What's New in Node.js 24

Node.js 24 is here. And while major releases often fly under the radar for casual developers, this one brings thoughtful improvements that simplify everyday work, boost performance, and close the gap between backend JavaScript and modern browser capabilities.

Let’s walk through what’s new, what’s changing, and how it might matter to the code you're writing this week.

1. The New V8 Engine 

Node.js 24 ships with V8 13.6—the same engine that powers Chrome. Every V8 upgrade is a behind-the-scenes boost, but this one introduces features that are immediately useful in real-world applications.

2. RegExp.escape: No More DIY Escaping

Regular expressions are powerful—but escaping strings for them? That’s historically been error-prone and manual.

Now, RegExp.escape() is here to solve that. This small but essential addition saves time and prevents bugs by safely escaping special characters.

Use case: Building dynamic search tools or filters? You no longer need your own escapeRegex() utilities cluttering the codebase.

3. Float16Array For Developers

If you're working in graphics rendering, machine learning, or any space where memory matters, Float16Array will be your friend. This new typed array handles 16-bit floats—cutting memory usage in half compared to Float32Array.

4. Atomics.pause For Worker Threads

This gives you a way to pause execution in Atomics. While low-level, it matters for developers building multi-threaded logic with Worker Threads, especially for performance tuning or synchronization.

5. WebAssembly Memory64

Wasm modules now have access to 64-bit memory addressing. If you’re compiling native libraries to WebAssembly for use in Node.js, this opens the door for more complex applications—like databases, game engines, or image processors.

6. await using

This addition, based on the TC39 “Explicit Resource Management” proposal, brings deterministic cleanup of resources. Think of it like Python’s with or C#'s using.

await using file = await openFile('log.txt');

// No need to remember to close it

No more forgetting to release a file descriptor or socket. This helps eliminate memory leaks and improves reliability, especially in error-prone code.

7. Error.isError

Ever checked for errors using instanceof Error and gotten burned because something went wrong across realms or libraries? Error.isError(obj) provides a reliable, consistent check that works even when dealing with complex error flows.

8. New Security Updates

Introduced as experimental in Node 20, the Permission Model lets you limit what your Node.js app can access—like the filesystem, environment variables, or network.

In Node.js 24, the CLI flag has changed from --experimental-permission to --permission, reflecting its progress toward stability.

This matters. In a world of supply chain attacks and open-source dependencies, being able to sandbox your Node.js process is a powerful security control.

Practical use: If you’re building CLI tools, headless scripts, or services that should never touch the network—this is your safety net.

9. URLPattern Is Global Now

URLPattern, previously only available in the web platform, is now global in Node.js. That means you can do route matching and URL decomposition with cleaner syntax and fewer regex headaches.

const pattern = new URLPattern({ pathname: '/user/:id' });

pattern.test('https://example.com/user/123'); // true

Why it matters: Developers building web frameworks, proxy tools, or any URL-heavy logic (like crawlers or routers) now have a native option that’s both powerful and more readable than regex.

10. Test Runner Upgrade

Node’s built-in test runner got smarter. You no longer need to manually await each subtest. That might sound minor—but for teams writing large, structured test suites, it reduces boilerplate and makes your test files less fragile.

Before Node 24:

await t.test('subtest', async () => { ... });

After Node 24:

t.test('subtest', () => { ... }); // Automatically awaited

11. HTTP Client with Undici 7.0

Undici is the high-performance HTTP client that Node.js uses under the hood for fetch(). Version 7.0 brings better spec compliance and a more stable dev experience.

If you’re building services that rely heavily on HTTP—whether calling APIs, proxying data, or doing internal service communication—these updates make things smoother.

Also, if you’ve been waiting to standardize on fetch() in Node, this release helps close the gap between browser and server behavior.

12. npm v11

The package manager gets a refresh, too. While many changes are under-the-hood, npm v11 continues to clean up quirks and streamline workflows.

Key updates:

1. Faster installs
   
   

2. Better lifecycle script control (e.g., --ignore-scripts now truly ignores all)
   
   

3. Removal of old npm hook command
   
   

4. New prompt in npm init for types
   
   

Why you should care: It’s about shaving seconds off CI builds, getting fewer weird edge cases in dependency installs, and improving long-term stability across environments.

13. Legacy Cleanups

Every major release includes some cleanup. Node.js 24 deprecates or removes several outdated features:

1. url.parse() → Use the modern URL API

2. SlowBuffer, tls.createSecurePair, and a few fs constants are deprecated

3. Old-style constants like fs.F_OK are being phased out
   
   

Advice: If you maintain an older codebase, run a quick audit. These changes won’t break your code immediately—but they’re a signal to modernize.

What Should You Try Right Now?

Not everything in this release will affect your work today—but a few things are worth exploring:

1. Switch to RegExp.escape where applicable—it’ll clean up a lot of old utility code.

2. Try await using in any file-handling or socket code—it’ll make cleanup more reliable.

3. Experiment with the Permission Model in isolated scripts or CLI tools.

4. Refactor route matching to use URLPattern instead of regex.

5. Use the built-in test runner (if you're not already) and simplify your test structure.

6. Run a linter or custom script to detect deprecated APIs.