Yuna<p>Is Node.js the future of backend development, or just a beautifully wrapped grenade?</p><p>Lately, I see more and more backend systems, yes, even monoliths, built entirely in Node.js, sometimes with server-side rendering layered on top. These are not toy projects. These are services touching sensitive PII data, sometimes in regulated industries.</p><p>When I first used Node.js years ago, I remember:<br> • Security concepts were… let’s say aspirational.<br> • Licensing hell due to questionable npm dependencies.<br> • Tests were flaky, with mocking turning into dark rituals.<br> • Behavior of libraries changed weekly like socks, but more dangerous.<br> • Internet required to run a “local” build. How comforting.</p><p>Even with TypeScript, it all melts back into JavaScript at runtime, a language so flexible it can hang itself.</p><p>Sure, SSR and monoliths can simplify architecture. But they also widen the attack surface, especially when:<br> • The backend is non-compiled.<br> • Every endpoint is a potential open door.<br> • The system needs Node + a fleet of dependencies + a container + prayer just to run.</p><p>Compare that to a compiled, stateless binary that:<br> • Runs in a scratch container.<br> • Requires zero runtime dependencies.<br> • Has encryption at rest, in transit, and ideally per-user.<br> • Can be observed, scaled, audited, stateless and destroyed with precision.</p><p>I’ve shipped frontends that are static, CDN-delivered, secure by design, and light enough to fit on a floppy disk. By running them with Node, I’m loading gigabytes of unknown tooling to render “Hello, user”.</p><p>So I wonder:<br>Is this the future? Or am I just… old?</p><p>Are we replacing mature, scalable architectures with serverless spaghetti and 12-factor mayhem because “it works on Vercel”?</p><p>Tell me how you build secure, observable, compliant systems in Node.js.<br>Genuinely curious.<br>Mildly terrified and maybe old.</p><p><a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/NodeJS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NodeJS</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/BackendSecurity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BackendSecurity</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/SecureCoding" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SecureCoding</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/PII" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PII</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Compliance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Compliance</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/SoftwareArchitecture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SoftwareArchitecture</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/ServerSideRendering" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ServerSideRendering</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/TypeScript" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TypeScript</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Java" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Java</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Kotlin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Kotlin</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Golang" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Golang</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Erlang" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Erlang</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Ruby" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ruby</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Scalability" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Scalability</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Observability" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Observability</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/DevSecOps" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DevSecOps</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/LegacyVsModern" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LegacyVsModern</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/SecureByDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SecureByDesign</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/CompiledLanguages" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CompiledLanguages</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/CloudArchitecture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CloudArchitecture</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/StatelessDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>StatelessDesign</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/SecurityTheatre" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SecurityTheatre</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/TechSatire" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TechSatire</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/LinkedInTechRant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LinkedInTechRant</span></a></p>