Web Dev//runtime//Node.js

JavaScript runtime for servers. Uses V8 as the engine + adds APIs that don't exist in the browser: filesystem, networking, crypto, child processes.

JavaScript runtime for servers. Uses V8 as the engine + adds APIs that don't exist in the browser: filesystem, networking, crypto, child processes.

A Node.js process runs 24/7 waiting for requests (traditional server model)

npx and npm are Node.js ecosystem tools

Express is the most popular web framework for Node.js

Contrast with Workers: Node.js is a persistent process with system access; Workers are ephemeral functions with cloud service access

Wrangler locally simulates what a Node.js/Express server would do, but runs code in an environment that mimics Cloudflare -- same code, same result, without Node as the server