Hiring Nodejs Developers? Here’s Everything You Should Know

When Ryan Dahl released Nodejs in 2009 for the first time, it took the developer community by storm. Nodejs, a framework, and a run-time environment, instantly became the most exciting technology for web application development. Over the years, it gained a lot of popularity as the back-end as well as the full-stack development platform for businesses of all sizes. Naturally then, there’s no dearth of Nodejs developers across the world. But the challenge is how to find the right one for your business? To help you out, here’s a comprehensive guide on things to consider when hiring Nodejs developers.

Table of Content

• Why is Nodejs so popular?
• Technical Skills To Look For While Hiring Nodejs developers
• Consider hiring Nodejs developers who have the following soft skills too
• Nodejs developer hiring options
• How much does it cost to hire a Nodejs developer?
• How Do You Identify The Ideal Nodejs Developer For Your Project?

Why is Nodejs so popular?

First of all, Nodejs is based on JavaScript. So most of the developers find it easy to code in Nodejs. Plus, there is massive community support for the very popular framework. The community makes certain code packages and modules publicly accessible. Using these modules, a Nodejs developer can build apps faster.

But what made Nodejs so popular was the fact that it’s a comprehensive tool that serves as a full-stack platform. So Nodejs developers can write the full application code without having to switch between the front-end and the back-end separately.

Moreover, the vast variety of free resources Nodejs offers has also been a significant factor in its popularity. It’s easy to build complex apps with Nodejs without writing complex code.

Nodejs components are reusable and it has a code-sharing provision. So yay, less development time, and enhanced productivity while building apps with Nodejs.

Most importantly, Nodejs uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model which makes it super-efficient. On top of that, it facilitates the use of microservices too so the business has the advantages of building web apps with cross-functional teams.

Additionally, there are tons of other super useful features that have made Nodejs a fan favorite in the dev community. For example, its NPM takes care of multiple plugins and a built-in web server. It also comes with support for RESTful services along with a firewall with SSL security.

Interestingly, Nodejs developers can also use the platform as a server technology to run web applications.

With all these Nodejs features and more, it’s only obvious that it topped the position of the most popular technology in the Stack Overflow Survey 2020.

Technical Skills To Look For While Hiring Nodejs developers

Good programming skills

Goes without saying, a Nodejs developer must have good programming skills. They must be able to generate codes for the most fundamental problems quickly. The code should be readable, precise, and economical in addition to giving correct output.

Familiarity with front-end technologies

A Nodejs developer who knows the front-end will be able to work better with back-end technologies.

Developers waste time in achieving compatibility between the back-end and the front-end. To save this time, a good Nodejs developer has a fair understanding of various front-end technologies like HTML, JavaScript, VBScript, CSS, and popular front-end frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue.

Proficiency in working with RESTful APIs

An API (Application Programming Interface) allows smooth communication between two software components, without involving a user. The APIs built using the REST architecture are known as RESTful APIs.

The REST in this case stands for Representational State Transfer. REST is an architectural style that defines a set of parameters for building Web Services.

Nodejs applications use these RESTful APIs to enhance the project with a lot of flexibility. You can freely work with one Web Service with complete independence from other services. There is no shared state between the services unless you make a request for the same.

RESTful APIs are an integral part of the operational efficiency of Nodejs projects. So when you hire a Nodejs developer, ensure they are pretty comfortable working with RESTful APIs. They should also know how to build custom APIs, in case the need arises.

Ability to work with Nodejs frameworks

Just like any other web development technology, the Nodejs ecosystem too consists of many frameworks that complement the process of development. Such frameworks help in improving the existing functionality of Nodejs apps.

For a Nodejs developer, it’s essential to understand these Nodejs frameworks so they can minimize the development time while also enhancing Nodejs apps with efficient features and tools.

Some of the most popular Nodejs frameworks include:

• Express.js
• Meteor
• DerbyJS
• Sails.js
• Total.js

Some Nodejs frameworks support certain project-specific focuses. These project-specific frameworks proved to be useful when you require certain project-specific features.

For example, Reaction Commerce is a Nodejs framework suitable for developing eCommerce web apps.

If you are planning to build a scalable web application, consider hiring Nodejs developers who can work well with frameworks like Hapi.js, Feather.js, and Sails.js.

Ability to leverage asynchronous programming the right way

Asynchronous programming is a type of programming where sub-threads in the main application work individually and simultaneously along with the main thread. The sub-threads notify the main thread in response to the code progress.

As a result of this independence between the code blocks, executing programs for different parts of the app is much faster. However, asynchronous programming can be quite challenging. Developers can end up stuck in a loop of callbacks if they aren’t careful.

So while hiring Nodejs developers, interview them about asynchronous programming in detail. Or if possible, give them a small practical task to gauge how well they can manage callbacks while executing asynchronous code on a web page.

Familiarity with workflow automation tools

Big projects usually involve thousands of code lines and it can be challenging to work with these huge amounts of code. A good solution is to try and automate as much development work as possible.

Gulp and Grunt are some of the popular automation tools for Nodejs development. The Nodejs developer you hire must know how to use these automation tools.

A strong grip over databases

Because web apps can’t function efficiently without a database, you need to look for technical database management skills while evaluating candidates for Nodejs development.

Common types of databases used in Nodejs applications include MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, MariaDB, and SQLite.

A reliable Nodejs developer should be able to create database schemes that fulfill the requirements of the website. More importantly, they should know how to select the appropriate database type for a Nodejs app.

User authorization and validation know-how

Web applications require interaction with multiple systems and other applications. You need to conduct user validation and authorization, especially while dealing with sensitive data.

Hire Nodejs developers who have good knowledge of applying security measures in the web application. Knowledge of user validation and authorization is essential to make your web app secure and trustworthy.

Lastly, apart from the skills mentioned above, a Nodejs developer should have good analytical and conceptualization skills. These are non-negotiable if you are looking for expert, reliable and versatile Nodejs developers.

Consider hiring Nodejs developers who have the following soft skills too

Hard skills matter a lot during the initial screening of the candidates. However, soft skills should be a vital criterion for shortlisting the right kind of candidates.

Here are three  things that I believe are the most important in how well a Nodejs developer can get the tasks done:

Strong communication skills

While it may be true to some extent that a highly skilled developer can create an application all by themselves but it’s impractical and unlikely that only one person will be responsible for the development process.

Apps today are made with careful analysis of both its business and user needs. So everyone working on the project need to communicate with each other the right way.

If even one person in the chain fails to communicate the message clearly, it can have a serious adverse outcome.

So always hire Nodejs developers with pretty decent communication skills. They need not have a vast vocabulary of fancy words but they must be able to say what they mean.

A positive attitude towards problem-solving

Look out for a knack for solving problems while hiring Nodejs developers. The problem-solving ability is a trademark of a good developer.

If they can’t solve problems, they definitely can’t innovate in their work or enhance their own skills.

Desire to keep learning and growing

No developer performs at their best without having a hunger for learning. If your Nodejs developers stop expanding their powers, your project will end up a mediocre one at best.

Nodejs developer hiring options

should you go for an in-house developer, a freelancer, or a web development company?

Having understood what kind of developer can be a good Nodejs developer for you, let’s now discuss the hiring options for the same.

As you must already be knowing, there are three common hiring options: find a freelance Nodejs developer for a project, hire one as a part of your in-house team or hire a web development agency for staff augmentation or for complete outsourcing of the Nodejs project.

Hiring Nodejs developers as a part of your in-house team

Hiring in-house Nodejs developers seem to be a great option at first. Someone will always be in the office when things go sideways. Also, you can discuss new ideas immediately with your in-house developers.

But understand that hiring in-house developers means more costs and more responsibility. The costs include the developers' salary and the cost of infrastructure you need to set up. Apart from that, the process of screening, interviewing and hiring the developers is a time-consuming one.

So it’s best to use this option only when the project is big enough to get you a high return on investment.

If you aren’t sure whether you will be working on Nodejs projects in the future too, avoid spending so much on hiring an in-house Nodejs developer.

Hiring a Nodejs developer on a freelance basis

Hiring a freelance Nodejs developer seems the most cost-effective option of the three or is it?

While the hiring costs of freelancers are low, there can be many other associated costs that appear during the later stages of the project.

For example, you may realize that you need testing experts or web design experts separately because your freelance developer isn’t very good with those skills. So consider the expenses of hiring multiple experts for one project.

On top of that, you or someone from your team will have to spend considerable time ensuring collaboration amongst all those experts. That time can otherwise be spent on more rewarding or important tasks of the business.

Lastly, hiring freelance developers is the option with the least accountability and reliability. What if the developer messed up and you have to reinvent the wheel later? What if you can’t get hold of them when you need post-development support?

So go for this option only when you are working on a small scale project with very little complexity.

Hiring a web development company for staff augmentation or project development

Hiring a reputed and experienced Nodejs development company is the safest and most viable option in most cases.

Augmenting your in-house staff

If you want to augment your in-house team, a professional web development company will give you access to their versatile talent pool of reliable developers to hire. They can also screen the candidates and shortlist the right kind of developers based on your project requirements.

Because these companies have been working in the industry for years, they are usually very good at finding the right people to fulfill the project needs.

Also, the staff augmentation model frees you from all the responsibilities of hiring and retaining talent. Even if the developer resigns abruptly, your development partner will ensure your project isn’t affected. They will find a replacement and keep your timeframes in tact.

Outsourcing your Nodejs project

If you don’t have an in-house staff, you can outsource your entire project to a software development company. Such a company will take care of everything - from scoping the project to designing, developing, and testing it as a part of their Nodejs development services.

Your project will be assigned a dedicated project manager who will create the timeframes and set up the budgets for each phase of development. You will be communicating with the team regarding the project progress and have full control over how the idea shapes up into a web application.

Saves you a lot of time to focus on your core business activities, doesn’t it?

How much does it cost to hire a Nodejs developer?

The hiring cost of a Nodejs developer depends on factors like seniority level and location of the Nodejs developers.

You could hire a junior Nodejs developer in North America for an hourly rate of $35-$55. The same junior Nodejs developer will cost you $55-$75 in Western Europe and Australia.

However, Nodejs developers in Asia and Eastern Europe will work for you at a rate of $35-55. Indian Nodejs developers are the cheapest, as they work for as low as $20-30 per hour.

A senior Nodejs developer in North America comes at an hourly rate of $75-115. Western Europe based developers will work at $75-95. Eastern Europe based Nodejs developers will work for $35-75.  Australian Nodejs developers will work at a rate of $75-95.

Asian Nodejs developers have a rate in the range of $55-75 per hour. The Indian senior Nodejs developers are the cheapest, who will work for $20-30 per hour.

Apart from the seniority level and the Nodejs developer's location, you also need to decide whether to hire in-house developers or to outsource the work. Hiring in-house developers proves to be costlier compared to outsourcing the development process.

Here’s a quick guide for you to compare and analyze the average salaries and hourly rates of developers across the world.

Summing Up: How Do You Identify The Ideal Nodejs Developer For Your Project?

Here’s a quick checklist for you to shortlist a candidate for Nodejs

• Your Nodejs developer should be proficient in designing and configuring applications to meet the business requirements.
• A good Nodejs developer is aware of popular Nodejs frameworks and knows which one to use for which project.
• Additionally, an ideal Nodejs developer will have a robust experience of working with React-native, Ionic, and other mobile frameworks.
• Hire Nodejs developers that are experts in Java, JavaScript, SQL, Python, and .net.
• Good Nodejs developers can perform data analysis to determine the business needs of applications and processes.
• Sound knowledge of maintenance of web and mobile applications is essential for a Nodejs developer. API testing on Google, AWS, and Heroku platform would prove to be a plus point.
• Hire developers with good communication and problem-solving skills to ensure smooth collaboration between the teams.
• If a lot is at stake, hire a web development company to source a reliable Nodejs developer for your project.

Third Rock Techkno is a web development company with over 5 years of experience in providing efficient Nodejs development services. Our clientele is spread across multiple western countries and cost-effectiveness in the quality of our services is our USP. So we have our experts located at both the US and India to ensure affordability and relevance in our services.