testing, accompanying manual testing efforts.

Remember that automation requires skilled professionals to script processes like testing and that it’s not just a tool to deploy out of convenience. It must be used strategically where and when it makes sense for your project and team.

9. Expand Your Team

There may come a time when your existing team simply can’t accommodate a project of a particular scale. In that case, consider augmenting your current capabilities by adding more developers or other staff. Outsourcing is often a good option, especially if you have certain projects that require additional staff or are looking for special skill sets that don’t exist on your current team.

This will lead to a faster turnaround, since you’ll be better equipped to handle your workflow and will have the requisite skills to turnaround your product quickly.

Using a combination of these strategies, you can improve your efforts to accelerate the development process while maintaining a high standard of product and work — and help you reach the market faster while staying ahead of the curve.

A lot of frameworks are available online for you to develop the web application. In that, we will discuss the top two web frameworks here.

Let’s start with basics.

What is web framework?

Web application framework is a standard platform that helps developer to develop the web application with all included features like web resources, APIs, and web services. So, it aids you to run the web app successfully on online.

Since there are more frameworks, you have to identify the best one for your web app development project. To ease your work, I share the details about Laravel and Django, which are considered as one of the top web frameworks by the developers.

Uses of Framework:

Developers rely on framework for the following reasons:

• To increase security of web app
• Efficient platform to develop web app
• Cost is also minimal and saves development process time
• Supports web app with inbuilt tools and features.

Types of Framework:

Framework has two classifications like front-end and back-end framework.

A) Front-end Framework:

Front-end framework is an in-built JavaScript codes and rules that helps developer to build complex user-interfaces and guides to use HTML, CSS, and JS in easy way. The most popular front-end frameworks are Angular, React, Vue, etc., These three are having high rating between the developers.

B) Back-end Framework:

Back-end or server-side of the application is taken care by back-end framework, Similar to front-end, back-end framework has inbuilt resources to make the developers hassle free to develop the app. There are many popular back-end frameworks like Django, Laravel, ASP. Net core, Ruby on Rails, etc., In these, Django and Laravel has high developer community.

Hence, we will discuss, which suits your web application out of Django and Laravel.

Django

Django is a popular Python based framework used for rapid web app development. As it follows model-template-view architecture, it helps you to design pragmatic, clear and well-designed, and secured websites or web applications.

Django Features:

• Flexibility & versatility
• Easy management
• Scalable
• Fully featured
• Extremely fast
• Simplicity
• Free & open source
• Highly secure

The advantages are here:

Simple and Fast: The main reason for using Django is, it is simple at the same time, a fast web framework. You can reuse the certain set of features in Django for all projects without starting from scratch. Due to fast nature, you can complete the app development on time.

Secured Framework: All developers need secure platform to proceed their development task. In this case, Django is very secure and helps developers to stay away from issues like clickjacking, SQL injection, etc.,

Independent and Suitable Framework: Django is suitable for any type of web development project from small to large resources. Also, it is independent. (i.e.,) it is a cross platform framework that works on multiple platforms like Mac, Linux, or PC.

Laravel

Laravel was first prompted in 2011 by Taylor Otwell with the most upscale traffic-related features. Laravel development is proficient and quick as compared to other CMSs because of Model View Control architecture.

Laravel Features:

• Artisan CLI
• Modular Packaging
• Elegant & Expressive Syntax
• Free & Open source
• Query Builder
• Restful controllers
• Eloquent ORM
• Application logic
• Class autoloading
• Reverse routing
• Template engine

The advantages are here:

Easy to Learn: With the vast community support and well-written documentation, even beginners can easily learn and use the Laravel framework.

Advanced Tools: Laravel is embedded with numerously inbuilt features such as Artisan CLI that facilitate seamless command-line application development.

Updated PHP Features: You can access some of the latest PHP features with Laravel, including Interfaces, Overloading, etc.,

Laravel vs Django: Which Framework to Choose?

Here is the comparison between Laravel and Django –

Conclusion

We examined numerous aspects of both web frameworks. Between the Laravel and Django – we can’t announce a winner, period. Both the platforms are highly functional and robust, so we can’t conclude a winner. But, based on your requirements, you can pick best one for your forthcoming project. To summarize,

Django is a programming language that can be used to create web applications:

• For developing dynamic and personalized social media networks, AI-ML applications, and more.
• Developing safe B2B applications
• Applications of Data Science
• Education, research, scientific, and other software packages.

Laravel, on the other hand, is a perfect choice if you wish to build:

• Application on a small scale
• CSS and JavaScript web applications that are tailored to your needs
• Interactive content applications
• On a tighter budget, an advanced application.
• Projects involving technology, art, entertainment, and other topics.

React JS is the front-end development tool for any software developer who wants to work with the most friendly virtual browser. It helps to developers creating interactive UIs, offering a step-by-step process that seamlessly moves from less to more complicated elements.

Why Developers Prefer React JS

React JS allows developers to create large web applications that can change data without reloading the page. Whether they consider it a framework or a library, some of the reasons top engineers say they prefer the tool include:

1. When used with JavaScript extensions (JSX), React makes it easier for developers to interact with a browser.
2. It offers a smooth learning curve, as it only deals with the view layer of a web page. That makes it easier to learn than its most common counterpart, Angular.
3. Access to a large community of experts to help them solve any problems or issues.
4. Its independent, reusable bits of code can be reused in other parts of an app. So instead of the complications that often occur in system upgrades with reusable components, React’s isolated components mean a change in one doesn’t carry forward to others.
5. Virtual document object models (DOMs) allow for quick and efficient updates, saving developers a ton of time.
6. Its unidirectional data binding provides higher control over data access of components, making debugging and error-checking much more efficient.

Now over a decade old, React js remains relevant and is highly recommended by professionals for web development.

React JS and Node JS: The Perfect All-JavaScript Combo

Node js is an open-source, JavaScript runtime environment that uses the Google V8 JavaScript engine to execute code. Its built-in library acts as a web server without software like IIS or Apache HTTP Server.

Because Node js and React js are both JavaScript languages, they can be executed both client-side and server-side. This can prove to be exceptionally beneficial to developers and development teams with JavaScript experience.

Walmart was among the first of the big players to benefit from using React js with Node js, using the pairing to power their eCommerce website. It resulted in fast loading website and gaining improvement in branding and the retail giant to transform its online platform into a global marketplace.

Combing Node js with React js help small to large enterprises in performance-critical, SEO-friendly web apps, drastically cut down on server resources and impressively increase processing speeds.

Along with the ability to build universal apps running js code on the client and server sides, developers like using Node js on the back-end of their React apps as it allows them to:

• Utilize React DOM components specifically designed to work with Node.js.
• Employ Node.js modules to bundle the React app into a single file.
• Accelerate the web app development cycle.
• Use JSON and MongoDB databases to avoid data transformation.

Node js is an extremely light programming language that’s ideal for data-driven apps which need flawless functioning. Combining React js and Node js is generally always a perfect pairing, as it makes it easier to maintain large applications and improves readability across various devices.

Key Takeaways

Businesses that want to develop smooth, fast-running applications should seriously consider the combination of React js and Node js. This JavaScript fusion gives them an opportunity to use pre-loaded open-source libraries to make efficient, user-friendly applications that are also on-trend and high-performing.

In today’s highly-competitive tech environment, brands are looking to compete with cost-effective solutions that engage customers on the devices they use most. Depending on client’s needs, ReactJs developers at Rootsquare Technologies build the high-performance applications to beat the competition using React js and Node js. And their years of experience ensure the process is as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.

Get in touch with us today to learn more and meet your tech goals.