Choosing the right backend framework today is like choosing the right weapon for battle. Developers are often torn between Laravel (a PHP-based web framework) and Node.js (JavaScript runtime powered by Chrome's V8 engine).
Laravel - Pros: Clean and expressive syntax, built-in tools for routing, caching, authentication, Blade templating engine, deep ecosystem, support for queues, jobs, and scheduled tasks.
Node.js - Pros: Single language for frontend & backend, huge ecosystem with npm, incredible performance for real-time apps, flexibility, active open-source community.
Use Laravel if you love structured MVC frameworks, want faster development with built-in tools, work with SQL databases, or are more familiar with PHP. Use Node.js for real-time features, full-stack JS, lightweight, fast server for API-heavy apps, building microservices or serverless architectures.