Introducing the Node.js event loop

The Node.js event loop is a fundamental concept in Node.js that enables it to perform asynchronous and non-blocking operations efficiently. It’s a mechanism that’s responsible for managing the execution of code in an event-driven environment. Understanding the Node.js event loop is crucial for building scalable and responsive applications, especially when dealing with input/output-bound tasks such as reading files, making network requests, or handling multiple client connections simultaneously.

Getting ready

You will need to have Node.js 22 installed. You will also need to have access to a terminal.

How to do it…

In this recipe, we will create two files. One will demonstrate us blocking the event loop, while the other will demonstrate not blocking the event loop. Follow these steps:

1. Create a file named blocking.js.
2. Add the following code:

   // Blocking function
   function blockingOperation() {
     console...