In 2020, Forbes listed Node.js among the most effective backend web development technologies. Two years later, the platform is still at the hearing—with more than 6.3M websites using Node.js, it becomes the most widely utilized web development tool in the US. Global enterprises like eBay and PayPal that hire Node.js programmers have already considerably reduced the response time of their applications. Among the other value they gain are quicker product delivery, easier solution scalability, and faster pivoting.
The technology solves a lot of business challenges—so more and more vendors go nearshore and offshore to find skilled specialists. But what makes a seasoned Node.js developer? And how to choose a reliable vendor that will ensure the highest service quality from Product Discovery to the final release? Keep reading to discover these and other insights.
What are the essential features of qualified Node.js developers?
The number of Node.js programmers is growing as more businesses want to utilize the technology’s benefits. As a result, it might be challenging to pick the right experts for your project. Here are the criteria that will help you find and hire Node.js developers who apply the best coding practices and are able to develop robust web solutions of any type:
Hands-on tech skills
If you decided to hire Node.js developers, the first thing to pay attention to is their tech competency. Here’s a checklist of essential tools and expertise that seasoned Node.js programmers should possess:
- Node.js and Node.js API features (streams, events, http/net, buffers, memory profiling, and management);
- Multithreading (Cluster Mode, Worker Threads);
- Async programming (Event Loop) and runtime optimization (V8, libuv, ThreadPool);
- Databases, including:
- Relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL);
- NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Redis, DynamoDB);
- ORMs (Type ORM, Sequelize, Mongoose);
- Web application frameworks: Nest.js, Next.js, Express;
- Frontend technologies, including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS frontend frameworks (React and Vue js and Angular);
- DevOps-related tools, namely Infrastructure as a Code software (Terraform, CloudFormation), and CI/CD pipeline tools (Jenkins, GitLab);
- Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform;
- Different types of tests, namely unit, integration, functional, and end-to-end (optionally).
Professional certifications
Do you want to partner with seasoned Node.js developers that will be able to implement complex applications with a diverse set of features? It would be a plus if you find engineers with professional accreditations—these prove that the expert possesses a broad range of skills around JavaScript as well as has the practical knowledge of the best practices. Among the popular accreditations useful for Node.js engineers are AWS Cloud, MongoDB and PostgreSQL certifications, as well as frontend-related certifications.
High qualification level
Another important aspect to consider when building your Node.js engineering team is the average seniority level of your tech experts. With experienced Node.js programmers by your side, you are more likely to come up with high-performance web applications without multiple redevelopments. To ensure effective and timely solution delivery, try to hire Node js developers of Middle and Senior levels with 5+ years of proven experience in the field.
For example, at N-iX, an average Senior specialist has over six years of experience, while Node.js developers of the Middle level—around five. The vendor’s Lead engineers have at least seven years of experience in building web applications in a Node.js environment.
What features differentiate a trustworthy Node.js development company?
The high demand for web development has encouraged a large number of tech enterprises to put Node.js development on their service list. For instance, if you opt for outsourcing to Poland, you’ll have to select among 370+ engineering vendors who specialize in Node.js. Choosing a credible Node js.development service provider among a wide range of companies might become a tough task. Therefore, we listed key characteristics of a reliable vendor that can help you hire Node.js developers quickly and seamlessly:
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An extended list of Node.js-related services
Before you start your search for a tech vendor, get clear on your key business requirements and see if they align with the Node.js development services offered by the company. Figure out what type of application you want to build and outline the required features and functionalities. Node.js programmers mostly deal with the implementation of web applications from scratch, migration of your existing application from any framework to Node.js, or tech consulting.
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The vendor’s size
When it comes to choosing a tech vendor among a long list of Node.js development companies, the size does matter. If you want to ensure a quick project launch, prioritize midsize and large companies with 500+ experts on board. Major enterprises usually have access to more Node.js engineers as well as optimized development processes. High workforce accessibility and agile development enable you to hire Node.js developers very quickly and set off projects of any complexity within short terms. Moreover, look for tech enterprises with a renowned employer brand—qualified developers are more likely to join a company with a positive employer image. For instance, N-iX appeared on numerous top employer rankings including the Forbes list.
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Multidimensional Node.js expertise
To make sure that your Node.js application development company will turn your idea into a success story, you have to research their industry expertise. An engineering vendor with a track record of fruitful projects in yours or a related industry is more likely to deliver sustainable business value for your enterprise.
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Robust data protection and security policies
Effective data protection and security practices are essential characteristics of reliable Node.js development companies. Before shaking hands with a potential tech partner, check out if they comply with the recognized international regulations such as ISO 27001:2013, ISO 9001:2015, GDPR, and PCI DSS. In addition, your Node.js web development company should have a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan in place that covers business resilience strategies for various disaster scenarios.
Related: How to ensure secure software development in the time of remote
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Rich Node.js portfolio
It is vital that your Node.js web development company has vast experience in applying best practices while implementing their solutions. Research the vendor’s case studies to find out about the technologies they used in business cases similar to yours and what value they delivered. You might also look up your potential partner at credible B2B review resources such as Clutch and read real client reviews and testimonials.
Once you find an engineering vendor that fits all these criteria and hire Node.js developers with the necessary technical expertise, you might be sure that the collaboration will be effective and rewarding. Let’s discover how N-iX brought sustainable business value to a global provider of stock photography by implementing and modernizing interactive and scalable web solutions.
Read more: Partner with the best ReactJS development company with these five steps
Success story: Modernizing legacy solutions for a global stock image and media platform
The client is a global technology providing a platform for purchasing and selling high-quality assets and services for content-making, including images, video, music, and editing tools. Since the enterprise rapidly expanded its customer base with new users and corporate clients, they needed to perform an all-encompassing modernization of a large range of systems and apps.
N-iX has formed a strong team of Node.js developers to deal with the optimization of the client’s legacy application. However, during the thorough analysis of the existing tool, we concluded that the most effective solution would be to design and develop a new admin platform from scratch. Our tech specialists implemented the Node.js proxy backend for the admin tool that interacted with the underlying services and a set of frontend applications based on a custom library.
Another major part of the project scope was the optimization and modernization of a platform for companies that need custom media content. To upgrade the solution, N-iX developers used Node.js, Express.js, and React. The application collected the user’s requirements and delegated the requests to the contributors who best match their needs. First of all, the N-iX engineering team implemented two-factor authentication using Google Authenticator as well as set up AWS infrastructure management. Moreover, we performed load testing of the solution’s core and replaced EC2 instances with the best types/families suited for the particular type of load. As a result, N-iX enhanced the system’s performance and minimized expenses on the existing infrastructure. The numbers speak for themselves—the client reduced computational AWS resources cost by 75% compared to the initial solution.
As a result of cooperation, our client enhanced its business operations in multiple dimensions:
- Optimized the client’s internal operations by managing users with the help of the custom admin platform;
- Enhanced the system’s security by implementing two-factor authentication and encrypting the sensible user data at rest;
- Improved the customer experience by enhancing the system’s performance;
- Significantly decreased infrastructure costs by conducting load tests and replacing EC2 instances.
Why to choose N-iX to provide you with high-quality Node.js development services?
- N-iX is a global software engineering company with 21+ years of market experience in end-to-end software development and tech consulting;
- Our tech team consists of 2,200+ qualified experts well-versed in Cloud-native development, DevOps, IoT, Business Intelligence, UI/UX design, and more services;
- We’ve worked with clients across numerous industries including finance, telecommunications, retail, e-commerce, and stock photography;
- Our engineers ensure high-level quality control of delivered Node.js solutions;
- N-iX adheres to international regulations and compliances, such as ISO 27001:2013, PCI DSS, ISO 9001:2015, and GDPR;
- N-iX has been repeatedly recognized by CRN among the leading solution providers in North America in their ratings, including Solution Provider 500 and CRN Fast Growth 150.
