Had this convo with a friend the other day. We were talking backend stuff and it came up, should you build your API in Node or in Go? Happens all the time. They both work, but they feel real different when you are the one doing the building.

So if you are stuck choosing or just trying to get the vibe of each, here is a straight up comparison. No marketing lingo, no sales pitch. Just how it really goes when you are building stuff.

Here are ten things that matter when you are picking between Node and Go for API work.

1. Getting started

Node
Quick to get going. Run a command, install express, write a few lines and boom you got an API. Great for hacking stuff together fast.

Go
Takes a little more setup. You make folders, write more code up front, think a bit about structure. Not hard, just slower to boot.

Verdict
Node wins here for speed. Go feels more clean but slower to kick off.

2. Concurrency and speed

Go
Built for handling a ton of stuff at once. Goroutines let you run functions side by side with almost no cost. You can handle a lot of traffic.

Node
Uses one thread with async calls. Works great for input and output stuff, but if you throw CPU work at it, things can get rough.

Verdict
Go takes this one for raw performance and traffic handling.

3. Typing

Node
JavaScript has no types. You can use TypeScript to get types, but that is an extra step.

Go
Always typed. You get errors before you run stuff. Helps a lot when your app grows.

Verdict
Go if you like your code to stay stable. Node if you want to move fast and maybe fix stuff later.

4. Error handling

Go
You will write a lot of if err is not nil. It is a little annoying but very clear. You always handle stuff up front.

Node
Use try and catch, or async and await. Feels nicer, but it is easy to forget things if you are not paying attention.

Verdict
Go is safer but wordy. Node is smooth but needs discipline.

5. Tools and setup

Go
Comes with what you need. Formatter, build tool, testing, it is all built in.

Node
You choose your own tools. Linter, formatter, test runner, all separate things. You spend time setting stuff up.

Verdict
Go keeps it simple. Node gives you more choice but more work too.

6. Libraries and packages

Node
The package world is huge. You want something? It probably exists. But you might have five versions of it and not know which one to trust.

Go
Fewer packages but usually solid. The quality is better on average but you will have less to pick from.

Verdict
Node for more options. Go for more stability.

7. Deployment

Go
Compile your app and you get one file. That is it. Upload it anywhere and it just works.

Node
Needs Node installed, maybe a process manager like PM2 or run it in a container. More moving parts.

Verdict
Go makes deployment easy. Node takes more steps.

8. Community

Node
Feels casual. A lot of frontend folks using it for backend now. Tons of help online.

Go
Feels more serious. Devops and backend engineers mostly. Still helpful, just a different energy.

Verdict
Node for a relaxed vibe. Go for focused and clean.

9. Scaling

Go
Made to scale. Light memory use, fast, good at handling many requests at once.

Node
Can scale, but needs more planning. You might need clusters or extra tools if traffic gets big.

Verdict
Go is better out of the box for scale.

10. Writing code

Node
Feels fast to write. Async and await make it readable. If you know JavaScript, you will be comfy right away.

Go
More rules, fewer surprises. At first it feels strict, but after a while you stop thinking about weird bugs.

Verdict
Node is flexible. Go is solid. Just depends on your style.

---

Quick code time, same API in both

Node using Express

const express = require('express')
const app = express()

app.get('/hello', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello from Node!')
})

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running at http://localhost:3000')
})

Go using standard library

package main

import (
  "fmt"
  "net/http"
)

func helloHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
  fmt.Fprint(w, "Hello from Go!")
}

func main() {
  http.HandleFunc("/hello", helloHandler)
  fmt.Println("Server running at http://localhost:3000")
  http.ListenAndServe(":3000", nil)
}

---

So which one should you use

If you want to build fast, love JavaScript, and want a lot of tools at your fingertips, go with Node.

If you care about performance, want easy deployment, and do not mind being a little more strict, Go is a great choice.

No bad answer here. Just pick what fits you and your project.

Now go write some code.