How Node.js Handles 10,000 Requests with Just One Thread The biggest "gotcha" for developers moving from Java or PHP to Node.js is the realization that Node.js is single-threaded . This usually sparks a moment of panic: "If there is only one thread, how does it handle thousands of concurrent users without crashing?" As someone who has been building in the JavaScript ecosystem for over a decade, I’ve seen this question pop up in every cohort and open-source contribution session. Let’s pull back the curtain on the Node.js architecture and see how it manages to be a powerhouse of concurrency. 1. Thread vs. Process: The Foundation Before we dive into the "how," we need to understand the "what." Process: Think of this as a factory. It has its own memory space and resources. Thread: This is a worker inside that factory. In traditional multi-threaded environments (like Apache), every new request gets its own worker (thread). If 100 people visit your site, you need 100 workers.…