Next generation web development with node.js and meteor

Node.js and meteor
Next generation web development for the realtime web

Martin Naumann - Software Engineer
Centralway Factory AG
Submission #386

AGENDA
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What is node.js?
Why do you want it?
Comparison
Quick: express.js
Even quicker: meteor.js
Meteor.js example
To node or not to node
Alternatives

JAZOON’12: Rookie Award, Next generation web development, Martin Naumann

What is node.js?
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Javascript on the server
event-driven architecture
asynchronous I/O
scalable
based on V8
modular

"Yeah. Nice buzzwords. What's the point?"


Why you want node.js?
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One instance can handle lots of clients
○ reduced memory footprint
○ get more performance from existing resources
○ Benchmark: up to 1.600.000 concurrent requests

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Use your frontend technology on the backend
○ you have Javascript in your application anyway
○ "Oh look, this looks familiar!"
○ You know your stuff: Callbacks, Closures, Asynchronity

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It's modular
○ easy to connect pieces of code
○ easy to write network code
○ rapidly build complex applications
Level Two


Comparison: "Elders of web dev" vs. node.js
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HTTP is the base of all web applications
HTTP was synchronous.
Most of the web languages still are.
HTTP evolved:
○ AJAX
○ Websockets
○ Push
real-time web
Need for asynchronous technologies
○ all of which are a bit weird in PHP, Java, ASP, etc.
○ node.js is asynchronous and has ever been.


Quick! To the web app - with express
var express = require("express");
var app = express.createServer();
app.get('/:msg', function(req, res) {
res.send(req.params.msg);
});


What boilerplate code is left?
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Setup the server
Route requests
Take care of HTTP
Data sychronisation
Persist data
Write an Interface (API)
Setup server-side and client-side code


Why not have...
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the code separated by conventions
the server automatically deliver it
automatic persistance
automatic synchronisation
automatically compensate latency


Quicker: meteor.js - A real-time app example
"So I heard you wanted to implement a chat app"
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Write a server and a client
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transmitting messages in nearly real-time
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with multiple chatrooms
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users can pick a nickname
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users can create rooms
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What do you think how many lines of code this requires?
54.
Server and client together.
7 are blank.

Meteor.js example: The server
var Rooms = new Meteor.Collection("rooms");
var Messages = new Meteor.Collection("messages");

Yup. That's it.


Meteor.js example: The client I / II
Template.main.currentRoom = function (){
return Session.get("room") || false;
};
Template.rooms.availableRooms = function (){
return Rooms.find({});
};


Meteor.js example: The client II / II
Template.room.events = {
"click #leave": function() {
if(!window.confirm("Leave this room", "Really leave?")) return;
Session.set("room", undefined);
},
"submit": function() {
Messages.insert({
"room": Session.get("room"),
"author": Session.get("name"),
"text": $("#msg").val()
});
$("#msg").val("");
}
};


To node or not to node - that shall be the question
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Where node does make sense
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real-time applications
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processing long-running or I/O intensive tasks

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Where it doesn't make sense
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static web pages
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small web applications for standard CRUD


Alternatives
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Ruby: EventMachine
Python: Twisted
PHP: Photon
Java: javaeventing
Perl: Mojo


Thanks for listening!
Questions?

Martin Naumann - www.geekonaut.de
Centralway Factory AG - www.centralway.com
martin.naumann@centralway.com
@AVGP - github.com/AVGP

Next generation web development with node.js and meteor

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