Pick a different type of project. If you keeping doing projects where node and js are the best solutions, it will feel unnatural to use something else.
Try embedded systems, or real time audio processing or something interesting like that.
I've tried a bit of C, and recently I started playing around with Rust, so yes definitely want to do something like real time audio processing with that.
Is this a problem? If you are trying to launch a prototype or even a first version of a product and you want to be as productive as possible use what you know. I love Node.js (and React for front end) and don’t see how I would benefit from switching to other frameworks I’ve used in the past. It’s not like it’s hard to learn something else, as long as you understand the fundamentals of server/web/client it’s the same stuff done slightly differently.
It's good to know other platforms and languages so you can adequately answer, for example, whether or not those upsides of Node and React are worth the downsides. If you have nothing to compare to then what do you base your opinions on?
But, that being said, there are downsides to trying to work in more than one language/platform. The main one is that you only have so much brain capacity. You simply can't be an expert in every platform out there all at the same time. So if you have a language/platform that you know really well and is suited to task you're doing then you really aren't doing it wrong.
Get outside the JavaScript bubble ASAP. Learn some other languages, preferably ones that are statically typed, and/or at least have sane ecosystems with a robust standard library.
Do something as a hobby project that's way outside your normal groove. Play with some 3D graphics with OpenGl or DirectX or Vulkan, or try building a native app.
This question can be applied to any familiar tools. Usually we're in a hurry to get something done, so we grab the tools in easy reach which we are most familiar with.
The counter to this (for me) is the "grass is always greener" desire for _the perfect tool_ for the job. Maybe it's a personality thing, but that causes some of us to be broad generalists instead of specialists.
Do you ever find Javascript or Node work tedious? Do you (like me) find screenfulls of NPM blah blah a turn-off? If so, I'll bet you can find some alternatives that promise great increases in one of the following: speed of getting things built, elegance of your code, ease of long-forgotten return and maintenance, mental strength building, etc. etc.
Try Clojurescript. You'll still have familiar reach to your JS stuff, but your brain will expand greatly. Or check out Elm. Or go "old school" and see what Elixir/Phoenix can do for you with Erlang OTP as your back-end. Different world, but one full of interesting cool "freebies".
Now, if you want $$$$, don't change a thing. JS will probably never die. If you aren't bored off your ass or annoyed until you want to scream every time you see ({ and }), then stay with what you know. You'll be a deep expert who can walk into the right situation and burn a trail to success (and income).
Remember, there are COBOL programmers out there earning HUGE contracting rates still. Someday future generations will say the same thing about Javascript programmers.
Is it really a trap? What's the value of being different on the backend? Node.js is a rich ecosystem, and it's not like you're digging a career hole (at least not at this point in the lifecycle). Once you really settle in, that's when you can put your energy where it belongs: solving business problems, not learning a new set of tools.
I say all this not as a Node fanboy; I've spent most of my career in ColdFusion and Ruby. I get the same doubts when I start something in Ruby (which is certainly further along in the lifecycle than Node). I'll jump off into something new and sexy, get a little stuck in the learning, and realize I'm doing my customer/employer a disservice. I'll go back to Ruby, and find that I end up with a more elegant, well thought out solution based on my experience in that space.
For instance: I recently had a hairy problem that I was convinced a fancy microservice to manage concurrency etc would be necessary to solve. I then found out that using my existing application, and using the connection_pool gem already in Sidekiq, gave me a better solution in a fraction of the time than I was planning on building.
Try TypeScript or ReasonML or ScalaJS. They all compile to JS and have dead-easy FFI so you can still use the ecosystem stuff you're used to, but you learn something new. In the case of ReasonML and Scala you get to use them later with different backend ecosystems too.
TS will give you a nice balance between learning new stuff (types) and sticking to what you know (most JS patterns are supported), whereas ReasonML and ScalaJS would be a bit more adventurous.
Also try playing with dotnet languages (F# maybe?) via EdgeJS: https://github.com/tjanczuk/edge (but I don't know if thats production-stable)
Figure out what's more important, learning something new or building a project.
I think there's a point where you're experienced enough for it not to be a trap. Concepts, patterns, and structures repeat and once you've started to accumulate enough experience, learning a new language or framework is just implementing things you've seen elsewhere. Then it becomes a choice of productivity and what does the project benefit from most.
If you're not there in your career yet, focus on learning something new. I promise it'll be a level up one way or another. For your project, it might delay it a little, but it'll help your resume and round you out as a developer.
Even after several years, I would not presume to know everything I can do with a platform. You learn something new every day. Also, a skill one language and frameworks can translate to experience in other languages and frameworks. The discipline I got from being a Delphi developer taught me how to handle UI messages, threads and IPC, which are the exact skills I used in order to write a native Java application for Android from scratch. So no, nothing is lost. Just be world-class in your chosen platform and you are an expert in many others automatically.
If Javascript satisfies you as a developer, you have nothing to worry about. I'd look into Typescript because that's the future of the Javascript ecosystem, other than that, just enjoy the ride :)
It's only a tool. Look at lumberjack, does he ask how to avoid using chainsaw ? He uses chainsaw when it's convenient for him and he feels it's a right tool for the job and he uses axe or other tools when he thinks that other tools are better. Learn about other tools and maybe one of them will be a better fit in future. If something works for you then it's great, don't just jump on bandwagon saying that node.js is evil, it's a tool. I use different tools and languages and I also use node.js where it fits.
I always say pick the best language for the type of problem that you are trying to solve. If your problem is heavy IO, than I recommend NodeJS, as that's the forte.
Instead if the problem is a CPU-bound issue, then NodeJS is not appropriate. Within the NodeJS ecosystem, you can use Typescript, as well as use webpack to have an optimized build. There is always something to learn.
In your spare time [if you still have the energy and disposition] try to build small projects using other languages that are in demand on the job market such as Java, Scala, Kotlin, Go, Python etc. If anything at least you will gain a better perspective about what are the alternatives and what are be the strengths and limitations of Node.JS.
write your backend in Go. Minimal fuss, no ceremony, easy syntax, far fewer foot-guns than Node.
I'm not suggesting one language is superior, but Go is fun and interesting, in addition to being a hot market commodity (also I think it will overtake Node in the times to come, but that's a pretty silly claim)
i think you’re fine. if you’re worried about not learning anything new, than i would suggest learning an entirely new stack. otherwise, i would suggest you try to create a product and see how easy that is. odds are, you will learn a lot from that.
The main trap to avoid is intermingling of the client code with the server code. This almost always leads to very tightly coupling of server/client code with all the pain that brings.
This is a good point. It’s often easier to get started with a new language by writing small parts of an app in it, than by starting an entire project with it.
Try embedded systems, or real time audio processing or something interesting like that.