Node.js has an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, which makes it perfect for real-time applications that scale well in distributed environments, such as public or private cloud platforms. Each cloud platform offers tools that allow seamless deployment, distribution, and scaling of its hosted applications. In this section, we will look at two publicly available Node.js application cloud providers — €”Nodejitsu and Microsoft Azure.
But first, let's spend some time on the clustering support, as it is fundamental for understanding why Node.js fits so well in the cloud environment. Node.js comes with clustering support built in its core. Using the cluster module in your applications allows them to start as many workers as necessary to handle the load they will face. Generally, it is recommended to match the number of workers to the number of threads or logical cores your environment has.