Node.js is arguably one of the most popular technologies in use on the cloud. Many devs all over the world have embraced this platform which, according to the 2017 survey by the Node.js Foundation, is being enjoyed by those who create back-end, front-end, mobile, and even desktop apps.

At Microsoft, we are investing heavily in Node.js and JavaScript, which are first class citizens on Azure and across many other products. Whether you are a full-stack dev, a DevOps specialist, an architect or simply playing around with Node.js, these are seven of the (many) reasons why you will love Azure!

1. Build your app, not the infrastructure. With Azure Web Apps for Node.js (on Linux), you can deploy code via Git or your own Docker container, and run your apps on managed infrastructure. We take care of the rest, letting you use features such as auto-scaling, CI/CD, deployment slots and more! Azure Web Apps are a great choice for Node.js developers that are looking for flexibility, low maintenance overhead and great scalability. It’s easy to get started in 5 minutes and get up and running.
2. A comprehensive offering for Docker containers. With Azure Kubernetes Service, you can get a fully-managed Kubernetes cluster, in minutes. Best of all, you only pay for the underlying VMs you provision, and the orchestrator itself is always free. Node.js users can also run their Docker containers on Azure Web Apps on Linux, or use Virtual Machine images from the Azure Marketplace for Pivotal Cloud Foundry, Red Hat OpenShift, CoreOS, and more. Lastly, with Azure Container Registry it’s easy to keep your Docker images safe from prying eyes.
3. Go serverless with Azure Functions. Run your Node.js app in a reactive way, responding to requests, events and messages, in a massively scalable infrastructure that’s completely transparent to you. Your code is executed only when needed, and you’re billed flexibly based on the resources used.
4. Full support for Linux and other open source technologies. If you prefer to have greater control over your infrastructure, you can deploy Virtual Machines based multiple Linux and UNIX distributions, such as Ubuntu, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Debian, FreeBSD, etc. Also, leverage pre-built VM images for popular Node.js stacks, such as Bitnami’s MEAN.
5. Your choice of data solutions, including fully-managed solutions like Azure CosmosDB (a global database fully compatible with MongoDB) and Azure Database for MySQL and PostgreSQL.
6. Monitor your app with Application Insights for Node.js, identify bugs and performance bottlenecks, and collect instant analytics.
7. Write your apps and scripts with our free, open source editor Visual Studio Code, for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Node.js devs love Visual Studio Code because it offers the tools they need to write JavaScript and TypeScript code, with features such as IntelliSense smart code completion, built-in debugging and support for Git source control. The editor is fully customizable and offers extensions to support Docker containers, other programming languages, and much more.

Bonus reason: leverage the Microsoft Azure global, trusted infrastructure. With 42 regions worldwide (including 6 announced) and a broad portfolio of certifications we comply with, Azure allows for local presence and global expansion, with an emphasis on security and trust.

Thousands of developers, from garage startups like Hotailors to Fortune 500 companies like Adobe, trust Azure for their projects. Whether you’re using Node.js for mission-critical applications for your business, or just as a hobby, we offer the most complete end-to-end platform for JavaScript developers. Start a free trial today and try out Azure for your Node.js app!

This post has been updated on May 15, 2018, to reflect product updates.