In 2025, which backend—Node.js or Python—is more efficient for scalable, real-time applications?

Assesses concurrency models, throughput, latency, and ideal architecture for both technologies.

• Node.js handles high-concurrency with ~90,000 requests/sec and ~31 ms latency using a non-blocking event-loop and V8 optimizations. • Python, while slower by default due to the GIL, excels in ML, analytics, and rapid prototyping. Async frameworks (e.g., FastAPI, asyncio) and JIT compilers improve scalability, especially for data-heavy workloads. Node.js wins in real-time/high throughput scenarios; Python leads in ML, scripting, and backend API efficiency. Tags: nodejs, python, backend, performance, scalability, real-time