The Top 12 Node.js-Powered Websites and Applications

Node.js: What is it?

Node.js is a server-side, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment integrated into Google’s V8 engine. It is free and open-source software. The OpenJS Foundation, which was formerly the Node.js Foundation and later merged with the JS Foundation, provides support for this open-source environment. The Linux Foundation’s Collaborative Projects initiative provides ongoing support for the OpenJS Foundation.

It was developed and published by Ryan Dahl in 2009, and millions of developers use it today to run server-side scripts and construct more scalable websites and apps. For large projects, this makes it the perfect choice.

Let’s now examine the biggest websites created in server-side runtime environments using Node.js.

15 Node.js-built Websites and Apps

Here is a list of fifteen major corporations who develop their products on Node.js.

1. PayPal

PayPal, one of the world’s first financial technology businesses, has over 377 million users who send and receive money globally. In addition, PayPal is accessible in more than 200 nations and is compatible with 25 different currencies.

An essential component of the PayPal architecture is Node.js. It enables developers to scale solutions more rapidly and simply, enabling teams to work more swiftly and powering web applications. Consequently, this also enhances the user experience.

Constructed using:

Front-end: JavaScript, HTML, and CSS

Back-end: Express, Kraken.js, and Node.js

2. LinkedIn

The first and biggest professional social network in history is currently owned by Microsoft, a behemoth in the IT industry.

One of the most successful and well-liked serial entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman, established and launched LinkedIn as an online resume service. It has developed into a vast and rapidly expanding professional social network where users can identify job openings, advertise themselves and their work, and obtain new business leads.

Originally, Ruby on Rails was used to build LinkedIn. However, because of the platform’s scalability, they eventually moved to Node.js for a number of essential purposes. Node.js runs code 20 times faster than Rails when compared to RoR.

Moreover, Node.js requires a lot fewer servers. Node.js only requires three servers, compared to Rails’ possible thirty. As a result, Node.js is faster and more fluid, and as LinkedIn grew, it required fewer servers to provide the same application functionality and user experience.

Constructed using:

Front-end: Bootstrap, React, HTML, CSS

Back-end: Dynamic Discovery (D2), Rest.li, and Node.js

Technologies for databases: Voldermort data store, Hadoop, and Espresso

3. Wall Street Journal Online

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), America’s preeminent business and investment media outlet, has a digital portal called Wall Street Journal Online. With a natural concentration on Wall Street, investments, currencies, futures, pensions, and other financial assets, it is THE most reputable and trustworthy source in the business and finance sector.

Scalability and speed are required due to the magnitude of this website and other online assets that Dow Jones manages. Developers at Dow Jones and Wall Street Journal Online can create and release new features more quickly than they could in the past by using Node.js.

Additionally, readers and website visitors will receive features, pages, and other functionality more quickly as a result. Advertisers, who want to make sure their ads reach the correct audience at the right time without compromising the quality or speed at which pages load, can also gain from this.

Constructed using:

Front-end: Next.js, React, HTML, CSS

Node.js for the back end.

Database technologies: Lambda, DynamoDB, and AWS S3.

4. Yahoo

One of the first search engines and media conglomerates, Yahoo! also operates a number of media brands and portals in addition to other services like Mail (email). It offers a variety of platforms, or portals, for financial, sports, news, entertainment, local advertising, weather, and other information sources.

Yahoo, being one of the most popular websites, has a quick and scalable architecture. The use of Node.js in various essential products, including Answers and Screen, is crucial.

Constructed using:

Front-end: Redux, React, HTML, CSS

Backend: Node.js

Technologies for databases: Vespa and Redis.

5. Medium

Created as a novel approach to writing, publishing, and reading online. Evan Williams, a former co-founder of Blogger (acquired by Google in 2003), launched Medium. In addition to giving everyone with an account on Medium the ability to write and publish articles—including several businesses—it also acts as a media platform for periodicals and online magazines.

The primary app servers are still written in Node.js, despite the fact that the technology stack has changed and grown since it was first developed. A greater variety of solutions are frequently added when apps and websites develop in order to expand their usefulness and architecture. Nevertheless, Node.js was used to construct a vital component of Medium’s architecture, and it still plays a significant role.

Constructed using:

Front-end: Next.js, React, HTML, CSS.

Back end: Go, Node.js.

Amazon DynamoDB and Redis are database technologies.

6. Shutterstock

One of the first online picture repositories, Shutterstock also has a huge selection of films and music. On the platform, there are more than a million contributors and 300 million photos and videos. One billion downloads have been made thus far by businesses and people using the photos and movies that producers have uploaded. With 21 language translations on the website, it is accessible in 150 countries.

Naturally, a quick server-side environment is required for distributing so much content (pictures and movies) to a worldwide audience. This is guaranteed by Node.js, which is why it continues to be crucial to Shutterstock’s architecture.

Constructed using:

Front-end: JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.

Back-end: Go, Java, Perl, Node.js.

Database technologies: MemSQL and MariaDB.

7. Ancestry 

The largest online genealogy company in the world, Ancestry.com, operates a number of brands that assist consumers in learning about their ancestors, finding cemeteries, purchasing newspapers that support ancestry research, and testing DNA for a more in-depth look into your family history.

With 3 million paying clients, over 18 million DNA kits sold, and a library of over 10 billion historical records, speed and secure scalability are critical. FindAGrave and AncestryDNA are two of the primary trademarks they still own, and both businesses are expanding under the new owners, the massive private equity firm The Blackstone Group.

Constructed using:

Front-end: JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.

Node.js for the back end.

8. Zendesk 

As TechCrunch noted in 2013, Zendesk, a provider of customer service software, has progressively ascended to the “Top Of The Helpdesk Heap.” It currently employs 3,750 people worldwide, has 170,000 paying clients, and generates $1 billion in sales annually. It offers a selection of customer support and helpdesk software tools, premium call and chat services for bigger teams, and chatbot services driven by artificial intelligence.

In the server-side environment, Node.js is crucial to the efficient delivery of services to clients at scale.

Constructed using:

Front-end: React, HTML, and CSS.

Node.js for the back end.

technologies for databases: Redis, Amazon S3, and MySQL.

9. Groupon 

Groupon was the most well-known daily deal website for a while, and it continues to grow effectively as a publicly traded business, making about $3 billion annually.Groupon functions as a bidirectional marketplace that offers businesses’ deals to consumers. It is present in 150 cities worldwide.

Groupon required a software stack that could rapidly and efficiently provide what consumers and website visitors needed because of the size of its audience. They use Node.js as a crucial part of the server-side infrastructure as a result. Constructed using:

Front-end: Ember.js, CSS, and HTML.

Back-end: Java, Go, Node.js.

Technologies for databases: MySQL

10. Quizlet 

Quizlet is an e-learning program that offers a range of learning tools and games, including flashcards. It is currently available in 16 languages and is accessible in 130 countries worldwide. With several countries closing their schools in 2020, it grew even faster, reaching almost 50 million members in 2019.

When a school pays for a subscription, teachers can use Quizlet, another eLearning option, in the classroom. To expedite the distribution of digital assets to consumers from the server-side environment, Node.js is used.

Constructed using:

Front-end: D3.js, Linaria, React, HTML, and CSS.

Back-end: Spring Boot and Node.js.

Database technologies: Google Cloud Storage and Percona.

11. Netflix 

With more than 220 million members and availability in 190 countries, Netflix is one of the top streaming services. This streaming service’s extensive library of films and TV series, easy-to-use interface, and excellent original material have made it a popular choice for entertainment.

In April 2020, Netflix, which debuted in 2007, had a valuation of $162 billion.

Node.js is a key component of Netflix’s technology stack since it makes lightweight, fast apps possible. The Netflix app now launches 70% faster thanks to Node.js.

Constructed using:

Front-end: React, HTML, and CSS

Back-end: Python and Node.js

Technologies for databases: MySQL, AWS

12. Uber 

Uber is a San Francisco-based transportation app startup that was created in 2009; due to its immense success, Uber is now synonymous with taxis. By interacting with drivers in real time, clients can use the service to hail a car in 10,000 cities across more than 80 nations. As a result, the application works with massive volumes of data.

Uber employs Node.js because it facilitates the rapid processing of large volumes of data, immediately fixes mistakes so users don’t have to restart the application, and enables the rapid release of new code.

Constructed using:

Front-end: React, HTML, and CSS

Back-end: Python and Node.js

technologies for databases: Redis, Mongo, and MySQL

13. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a well-known supplier of web hosting. Web hosting, website builders, and domain names are their two primary services. GoDaddy employed around 6,600 people globally and served over 21 million customers as of December 2021.

In 2016, GoDaddy updated their website and made the move to Node.js since it lowers expenses and server stress.

Constructed using:

Front-end: React, HTML, and CSS

Back-end: Python,.NET, and Node.js

Microsoft Azure database technology

14. eBay 

With about 135 million active users, eBay is one of the biggest online marketplaces worldwide. Founded in 1995, this international corporation has grown to be a multibillion dollar enterprise with operations in over 32 nations by 2019.

Java was used in the initial development of Ebay, but its slow runtime and discrepancy between front-end and back-end code led to the decision to switch. eBay employed Node.js for its new tech stack in order to make their website as responsive as feasible.

Constructed using:

Front-end: CSS and HTML

Back-end: Java, Node.js

Database technology: MongoDB

15. Walmart 

Walmart is a worldwide retail organization that operates a chain of hypermarkets, grocery shops, and discount department stores. It is the last but certainly not the least of the companies on our list of Node.js users. With around 2.2 million people, Walmart is the largest private employer in the world and the largest hypermarket chain in terms of revenue. Walmart’s revenue for 2020 was $523.96 billion.

Additionally, the business has an e-commerce website that brings in 80 million visitors each month. its website was first developed in Java, but its distributed teams couldn’t work with its monolithic architecture. In order to improve efficiency and make the website more search engine friendly, Walmart rebuilt it using Node.js.

Constructed using:

Front-end: React, HTML, CSS

Back-end: C++ and Node.js,

Technologies for databases: MySQL