The Node.js community buzzes with excitement as it officially releases Node.js 21! Alongside this significant milestone, it promotes Node.js 20 to long-term support (LTS). In this blog post, we’ll explore what these announcements mean for developers and the Node.js ecosystem.
Node.js 21 — What’s new?
Node.js 21 brings several exciting updates and enhancements. Here are a few notable changes:
- Updates to the V8 JavaScript engine
: Node.js 21 includes an update to the V8 JavaScript engine, bringing improved performance and new language features.
- Stable fetch and WebStreams: We have marked the fetch module and WebStreams as stable, offering developers reliable and efficient methods to make network requests and process streams of data..
- Built-in WebSocket client: Node.js 21 introduces an experimental WebSocket client, allowing developers to easily establish WebSocket connections in their applications.
- Built-in WebSocket client: Node.js 21 introduces an experimental WebSocket client, allowing developers to easily establish WebSocket connections in their applications.
- Updates to the test runner: Have improved the test runner in Node.js with support for glob expressions, enabling more flexible and efficient test execution.
These are just a few highlights from the extensive list of changes in Node.js 21. You can find the complete li
st of updates and additions in the official Node.js 21 release announcement.
With the release of Node.js 21, Node.js 20 has been promoted to long-term support (LTS). This means that Node.js 20 will receive support and maintenance updates for an extended period, ensuring stability and reliability for developers using this version in their projects.
As per the Node.js release schedule, Node.js 21 will serve as the current release for the next six months until April 2024. During this time, the Node.js project will continue to make progress and incorporate new features and fixes into the LTS releases.
Conclusion
Node.js 21 brings exciting updates and enhancements for developers, while Node.js 20 being promoted to LTS p
romises long-term stability and support. Whether you’re looking to leverage the latest features or prefer a more stable environment, the Node.js ecosystem has you covered.
To download the latest version of Node.js, visit the official Node.js website. For more information about the Node.js release policy and updates, you can refer to the official GitHub repository.
Make sure to test your applications and modules with Node.js 21 to ensure compatibility with the latest changes. And if you’re still using the older Node.js versions, consider planning your upgrade to Node.js 18 (LTS) or Node.js 20 (LTS).
Stay tuned for more updates from the Node.js community, and happy coding!