Node.js 8: The First Week

This week, we got the release of Node.js 8 - an entirely new version of Node.js, heading toward becoming an LTS release line in October. The release of Node.js 8 came with quite a few hefty new features, many small improvements, and tons of new opportunities for developers.

Because of just how massive Node.js 8 was - both the release itself and the community’s overwhelmingly positive response - I wanted to share some of the highlights from the first week of Node.js 8.

Some of the Most Exciting Features of Node.js 8

Key new features to keep an eye on with the release of Node.js 8 - which was one of, if not the, biggest semver major releases since the initial release of Node.js 4.0.0.

• Async Hooks, a diagnostics tool that’s been in development for quite some time, has finally landed!
• Node.js 8 now ships with V8 5.8, which includes TurboFan and Ignition. One key thing to note is that these are not enabled by default.
• The util.promisify() feature allows Node.js callback-style APIs to be wrapped in a Promise.
• With the release of Node.js 8 has come the parallel release of npm@5, with a ton of improvements and new features.
• A new *experimental* JavaScript Inspector API has shipped.

Highlights From GitHub

Here are some of the highlights from the Node.js Organization on GitHub that are centered on the release of Node.js 8.

Releases, Commits, and Post-release issues

• The commit for the Node.js 8.0.0 release.
• The nodejs/node-chakracore 8.0 Pre-Release with N-API and Inspector support.
• An issue interaction between async_hooks and the http module - see the original issue and the later master issue.
• Other issues around the Node.js 8 release are being tracked on GitHub with the v8.x tag

Notable Articles and Links From Release Week

There has been a ton of great content that’s come up over the week, so here’s a collection of just some to add to your reading list.

• The Node.js Foundation Node.js 8 Announcement Post on Medium
  • The similar, but more in-depth, announcement post on nodejs.org.
• The post about the N-API, the next-gen API for native modules, published by the Node.js Foundation and authored by Arunesh Chandra and Michael Dawson.
• A tutorial on upgrading to Node.js 8 on Linux.
• Updated V8 documentation for Node.js 8, which reflects the V8 5.8 upgrade.
• An announcement from Mikeal Rogers that he’ll be moving on from his role as the Node.js Foundation Community Manager.

One Last Thing...

Beside the small tweak to the way we write Node.js 8, there’s going to be a lot of tools, tutorials, and guides on Node.js 8 and how to use its wealth of new features effectively as it heads toward its eventual LTS date.

One of the tools that is going to tie into Node.js 8 deeply - as it becomes an LTS release line - is N|Solid. If you need to ensure both security and reliability for your Node.js applications and services, you should take a peek at it.

If you want to stay in the loop with the tools, tutorials, guides, tips, tricks, updates, and more about Node.js 8, be sure to follow @NodeSource on Twitter and keep an eye on the NodeSource Blog to stay in the loop.