Full-stack JavaScript

one language to rule them all

Jim R. Wilson

(jimbojw)

What is a stack?

User interface
Business logic
Data store
Operating system

Notes:

Communication between layers is bidirectional

Impedance mismatch

User interface ↔ Business logic
Business logic ↔ Data store

Notes:

Anytime layers speak different languages
Mismatches are BAD
Impedes information flow

LAMP

5.5 languages
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, conf
2 mismatches
- JavaScript ↔ PHP
- PHP ↔ SQL

Rails

5.5 languages
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, YAML, SQL
2 mismatches
- JavaScript ↔ Ruby
- ActiveRecord

Notes:

ActiveRecord is being decoupled in RoR 3

J2EE

9+ languages
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, JSP, XML, Spring, SQL, Ant/Maven
2 mismatches
- JavaScript ↔ Java
- Java ↔ SQL

Notes:

Spring could be any dependency injection framework

JavaScript

3 languages
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript
0 mismatches
- JavaScript ↔ JSON ↔ JavaScript

JavaScript stack

User interface
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Business logic
- node.js / narwhal / rhino
Data store
- CouchDB / MongoDB

Benefits

Asynchronous
- Non-blocking I/O
- Event loop - no threads!
Concurrency
- High levels of concurrency demand event driven design
- Ex: node.js, nginx
Cohesion
- There will always be context differences, let's take language off the table
- Reducing mismatches aids understanding, clear thinking, and decision making
- Analogy: Conducting business with someone who doesn't speak your language
Reuse
- Common logic written only once
Joy
- Reducing development pain is the road to happiness

Thanks!