Member-only story
A Quick Look at the Node.js 16 Features
Details of Node.js 16 new features, including stable timers promises API, and V8 JavaScript engine 9.0 features
Node.js major release is updated every six months. The new release becomes the Current release for six months, which gives library authors time to add support for them. After six months, odd-numbered releases, such as 15, become unsupported, and even-numbered releases, such as 16, move to the Active LTS (long-term support) status and are ready for general use. LTS release typically guarantees that critical bugs will be fixed for a total of 30 months. Production applications should only use Active LTS or Maintenance LTS releases.
Node.js 16 was released on April 20, 2021. Its current status is Active LTS. It comes with a number of major features:
- Stable timers promises API
- V8 JavaScript engine is updated to V8 9.0
- Toolchain and compiler upgrades
Let’s explore what they are and how to use them.
Use NVM to Explore Node
In a previous article, we provided instructions on using NVM (Node Version Manager) to manage Node.js and NPM versions.
Run the command to install node 16.0.0:
On any window, run the command to use node 16:
Now we’re ready to explore:
