nodejs/doc/contributing/technical-priorities.md

Technical Priorities

This list represents the current view of key technical priorities recognized by the project as important to ensure the ongoing success of Node.js. It is based on an understanding of the Node.js constituencies and their needs.

The initial version was created based on the work of the Next-10 team and the mini-summit on August 5th 2021.

They will be updated regularly and will be reviewed by the next-10 team and the TSC on a 6-month basis.

Version from the mini-summit on October 1st 2022.

Modern HTTP

Present in: 2021

Base HTTP support is a key component of modern cloud-native applications and built-in support was part of what made Node.js a success in the first 10 years. The current implementation is hard to support and a common source of vulnerabilities. We must work towards an implementation which is easier to support and makes it easier to integrate the new HTTP versions (HTTP3, QUIC) and to support efficient implementations of different versions concurrently.

Suitable types for end-users

Present in: 2021

Using typings with JavaScript can allow a richer experience when using Visual Studio Code (or any other IDEs) environments, more complete documentation of APIs and the ability to identify and resolve errors earlier in the development process. These benefits are important to a large number of Node.js developers (maybe 50%). Further typing support may be important to enterprises that are considering expanding their preferred platforms to include Node.js. It is, therefore, important that the Node.js project work to ensure there are good typings available for the public Node.js APIs.

Documentation

Present in: 2021

The current documentation is great for experienced developers or people who are aware of what they are looking for. On the other hand, for beginners this documentation can be quite hard to read and finding the desired information is difficult. We must have documentation that is suitable for beginners to continue the rapid growth in use. This documentation should include more concrete examples and a learning path for newcomers.

WebAssembly

Present in: 2021

The use of WebAssembly has been growing over the last few years. To ensure Node.js continues to be part of solutions where a subset of the solution needs the performance that WebAssembly can deliver, Node.js must provide good support for running WebAssembly components along with the JavaScript that makes up the rest of the solution. This includes implementations of “host” APIs like WASI.

ES Modules (ESM)

Present in: 2021

The CommonJS module system was one of the key components that led to the success of Node.js in its first 10 years. ESM is the standard that has been adopted as the equivalent in the broader JavaScript ecosystem and Node.js must continue to develop and improve its ESM implementation to stay relevant and ensure continued growth for the next 10 years.

Support for features from the latest ECMAScript spec

JavaScript developers are a fast moving group and need/want support for new ES JavaScript features in a timely manner. Node.js must continue to provide support for up to date ES versions to remain the runtime of choice and to ensure its continued growth for the next 10 years.

Observability

Present in: 2021

The ability to investigate and resolve problems that occur in applications running in production is crucial for organizations. Tools that allow people to observe the current and past operation of the application are needed to support that need. It is therefore important that the Node.js project work towards well understood and defined processes for observing the behavior of Node.js applications as well as ensuring there are well supported tools to implement those processes (logging, metrics and tracing). This includes support within the Node.js runtime itself (for example generating heap dumps, performance metrics, etc.) as well as support for applications on top of the runtime. In addition, it is also important to clearly document the use cases, problem determination methods and best practices for those tools.

Better multithreaded support

Present in: 2021

Today's servers support multiple threads of concurrent execution. Node.js deployments must be able to make full and efficient use of the available resources. The right answer is often to use technologies like containers to run multiple single threaded Node.js instances on the same server. However, there are important use cases where a single Node.js instance needs to make use of multiple threads to achieve a performant and efficient implementation. In addition, even when a Node.js instance only needs to consume a single thread to complete its work there can be issues. If that work is long running, blocking the event loop will interfere with other supporting work like metrics gathering and health checks. Node.js must provide good support for using multiple threads to ensure the continued growth and success of Node.js.

Single Executable Applications

Node.js often loses out to other runtimes/languages in cases where being able to package a single, executable application simplifies distribution and management of what needs to be delivered. While there are components/approaches for doing this, they need to be better documented and evangelized so that this is not seen as a barrier for using Node.js in these situations. This is important to support the expansion of where/when Node.js is used in building solutions.

Serverless

Serverless is a cloud computing model where the cloud provider manages the underlying infrastructure and automatically allocates resources as needed. Developers only need to focus on writing code for specific functions, which are executed as individual units of work in response to events. Node.js is one of the main technology used by developers in this field therefore it is crucial for us to provide a great solution.

Small footprint

Small software footprints refer to software that has a minimal impact on system resources such as memory and processing power. This can be achieved through various methods such as optimizing code, reducing the number of dependencies, or using lightweight frameworks. Smaller footprints can lead to faster startup times, reduced memory usage, and improved overall system performance. This is fundamental for Node.js to be a lightweight proposition inside the ecosystem as it is used across a wild variety of projects, from web application to IoT and serverless.

Developers-first DX

Developer experience (DX) refers to the overall experience a developer has when working with a software development platform, framework, or tool. It encompasses all aspects of the developer's interactions with the system, from installation and configuration to writing code and debugging. A good DX prioritizes ease of use, efficiency, and productivity, and can lead to faster development times, higher quality code, and greater developer satisfaction. Factors that can impact DX include documentation, community support, testing tools, and integration with other systems. As TypeScript usage continues to grow and gains more prominence in the ecosystem, enhancing its support is essential for delivering an improved developer experience for newcomers and experienced users alike.

Package management

The ability to easily install and manage dependencies and development tools is a key part of the user experience, and for that reason Node.js must provide a package manager as part of its distribution. Node.js includes npm for this purpose. This is for historical reasons — when npm was added in 2011, it was the only JavaScript package manager — and because it is the reference implementation for the npm registry, which is the de facto primary source for most JavaScript software. In accordance with our policy of not including multiple dependencies or tools that serve the same purpose, the Node.js project does not include any other package managers; though it may include other software to download other package managers.