1

I build a simple application more like an text-editing and archiving application written in php and client-side javascript.

What I do is to save the markdown into the database.

Now the user will have the option to save the file as a pdf, which I found a nodejs markdown to pdf converter application.

What I want to know is that, what are the downsides of calling nodejs using exec, like so.

Would you suggest that I should be instead redoing the whole application using nodejs so that I won't be dealing with more than one language?

Community
  • 1
  • 1
Joey Hipolito
  • 3,108
  • 11
  • 44
  • 83

2 Answers2

2

For the sake of security and sanity of the product, you may want to consider setting up a nodejs webserver, which exposes an API to save the markdown as PDF into your database.

Upsides

  1. The PHP client only needs to know about the API, so you can change the internal logic of the server, or even switch technologies without any major impact on the client side implementation.
  2. The PHP client will have to authenticate itself to the server to consume the API, which will allow for a better overall security.
Achrome
  • 7,773
  • 14
  • 36
  • 45
1

Redoing the whole application into 1 language to rule them all is not necessary while you are able to maintain the application in all languages.

There is some performance downside as spawning new OS processes (upon each request) takes some time and memory that might be saved. But the measurable impact on your end-users and estimated site traffic would have to be measured.

Another popular markdown to pdf converter is John MacFarlane's pandoc

xmojmr
  • 8,073
  • 5
  • 31
  • 54