20 JavaScript tools to blow your mind

09. Node.js: Avoid switching language context

Node.js is what allows JavaScript to be used on the server side. This has some interesting side effects, like making developers crazy-productive because they don’t have to change the language context when switching back and forth between client and server code.

It also allows libraries to be shared between the client and the server, which decreases the amount of duplicate code one has to write.

10. NPM: The world's largest package manager

With over 300 thousand packages, npm (the node package manager) has become the biggest package manager in the world, containing more packages than Java’s Maven Central Repository, PHP’s Packagist, and even .NET’s nuget. Plus, the level of collaboration that happens within the community means writing an application has never been so convenient.

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11. NPM: Bring in frontend dependencies

Over the years, there have been many recommended practices around bringing in external dependencies into your local codebase. What are the best practices for using libraries like Bootstrap or Zurb Foundation? Including them from a central CDN or downloading everything manually from their website?

With the rise of the npm, an increasing number of developers are getting rid of alternative solutions like Bower and simply sticking to npm for everything. Yes, even CSS dependencies.

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