NodeJs is an open-source JavaScript runtime environment for executing JavaScript code outside of a web browser. and build on chrome's v8 javascript engine.

History:

Node.js was created by Ryan Dahl, a software engineer who was tired of Apache HTTP server’s limitations. Ryan announced Node to the public at a JS conference in 2009, and he probably wasn’t expecting it to become one of the main driving forces behind the evolution of digital technology.

It is built on Google's V8 JavaScript engine. Node.js allows developers to use JavaScript on the server-side to build scalable, high-performance applications.

He took V8engine and embedded it in a C++ program and called it Node.exe later on became Nodejs.

Earlier In 1995 Netsscape written program called Netscape Enterprise Server which allowed Developer to run JavaScript at server side but it does not succeed.

It may not sound revolutionary now, but back in 2009 this was a huge step forward. Before that, the only place that you could run JavaScript programs was the browser. It was one of the big limitations that kept JavaScript from evolving, and limited it to being a language for front-end interactions in the browser.

With Node.js, this problem was eliminated, and you could run JS programs anywhere. You could finally use JavaScript for both client and server.

Two big things (and many smaller ones) happened after that:

• JS exploded in popularity as developers started using it to build full applications

• the web finally became a true medium of real-time, two-way communication

Usage:

It an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, which makes it well-suited for real-time, data-intensive applications

1. Server-side web development

2. Building networked applications

3. Building command-line tools and utilities

4. Building real-time applications such as chat apps, online games, and collaborative applications

5. Building IoT applications

6. Building backend APIs

Node.js is known for its high performance, scalability, and fast development due to its large and active community and its ability to handle large amounts of I/O operations efficiently.

Application:-

Some examples of applications built using Node.js are:

1. Netflix

2. PayPal

3. Uber

4. Trello

5. eBay

6. Medium

7. Walmart

8. LinkedIn

9. NASA

10. Groupon

These applications use Node.js for various purposes such as server-side rendering, real-time communication, data streaming, and building scalable and high-performance APIs.