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Node.js is a server-side platform wrapped around the JavaScript language for building scalable, event-driven applications. This is confusing for even experienced programmers because the traditional JavaScript environment has always been client-side - in a user's browser or in an Application that is talking to a server. JavaScript has not been considered when it comes to the Server responding to Client requests, but that is exactly what Node.js provides.

Node.js is not written in JavaScript (it is written in C++) but it uses the JavaScript language as an interpretive language for Server-side request/response processing. In other words, Node.js runs stand-alone JavaScript programs. The advantage is that programmers can use their current, albeit Client-side, programming knowledge and begin coding with Node.js much more easily.

See: Node.js

Source: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/27927/nodejs