I've recently begun hearing a great deal about Node.js. While I understand a few things that it's able to do, namely create a web server, I'm wondering if you could provide me with a solid reasoning behind using this functionality in a production environment.

[This article](http://alistapart.com/article/even-better-in-browser-mockups-with-node.js?utm_source=feedly) made a solid case for using Node.js as a development tool, essentially stating that it can provide the usability of a backend environment without needing backend experience. I've also heard of many developers using Node.js in production projects (Codepen for example), but I simply don't understand how it can be useful when there are established web servers out there such as a LAMP stack.

I would love to invest the time into learning about Node.js due to its growing popularity, but because I do have a fairly solid backend foundation, I'm curious if it's necessary.

In short, what are some of the most useful aspects of Node.js and why would someone need to use in a production environment?