What is Node.js?

Node.js is a powerful JavaScript platform that is built on top of Google Chrome's JavaScript runtime engine, V8. This gives us the ability to run JavaScript outside of the browser, or in our case, on our local machine. Using Node, we now have the opportunity to write both the backend and frontend of a web application entirely in JavaScript. For the purposes of this book, we will only be using it as a means of running local tooling applications.

Node.js ships with npm, a companion package manager that facilitates the installation, storage, and creation of modular components that you can use to create applications. Together, these two tools are the engine behind how Gulp operates and organizes its plugin ecosystem.

As I mentioned in the introduction, new tools such as Node.js can bring about overwhelming thoughts or feelings of intimidation. This is especially true for those who focus entirely on the frontend side of development. However, when it comes to the frontend, often the hardest part is just convincing yourself to get started. Sometimes, all you need is a simple project that can help build your confidence. In the following chapters, this is exactly what we are going to focus on, and soon all of that intimidation will melt away.