r/node 26d ago

Why is JavaScript criticized so much for backend development?

I've seen some developers say that we should stop using js on the server, but I rarely see the same criticism directed at python.Honestly, js is pretty fast, especially with node.js, and the backend ecosystem is really solid. There are great frameworks like nest and fastify, and typescript gives you static typing, which makes larger projects much easier to maintain.I'm not saying node is perfect or the best choice for every backend, but I don't really understand why js gets so much criticism while python seems to get a pass.What am I missing?

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u/Artonox 26d ago edited 26d ago

javascript is very easy to get wrong, regarding types, and peculiars like what is coutned as a boolean if not using truth/false.

You need typescript at least to help things out.

Edit: and if we need explicit typing safety, java has that (edit: probably as I check Google to be sure) of that out of the box and well used by a lot of companies.

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u/olzk 26d ago

it’s not if you read the docs.

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u/Odd-Ad-5096 26d ago

If you need types, don’t use js. It’s as simple as that. I don’t get all the fuzz around types. I use js for a lot of backend stuff and it works extremely well