What is the role of async/await in Node.js?

Short answer: async/await provides a cleaner syntax for handling asynchronous code, making it look synchronous and easier to read compared to nested callbacks or promise chains. async function fetchData() { try { const data = await someAsyncFunction(); console.log(data); } catch (err) { console.error(err); }

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest’s Node API handles many checkout requests concurrently because I/O (DB/HTTP) is non-blocking on the event loop.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.