Pro Node.js Concepts: Part 2

Asynchronous Operations, Handling Backpressure, and Leveraging Worker Threads

Alex and Jordan were riding high on their successful Node.js project, which was gaining traction rapidly. But as traffic grew, they began noticing troubling signs — some requests were taking longer to process, others were timing out entirely, and memory usage was creeping up. Jordan was puzzled. “We’re using asynchronous code everywhere. Isn’t that supposed to keep everything running smoothly?” Alex, with years of experience under their belt, knew better. “Asynchronous programming is powerful, but it’s not magic. If you don’t manage it properly, you can still run into serious bottlenecks, especially with issues like backpressure. Let’s dig into the advanced techniques you need to avoid these problems.”

1. The Asynchronous Event Loop: Beyond the Basics

Node.js’s asynchronous, non-blocking nature is one of its biggest strengths, allowing it to handle many connections simultaneously. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s immune to bottlenecks. The Event Loop, while efficient, has its limits. If tasks aren’t managed properly, even non-blocking code can lead to performance degradation.

Understanding Task Prioritization: The Event Loop manages several phases…