USECASE OF JAVASCRIPT IN NETFLIX AND GAMING INDUSTRY
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS JAVASCRIPT?
JavaScript is a text-based programming language used both on the client-side and server-side that allows you to make web pages interactive. JavaScript is high-level, often just-in-time compiled, and multi-paradigm. It has curly-bracket syntax, dynamic typing, prototype-based object-orientation, and first-class functions. JS conforms to the ECMAScript specification.
WHY JAVASCRIPT?
Ever since 1995, JavaScript has been an essential part of the internet. Along with HTML, JavaScript has been instrumental in bringing web pages we browse to life, allowing aspects to be interactive. It is easily one of the most widely used and most important programming languages that we have ever come across in our daily internet travels.
Alongside HTML and CSS, JavaScript is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web. Over 97% of websites use it client-side for web page behavior, often incorporating third-party libraries. All major web browsers have a dedicated JavaScript engine to execute the code on the user’s device.
As a multi-paradigm language, JavaScript supports event-driven, functional, and imperative programming styles. It has application programming interfaces (APIs) for working with text, dates, regular expressions, standard data structures, and the Document Object Model (DOM).
JavaScript functions can run after a webpage has loaded without communicating with the server. For example, a JavaScript function may check a web form before it is submitted to make sure all the required fields have been filled out.
USE OF JAVASCRIPT IN NETFLIX
Netflix is a streaming service that offers a wide variety of award-winning TV shows, movies, anime, documentaries and more — on thousands of internet-connected devices. Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California.
Earlier, Netflix was using Java on the back end and JavaScript on the front end, which required the developers to be proficient with languages. As a result, they had to do double work for error handling, activity tracking, and debugging.
HOW NODE.JS FIT IN
Node is a server-side JavaScript runtime that allows for developers to write the same code for both the front end and back end of a web application. As Node is built on an event-driven architecture, it is a framework that is particularly well-suited for working with microservices at scale.
Netflix is the best example who leveraged the benefit of Node.js by implementing it for production and they achieved the tremendous result-economically and in performance.
Shifting its user interfaces to Node.js, Netflix has been able to streamline the development, cut the build times, and increase the level of customization of its UIs for each user.
BENEFITS OF NODE.JS :
- A common language both for the server-side and browser side.
- High performance — now the page loads within seconds. From a 40 minute + startup time they went to under a minute
- A great number of modules and their open source nature.
- An easy way of writing, debugging, and engineering the API.
In addition to Node, Netflix is also using ReactJS in their stack.
THE FUTURE OF NETFLIX AND NODE
◙ In the future, Netflix will also be migrating to Node for its data access layer, in addition to the user interfaces. Netflix layers its client to write scripts against one API rather than writing to hundreds of services. When deploying scripts in the API service layer, clients draw from an aggregation of data layers, such as subscriber information, metadata about movies, subtitle information, and more. Currently, API scripts are deployed directly onto a single API service, which limits the ability to scale or isolate issues which arise.
◙ Netflix is taking its use of Node a step further with Codex, which is a set of capabilities to deliver specific features to specific customers, depending on customer settings of what devices are being used.
AMAZON WEB SERVICES (AWS) AND NODE IN NETFLIX :
◙ Node.js support Non-blocking and can use for microservices like AWS Lambda to develop serverless architecture. The company is planning to use AWS Lambda to build rule-based self-managing infrastructure and replace inefficient processes to reduce the rate of errors and save valuable time.
◙ As such, Netflix is currently developing a way to write scripts as individual Node applications. If a script performs badly, it will then only hamper or kill its own service, rather than the entire system. These Node applications will be running on Docker containers alongside Amazon Web Service’s Elastic Container Service (ECS), Netflix’s infrastructure provider of choice. This allows for containers to be run locally and debugged locally, rather than debugging their monolithic API server locally.
USE OF JAVASCRIPT IN GAMING INDUSTRY
JS is considered to be the most popular and well-known programming language in the modern world. Its popularity is caused by a number of reasons, including user-friendly code and versatility. Indeed, JavaScript can also be an excellent helper when developing online games. Its scripts make it possible to easily combine JS codes with HTML5 and CSS, thereby creating excellent cross-platform applications.
JavaScript, the programming language used on the Web, is blazing fast in modern browsers and getting faster all the time. Using its power to write the code for our game, we can also look at using technologies like Emscripten or Asm.js to easily port our existing games.
JS’s just-in-time compiler technology and new APIs helps in building games that canrun in the browser (or on HTML5-powered devices like those based on Firefox OS) without making compromises.
BEST JAVASCRIPT ENGINES TO BUILD WEB GAMES
PhaserJS
Phaser is one of the most popular choices among developers when creating an online game. Its database is open-source, and a large community of developers will be there to help you grasp all the processes and find answers to many questions. Phaser uses a built-in JavaScript library — PixieJS. This allows for seamless interaction between WebGL and Canvas elements.
This framework is great for beginners because it handles most of the game automation processes. Thus, you do not need to write long code for each element of your game. Physics of objects can also be achieved using special external libraries. Ultimately, your game produces a very professional feel thanks to the objects’ realistic movements and behavior.
BabylonJS
It is one of the best frameworks for creating 3D browser games. As with any other 3D library, it provides built-in functions to help you implement common 3D functionality more quickly.
This 3D engine works with the power of WebGL, WebVR and WebAudio. Creating a 3D object using a regular WebGL would take a lot of time and code. BabylonJS handles all the complexity on its own, so minimum efforts are required from us.
A few more features of BabylonJS are hardware scaling, a system of particles, smoothing, automatic scene optimization, and the ability to use 9 types of cameras with custom materials and shaders.
Babylon can be the preferred way for games over Unreal Engine (C++) or Unity (C#).
MelonJS
This is a lightweight open-source framework used to create a simple lightweight 2D browser game with a minimal computational load.
Some of the special features associated with it :
- a simple HTML5 library
- compatibility with all popular browsers: Chrome, Mozilla, Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer
- compatibility with mobile devices
- lightweight physics with low requirements for your computer’s CPU
- built-in support for CocoonJS and Ejecta.
HAPPY LEARNING!!
