Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine that allows JavaScript code to be run outside of a browser. It introduces asynchronous and event-driven programming to JavaScript. Native addons allow integrating C/C++ code and libraries into Node.js applications for performance reasons or to interface with legacy code. The N-API provides a stable API for building native addons that is compatible across Node.js versions to avoid breakage. Examples demonstrate how to create asynchronous native addons that interface between JavaScript and C++ code.