Node.js is a server-side Javascript environment. It's event-driven, asynchronous, and allows you to write a web server in a relatively quick amount of time.

This section provides a resource for developers of all levels—beginning, intermediate, and advanced—with a consolidated set of Node.js tutorials and best practices. The origin of this document comes from several sources, but primarily around various Node.js community-driven documentation. Why this guide, then? Well, for starters, the code samples can be run in your browser using the online IDE, Cloud9.

In order to get Node.js, you can either download the latest stable release, or clone the version submitted into the GitHub repo. Keep in mind that stable releases are even-numbered (0.4, 0.6), while unstable releases are odd (0.3, 0.5).

If you're new to Node.js or Javascript, review the article on asynchronous programming, designing callbacks, and defining event emitters. Otherwise, you might want to review what Node.js offers in its constructs through the article on Javascript conventions.