In this State of Node.js event, our panelists discussed updates, LTS releases and APIs with Node.js maintainers, technical steering committee members and collaborators, and much more.
In this wrap-up, we will take a deeper look into these latest developments and explore what is on the horizon for Node.js. You can watch the full State of Node.js event on the This Dot Media YouTube Channel.
Here is a complete list of the host and panelists that participated in this online event.
Hosts:
- Tracy Lee, CEO, This Dot Labs, @ladyleet
- James Snell, Node.js Foundation Technical Steering Committee, @jasnell
Panelists:
- Beth Griggs, Senior Software Engineer, Red Hat, Node.js TSC Member, @BethGriggs_
- Matteo Collina, Co-Founder and CTO of Platformatic.dev, Node.js TSC member, @matteocollina
- Michael Dawson, Node.js Lead, Red Hat and IBM, @mhdawson1
General state of Node.js
Michael kicks off the conversation saying there are a lot of things happening with Node.js right now. There were over a billion downloads last year alone, and it is continuing to grow.
Beth talked about the major release of Node v20 coming out in April. Node 14 end of life is coming at the end of April.
Matteo talked about two micro conferences happening this year for Node.js. One will be in North America in Vancouver in May, and the other one is in September in Bilbao.
Updates from specific working groups
Michael talks about spinning up a uvwasi team. The wasi is the web assembly system interface. It’s not only used in Node, but in other projects like grain. It’s a key component of wasm support.
Michael also talks about how the Node.js API team has been great for building long term contributors. If you’re interested in add-ons and native code, it is a friendly group to get involved with.
Beth talks about other ways folks can contribute to Node.js. She talks about a redesign of the website that happened recently. The main website has been migrated over to Next.js.
Matteo talks about a massive PR that is open right now about the new loader API. There is a lot of effort being put into this with a lot of contributors. This new loader will replace the - - hack.
New Features
Michael talks about the single executable application that enables bundling code into the Node.js binaries without having to build it. He also mentions process permissions. These are two big new experimental features right now.
Beth talks about the built-in test runner. It allows you to throw some scripts together, and get some simple tests without having to deal with dependable warnings for a mod.
End of Event
Each panelist takes time to go over what they are currently doing on their own. Beth is working in security for releases, and takes time to talk about everything there.
Michael is working with the Node API, which is a long-term working project. James is work on standard APIs and also bringing interoperability with Node, Bun, and Dino.
Finally, Matteo is working on getting Platformatic going.
Conclusion
The conversation went in depth about the state of Node.js, and what is being done in the new releases as well as experimental updates. The panelists were very engaged, and were great at bringing up ways to get involved with the Node community. You can watch the full State of Node.js event on the This Dot Media Youtube Channel.
