Node.js: More Threads Than You Think

No, Node.js has not been single-threaded since the introduction of worker threads, which have been stable since Node.js version 10 in 2018. Worker threads allow for concurrent execution of JavaScript in a single process.

Node.js can handle traffic spikes in production by using the cluster module, which creates a master process to distribute incoming connections to worker processes. Additionally, using SO_REUSEPORT allows multiple processes to listen on the same port, improving load distribution.

SO_REUSEPORT is a feature that allows multiple processes to bind to the same port and the operating system's kernel to distribute incoming connections among these processes, improving load balancing and connection affinity.

Node.js applications can be efficiently scaled on Kubernetes by using a two-layer architecture: an ingress layer to route connections to pods, and within each pod, using VAT and SO_REUSEPORT for efficient load distribution among worker threads.

VAT improves performance over PM2 by avoiding the 30% overhead associated with inter-process communication in the PM2 cluster model, using SO_REUSEPORT for efficient load distribution, and providing higher throughput and reliability.

Yes, VAT supports WebSockets by handling connections at the kernel level, which is independent of the application protocol, allowing efficient management of WebSocket connections.

Yes, SO_REUSEPORT is not specific to web servers and can be used for any application that requires multiple processes to listen on the same port, benefiting from kernel-level load balancing.

A shared HTTP cache allows all workers within the same pod to share cached data, reducing redundant computations and improving response times by serving cached responses immediately, even if requests are handled by different workers.

VAT is a Node.js application server that uses SO_REUSEPORT for efficient load balancing. It supports features like built-in monitoring, logging, tracing, and health checks, and ensures zero downtime by managing worker threads efficiently.

Node.js worker threads allow each thread to have an independent event loop, enabling the handling of tasks independently without worrying about synchronization issues. This is especially beneficial for offloading CPU-intensive tasks from the main thread.