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Node.js VS helidon

Compare Node.js VS helidon and see what are their differences

Node.js logo Node.js

Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications

helidon logo helidon

Helidon Project, Java libraries crafted for Microservices
  • Node.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-18
  • helidon Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-28

Node.js features and specs

  • Asynchronous and Event-Driven
    Node.js uses an asynchronous, non-blocking, and event-driven I/O model, making it efficient and scalable for handling multiple simultaneous connections.
  • JavaScript Everywhere
    Developers can use JavaScript for both client-side and server-side programming, providing a unified language environment and better synergy between front-end and back-end development.
  • Large Community and NPM
    Node.js has a vibrant community and a rich ecosystem with the Node Package Manager (NPM), which offers thousands of open-source libraries and tools that can be integrated easily into projects.
  • High Performance
    Built on the V8 JavaScript engine from Google, Node.js translates JavaScript directly into native machine code, which increases performance and speed.
  • Scalability
    Designed with microservices and scalability in mind, Node.js enables easy horizontal scaling across multiple servers.
  • JSON Support
    Node.js seamlessly handles JSON, which is a common format for API responses, making it an excellent choice for building RESTful APIs and data-intensive real-time applications.

Possible disadvantages of Node.js

  • Callback Hell
    The reliance on callbacks to manage asynchronous operations can lead to deeply nested and difficult-to-read code, commonly referred to as 'Callback Hell'.
  • Not Suitable for CPU-Intensive Tasks
    Node.js is optimized for I/O operations and can become inefficient for CPU-intensive tasks, slowing down overall performance due to its single-threaded event loop.
  • Immaturity of Tools
    Compared to more established technologies, some Node.js libraries and tools still lack maturity and comprehensive documentation, which can be challenging for developers.
  • Callback and Promise Overheads
    Managing asynchronous operations using callbacks or promises can lead to additional complexity and overhead, impacting maintainability and performance if not handled correctly.
  • Fragmented Ecosystem
    The fast-paced evolution of Node.js and its ecosystem can lead to fragmentation, with numerous versions and libraries that may not always be compatible with each other.
  • Security Issues
    The extensive use of third-party libraries via NPM can introduce security vulnerabilities if not properly managed and updated, making applications more susceptible to attacks.

helidon features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Helidon is designed to be a lightweight framework, which makes it an excellent choice for microservices and applications where performance and resource utilization are critical.
  • Microservices Focus
    Helidon is crafted with microservices architecture in mind, offering features and support that align well with cloud-native development strategies.
  • Helidon SE and MP Options
    Helidon provides both Helidon SE (simple, functional style development) and Helidon MP (MicroProfile standard), giving developers the flexibility to choose the programming model that best fits their needs.
  • GraalVM Support
    Helidon has support for GraalVM native image, which can significantly reduce startup time and memory usage, benefiting deployment and execution in cloud environments.
  • Reactive Programming
    With Helidon SE, developers can easily create reactive applications using a non-blocking, asynchronous programming model.

Possible disadvantages of helidon

  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established frameworks like Spring or Quarkus, Helidon's ecosystem of extensions, plugins, and third-party integrations is less extensive.
  • Smaller Community
    Helidon's community is not as large as some other Java microservices frameworks, which may mean fewer resources or community-driven support options are available.
  • Lack of Built-In Features
    While being lightweight is a benefit, it also means that Helidon might lack more comprehensive, built-in features that are found in larger frameworks, potentially requiring additional effort to implement common capabilities.
  • Newer in the Market
    Being a relatively newer framework, Helidon might not have as proven a track record or the same level of maturity and stability as older frameworks.

Node.js videos

What is Node.js? | Mosh

More videos:

  • Review - What is Node.js Exactly? - a beginners introduction to Nodejs
  • Review - Learn node.js in 2020 - A review of best node.js courses

helidon videos

From Zero to Hello - Helidon MP / MicroProfile

More videos:

  • Review - Everything you must know about Helidon | MicroStream Hackathon Weekly Q&A | Edition 4

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Node.js and helidon)
Developer Tools
98 98%
2% 2
Web Frameworks
91 91%
9% 9
Runtime
98 98%
2% 2
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Node.js and helidon

Node.js Reviews

Top JavaScript Frameworks in 2025
JavaScript is widely used for back-end or server-side development because it makes a call to the remote server when a web page loads on the browser. When a browser loads a web page, it makes a call to a remote server. Further, the code parses the page’s URL to understand users’ requirements before retrieving and transforming the required data to serve back to the browser....
Source: solguruz.com
9 Best JavaScript Frameworks to Use in 2023
Node.js applications are written in JavaScript and run on the Node.js runtime, which allows them to be executed on any platform that supports Node.js. Node.js applications are typically event-driven and single-threaded, making them efficient and scalable. Additionally, the Node Package Manager (NPM) provides a way to install and manage dependencies for Node.js projects...
Source: ninetailed.io
20 Best JavaScript Frameworks For 2023
TJ Holowaychuk built Express in 2010 before being acquired by IBM (StrongLoop) in 2015. Node.js Foundation currently maintains it. The key reason Express is one of the best JavaScript frameworks is its rapid server-side coding. Complex tasks that would take hours to code using pure Node.js can be resolved in a few minutes, thanks to Express. On top of that, Express offers a...
FOSS | Top 15 Web Servers 2021
Node.js is a cross-platform server-side JavaScript environment built for developing and running network applications such as web servers. Node.js is licensed under a variety of licenses. As of March 2021, around 1.2% of applications were running on Node.js. Among the top companies and applications utilizing this modern web server are GoDaddy, Microsoft, General Electric,...
Source: www.zentao.pm
10 Best Tools to Develop Cross-Platform Desktop Apps 
Electron.js is compatible with a variety of frameworks, libraries, access to hardware-level APIs and chromium engine, and Node.js support. Electron Fiddle feature is great for experimentation as it allows developers to play around with concepts and templates. Simplification is at the center of Electron because developers don’t have to spend unnecessary time on the packaging,...

helidon Reviews

We have no reviews of helidon yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Node.js seems to be a lot more popular than helidon. While we know about 896 links to Node.js, we've tracked only 14 mentions of helidon. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Node.js mentions (896)

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helidon mentions (14)

  • Year After Switching from Java to Go: Our Experiences
    But Javas has so many of these web frameworks?! * Spring (https://spring.io/) * Spring Boot (https://spring.io/projects/spring-boot) * Helidon (https://helidon.io/) * Micronaut (https://micronaut.io/) * Quarkus (https://quarkus.io/) * JHipster (https://www.jhipster.tech/) * Vaadin (https://vaadin.com/) That's just to mention the bigger ones, there's lots of mini frameworks like Javalin (https://javalin.io/) and... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Java web framework wihout annotations ?
    Maybe take a look at Helidon SE from Oracl (you find a short tutorial at https://www.baeldung.com/microservices-oracle-helidon). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Javalin v5 has been released! (web micro-framework)
    If you’ve used NodeJS & ExpessJS, in Java world, Vert.x, Helidon and Javalin should be familiar. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is it worth to learn Spring Boot ?
    If you’ve used ExpressJS, you could try Vert.x and Helidon. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Average Oracle move
    You would think that if the site of one of the biggest programming languages is an abomination for both consumers and developers, then the one for a rest framework that the same company develops on the side should be even worse, but that's not the case as we are talking about oracle. How is the helidon website absolutely stunning on both mobile and desktop? It's still developed by oracle, just how is it possible... Source: almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Node.js and helidon, you can also consider the following products

ExpressJS - Sinatra inspired web development framework for node.js -- insanely fast, flexible, and simple

Micronaut Framework - Build modular easily testable microservice & serverless apps

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

vert.x - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

Spark Framework - Spark Framework is a simple and lightweight Java web framework built for rapid development.