Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment. It is a technology that enables you to run JavaScript code directly on your computer, without the need for a browser. It has gained popularity, Node.js is the technology responsible for these servers actually running, as well as being behind countless web development utilities. Throughout this book, we will use it for the latter option.

npm is a large repository of JavaScript libraries and utilities—almost 500,000 in the time of writing — that you can easily install and add to your project or computer.