Node.js development for APIs, webhooks and bots

Node.js runs JavaScript on servers instead of in the browser. It handles many connections on a single event loop, which suits programs that spend most of their time waiting on networks and databases.

Microsive ATS runs on Node.js, and so do our messaging bots. Bots built to order sit under voice agents and AI bots.

• Input and output work: REST APIs, payment webhooks, WhatsApp bots holding many conversations.
• A TypeScript frontend, so types and validation code can be shared.
• Background jobs pulled from a queue.

CPU-heavy jobs, such as large PDF batches, image processing or model inference, block Node’s event loop and slow the other requests on that process. Jobs that lean on data-cleaning or machine-learning libraries are usually better in Python.

A bot has to stay connected. Platforms that put idle processes to sleep, or that only run short functions, break long-lived connections, so bots need hosting that keeps the process running.

1. What stops one slow request from holding up the rest?
2. If the process restarts mid-conversation, what happens to that user’s message?
3. How are errors collected, and who gets alerted?
4. How are npm packages reviewed before upgrades?

• Duplicate webhooks. Providers retry deliveries they think failed. Give handlers an idempotency key, so a retried payment event can’t mark an invoice paid twice.
• Unhandled promise rejections. One missed catch can stop the process. Add a process supervisor and error tracking from the first release.
• Memory creeping up in long-running bots. Session caches that only grow eventually exhaust memory. Give caches limits and expiry.
• Supply-chain risk. One install can pull hundreds of packages. Commit lockfiles and run audits before releases.

To commission an app with a Node.js backend, see web apps.