I don't like JS very much so I wouldn't want to use it anywhere it could be avoided, that being said it's pretty clear why some people think otherwise, regardle

I don't like JS very much so I wouldn't want to use it anywhere it could be avoided, that being said it's pretty clear why some people think otherwise, regardless of the qualities and defects of the language. Using JS in the backend means that you don't have to learn a new language if you're already familiar with it in the browser. Given that webdev is extremely popular with new developers these days, it's not surprising that they might want to reuse the technology when they have to write backend code instead of learning a whole new language. Similarly companies can reuse their pools of webdevs to write non-web applications instead of hiring new personnel or having to retrain the existing coders. It also means that you can reuse code from the browser in the backend. Sure if you find JS a clunky and subpar language it might be disappointing to see it spread the way it does but hey, at least it's not PHP!