A node stream is a method of transferring large amounts of data on mobile devices or websites (such as uploading detailed photographs) by breaking the file or data down into manageable chunks. The chunks of data do not use as much
computer memory
In computing, memory is a device or system that is used to store information for immediate use in a computer or related computer hardware and digital electronic devices. The term ''memory'' is often synonymous with the term ''primary storage ...
, so they are less likely to slow down the device, allowing the user to do other things on it whilst waiting for the
file transfer File transfer is the transmission of a computer file through a communication channel from one computer system to another. Typically, file transfer is mediated by a communications protocol. In the history of computing, numerous file transfer protocol ...
to complete.
In technical terms, in
Node.js
Node.js is an open-source server environment. Node.js is cross-platform and runs on Windows, Linux, Unix, and macOS. Node.js is a back-end JavaScript runtime environment. Node.js runs on the V8 JavaScript Engine and executes JavaScript code ou ...
a node stream is a readable or writable continuous flow of data that can be manipulated
asynchronously as data comes in (or out).
This API can be used in data intensive web applications where
scalability
Scalability is the property of a system to handle a growing amount of work by adding resources to the system.
In an economic context, a scalable business model implies that a company can increase sales given increased resources. For example, a ...
is an issue.
A node stream can be many different things: a
file stream, a
parser
Parsing, syntax analysis, or syntactic analysis is the process of analyzing a string of symbols, either in natural language, computer languages or data structures, conforming to the rules of a formal grammar. The term ''parsing'' comes from Lati ...
, an
HTTP request
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application layer protocol in the Internet protocol suite model for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web, ...
, a
child process
A child process in computing is a process created by another process (the parent process). This technique pertains to multitasking operating systems, and is sometimes called a subprocess or traditionally a subtask.
There are two major procedures ...
, etc.
References
External links
Interactive exercises to help you understand node streams
Streaming
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