April 19, 2022
Node.js 18 released
Node.jsA JavaScript runtime built on V8 — event-driven I/O for servers, CLIs, and tooling. 18.0.0 shipped on April 19, 2022 with an experimental fetch APIApplication programming interface — a defined way for programs to talk to each other or to a service., test runner module, and V8Google's open-source JavaScript engine — powers Chrome, Node.js, and many embedded runtimes. 10.1.
What it was for
NodeNode.js — JavaScript on the server via an event-driven runtime built on V8. 18 became LTSLong-term support — a release branch maintained with security fixes for years, common in Linux and Node. in October 2022 — bringing browser-standard `fetch` to server code (experimental in 18.0.0, stabilized in later releases) without `node-fetch`, and previewing a built-in test runner. It powered Next.js 13+, VercelA platform for front-end deployment — hosts Next.js and static sites with edge functions. edge functions, and AWS LambdaAmazon's serverless compute service — runs functions on demand without managing virtual machines. runtimes through 2024.
Why it's here
NodeNode.js — JavaScript on the server via an event-driven runtime built on V8. 18's native fetch removed a ubiquitous npmNode Package Manager — the default registry and CLI for installing JavaScript and TypeScript libraries. dependency from server JavaScript.
Why it mattered
LTSLong-term support — a release branch maintained with security fixes for years, common in Linux and Node. 18 aligned NodeNode.js — JavaScript on the server via an event-driven runtime built on V8. with web platform APIs developers already knew.
What it solved
Server code needed polyfills for fetch and struggled with ESM migration friction.
Media
- ImageNode.js
Ryan Dahl, MIT, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Node.js 4.0 releasedSeptember 8, 2015
- Node.js 20 releasedApril 18, 2023
- Node.js first releasedMay 27, 2009