Is Node.js the future of backend development, or just a beautifully wrapped grenade?

Lately, I see more and more backend systems, yes, even monoliths, built entirely in Node.js, sometimes with server-side rendering layered on top. These are not toy projects. These are services touching sensitive PII data, sometimes in regulated industries.

When I first used Node.js years ago, I remember:
• Security concepts were… let’s say aspirational.
• Licensing hell due to questionable npm dependencies.
• Tests were flaky, with mocking turning into dark rituals.
• Behavior of libraries changed weekly like socks, but more dangerous.
• Internet required to run a “local” build. How comforting.

Even with TypeScript, it all melts back into JavaScript at runtime, a language so flexible it can hang itself.

Sure, SSR and monoliths can simplify architecture. But they also widen the attack surface, especially when:
• The backend is non-compiled.
• Every endpoint is a potential open door.
• The system needs Node + a fleet of dependencies + a container + prayer just to run.

Compare that to a compiled, stateless binary that:
• Runs in a scratch container.
• Requires zero runtime dependencies.
• Has encryption at rest, in transit, and ideally per-user.
• Can be observed, scaled, audited, stateless and destroyed with precision.

I’ve shipped frontends that are static, CDN-delivered, secure by design, and light enough to fit on a floppy disk. By running them with Node, I’m loading gigabytes of unknown tooling to render “Hello, user”.

So I wonder:
Is this the future? Or am I just… old?

Are we replacing mature, scalable architectures with serverless spaghetti and 12-factor mayhem because “it works on Vercel”?

Tell me how you build secure, observable, compliant systems in Node.js.
Genuinely curious.
Mildly terrified and maybe old.

#NodeJS #BackendSecurity #SecureCoding #PII #Compliance #SoftwareArchitecture #ServerSideRendering #TypeScript #Java #Kotlin #Golang #Erlang #Ruby #Scalability #Observability #DevSecOps #LegacyVsModern #SecureByDesign #CompiledLanguages #CloudArchitecture #StatelessDesign #SecurityTheatre #TechSatire #LinkedInTechRant

SSR vs. SSG vs. CSR vs. ISR—Rendering Performances Compared, by @designerly.bsky.social:

https://frontenddogma.com/posts/2025/ssr-vs-ssg-vs-csr-vs-isr-rendering-performances-compared/

#guestposts #serversiderendering #staticsitegeneration #clientsiderendering #incrementalstaticregeneration #comparisons

Kevin Van Cott hosts a Workshop on Modern React Architectures July 23rd at Nebraska.Code().

https://nebraskacode.amegala.com/

#modernreact #reactarchitecture #react #technologyworkshop #Nebraska #TechnologyConference #nextjs #reactremix #tanstack #reactstart #astro #SinglePageApplications #StaticSiteGeneration #ServerSideRendering #reactservercomponents #Nebraska

SSR Deep Dive for React Developers, by @adevnadia@x.com:

https://archive.fo/G9kdE

#deepdives #serversiderendering #react #javascript

Is your React app struggling to rank on Google? 🤔

https://whalers.ir/blog/is-your-react-app-struggling-to-rank-on-google-%f0%9f%a4%94/5429/

#it #webdev since the comback of #ssr #ServerSideRendering i have the strong feeling that we can now bring back the long forgotten art of the #verticalscale its simple and brings a lot for many companies around the globe. Way easier to maintain.

I think this is as far as I'll go for this sample blog-eske website

This is a classic'ish website with aspnet and F# server-side rendering, almost no JS, no HTMX, streamed HTML and, if you see it on a chromium browser you won't even notice page reloads!

https://github.com/AngelMunoz/Openapo

You can see the live thing here: https://openapo.fly.dev/posts/Server+Sent+Events+with+Saturn+and+F%7e%7e_2024-10-27-37

#fsharp #dotnet #aspnet #server #webdev #html #serversiderendering #backend

👩🏻‍💻👨🏻‍💻 Moderne Webentwicklung: Back to the Server!
Die Ära der klassischen Single Page Applications mit #Angular, #React und #Vue scheint sich dem Ende zuzuneigen! Doch was bedeutet der Trend zu full-stack Frameworks wie Next.js, Remix und Svelte wirklich für die Webentwicklung?
🔎 Taucht gemeinsam mit Jonas Bandi ein in die neuesten Ansätze zur Full-Stack-Webentwicklung ein an der #BaselOne24
🐸 https://lnkd.in/ggjmzerN

#WebDevelopment #FullStack #ServerSideRendering #Nextjs #Svelte

I'm continuing my series on #ServerSideRendering (with @springboot) and #AJAX.

This week, I look at @htmx_org and how it nicely complements #SpringBoot.

https://blog.frankel.ch/ajax-ssr/5/

🔴🟢 Client-side Rendering
by Almog Gabay
This project is a case study of CSR, it explores the potential of client-side rendered apps compared to server-side rendering.
#CSR #ClientsideRendering
#SSR #ServersideRendering
#SSG #StaticSiteGeneration

https://github.com/theninthsky/client-side-rendering

To all the people who laughed at me for understanding and enjoying #regex

I just moved a large project from #react #vite to #Astro mostly thanks to the power of regex.

Cutting down client side JavaScript.

#astrojs #ssr #ServerSideRendering

I am amazed by the causal usage (in an elegant way) of web components in a server side rendering environment from @feedbin

If you are wondering how to display 3rd party HTML content (like a newsletter) on your web app, or interested to see web components used in the wild, or even wondering if we can deliver outstanding UX using server side rendering. Then you should really checkout @feedbin

Plus they are open source.👏

https://github.com/feedbin/feedbin

#webdev #webcomponents #serversiderendering #rss

Lol my realization today:
"I wonder if I could serialize all of the nodes, pick the async ones and rather than wait for their individual content to render, send a marker element instead, so when those async nodes finish working they can be sent via server sent events or any other means available."

Oh wait, I'm reinventing poor's man astro in F#🫠
Welp that won't stop me from trying out stuff!
It is nice to see that This kind of technology is not JS only, other ecosystems simply don't care... There's so much potential down there!


#fsharp #backend #serversiderendering #experiments #webdev #htmlrendering

@redacted @reiver @ellisgl On the other hand, I've seen a lot of websites deliberately turn off #ServerSideRendering when analytics show that a lot of visitors are using script blockers to evade interest-based ads and metering. #Quora and #Fortune are among them.

RT @tandraschko We just released PrimeFaces 13.0.0-RC2: https://github.com/primefaces/primefaces/releases/tag/13.0.0-RC2
Please test and give feedback 🥳
#primefaces #jsf #jakartaee #javaee #jakartafaces #serversiderendering #ssr

SMH every time I read about #JavaScript #frontend development:

“Thoughts On React Vs Vue Vs Everything Else In 2023”, Charles Chen (https://chrlschn.medium.com/thoughts-on-react-vs-vue-vs-everything-else-in-2023-e4e50e526049).

Via HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36168354

#React #Vue #NextJS #Svelte #TypeScript #StaticSiteGenerators #ServerSideRendering #SSG

I wish you could switch off turbolinks or frames or whatever GitHub uses to update its pages - just give me server side rendering please!

#GitHub #Turbo #Rails #ServerSideRendering #Grumpy

Has anyone gotten #WebComponents and #ServerSideRendering to play nicely together? #Astro does a good job of rendering on the server, but it can only do that for a web component if the component's written in the same framework as the #AstroIsland it's contained in, which defeats the purpose of framework-independent components.

@slightlyoff, this seems like something you'd have an answer for, since you've championed both parts.

Marko JS
@MarkoDevTeam
A declarative, HTML-based language that makes building web apps fun

#nodejs #javascript #isomorphic #frontend #dom #serversiderendering #vdom #clientsiderendering #uicomponents #webdev

markojs.com/