Top 5 differences between Node 16 and Node 18

Node.js 16 and Node.js 18 are two major versions of the Node.js runtime environment, with Node.js 16 being the previous LTS (Long-Term Support) version and Node.js 18 being the current LTS version as of March 2023. Here are the top 5 differences between these two versions:

Improved V8 engine: Node.js 18 ships with V8 version 9.5, which includes performance improvements such as faster startup times, reduced memory usage, and improved garbage collection. These improvements can result in faster and more efficient code execution.
ECMAScript module support: Node.js 16 introduced experimental support for ECMAScript modules, but in Node.js 18 it is now considered stable. This allows developers to use the import and export statements for module loading and sharing, instead of the traditional require and module.exports.
Async local storage: Node.js 18 introduces a new feature called AsyncLocalStorage, which provides a way to store and access data in asynchronous contexts. This allows developers to easily share data between asynchronous functions without having to pass data through multiple function parameters.
Improvements to diagnostics and tracing: Node.js 18 includes several improvements to the diagnostic and tracing capabilities, including better support for diagnostic reports, a new --trace-uncaught command-line option for tracing unhandled exceptions, and improved performance and stability of the async stack traces.
Security improvements: Node.js 18 includes several security improvements, such as updates to the TLS (Transport Layer Security) and crypto libraries, better support for secure defaults, and improved handling of potentially malicious input.

Overall, Node.js 18 includes several new features, improvements, and bug fixes that make it a more stable, performant, and secure version of the Node.js runtime environment. Developers should consider upgrading to Node.js 18 to take advantage of these benefits, especially if they are currently using an older version of Node.js.