Is Node.js the future of backend development, or just a beautifully wrapped grenade?

Lately, I see more and more backend systems, yes, even monoliths, built entirely in Node.js, sometimes with server-side rendering layered on top. These are not toy projects. These are services touching sensitive PII data, sometimes in regulated industries.

When I first used Node.js years ago, I remember:
• Security concepts were… let’s say aspirational.
• Licensing hell due to questionable npm dependencies.
• Tests were flaky, with mocking turning into dark rituals.
• Behavior of libraries changed weekly like socks, but more dangerous.
• Internet required to run a “local” build. How comforting.

Even with TypeScript, it all melts back into JavaScript at runtime, a language so flexible it can hang itself.

Sure, SSR and monoliths can simplify architecture. But they also widen the attack surface, especially when:
• The backend is non-compiled.
• Every endpoint is a potential open door.
• The system needs Node + a fleet of dependencies + a container + prayer just to run.

Compare that to a compiled, stateless binary that:
• Runs in a scratch container.
• Requires zero runtime dependencies.
• Has encryption at rest, in transit, and ideally per-user.
• Can be observed, scaled, audited, stateless and destroyed with precision.

I’ve shipped frontends that are static, CDN-delivered, secure by design, and light enough to fit on a floppy disk. By running them with Node, I’m loading gigabytes of unknown tooling to render “Hello, user”.

So I wonder:
Is this the future? Or am I just… old?

Are we replacing mature, scalable architectures with serverless spaghetti and 12-factor mayhem because “it works on Vercel”?

Tell me how you build secure, observable, compliant systems in Node.js.
Genuinely curious.
Mildly terrified and maybe old.

A colleague warned me today:
"Please stop thinking too long-term and too sustainable - you are damaging the company!"

I haven't laughed this hard since the last system failure.
The picture captures corporate risk management and feature delivery perfectly:
Short-term focus with TikTok attention span.

#CorporateLogic #RiskManagement #ShortTermThinking
#SustainableThinking #SystemFailure #DarkHumor
#TechSatire #StartupCulture #EfficiencyKills #LeadershipGoals
#AutomationAddict #LongTermDamage

Oh joy, another "innovative" #Python #framework with a #Rust twist —because nothing says "community-driven" like needing two languages nobody asked for. Can't wait for the inevitable "Hello, world!" app that changes everything... again.
https://robyn.tech/ #Innovation #CommunityDriven #TechSatire #HackerNews #ngated

Struggling in product development is trendy now, so why bother improving? Let’s embrace the mediocrity. It’s mainstream. A circus of borrowed frameworks, questionable dependencies, and collective delusion. If we can’t get our own code right, what makes us trust everyone else’s? Same with business processes. Are we keeping ourselves randomly busy? A small hint: Using fewer thing means also fewer headaches Get back to basics.

Boah! Wer bock auf #techsatire hat muss sich unbedingt den Talk „Security Nightmares“ vom #38c3 angucken! Da brichst du ab. Mini bisschen tech verständnis sollte da sein aber ich hab auch nicht jeden Begriff kapiert. Macht nix. Viel Spaß!

https://media.ccc.de/v/38c3-security-nightmares