The Most Comprehensive List of 15 Node.js Frameworks

Node.js is a popular JavaScript framework that allows developers to create scalable web applications.

In this post, you’ll get to know about the best open source NodeJS frameworks that will prevail in web development this year based on speed, ease of use, popularity, complexity, and community support on Github.

1. 🥇Express

Express.js is a web development framework for Node.js, a popular programming language used to build server-side applications. It provides a set of features and tools to make it easier for developers to build robust and scalable web applications.

With Express, developers can create web servers, handle HTTP requests and responses, manage routes, and work with databases. It also supports middleware, which are functions that can be used to modify incoming requests or outgoing responses.

EXP is known for its simplicity, flexibility, and extensibility, making it a popular choice for building web applications of all sizes and complexity levels. It has a large and active community of developers, which means that there are many resources available for learning and troubleshooting.

Companies That Use ExpressJS

Netflix, IBM, Accenture, Uber, Walmart, Trello, Autodesk, Intuit, Mixmax, Plaid, GoDaddy, PayPal, Groupon, Myntra, Yandex, Storj, Cloudflare.

2. 🥈Nest

Nest.js is a framework used for building server-side applications with Node.js. It’s designed to make the process of creating scalable, maintainable and testable applications easier. Nest is built on top of Express, a popular Node.js framework, and provides additional features such as dependency injection, modular architecture, and a powerful CLI.

With Nest, developers can structure their applications in a modular way, making it easier to manage and scale large codebases. It also supports a variety of popular JavaScript libraries, such as TypeScript, which makes it easier to write and maintain code.

NEST is a great choice for building APIs, microservices, and real-time applications. It provides a lot of flexibility and features, while still being easy to use and learn. Whether you’re a seasoned Nodejs developer or just getting started, Nest is definitely worth checking out!

Companies That Use NestJS

Trivago, Adidas, Societe Generale, Capgemini, KPMG, Nrwl, Cognizant, PayU, Scalio, Valudio, ING, SinnerSchrader, Sqreen, Scopic, Liferay, Neoteric, Codibly, Bitpanda.

3. 🥉Meteor

Meteor.js is a Node.js framework that enables developers to build web applications in a simple and straightforward manner. It provides a full-stack solution that includes both client-side and server-side components, making it easy to create real-time, reactive applications with ease.

One of the most appealing aspects of Meteor is its ability to handle data synchronization between the client and server automatically. This means that any updates made on the client side are automatically propagated to the server, and vice versa. Additionally, Meteor comes with a built-in front-end framework called Blaze, which simplifies the process of building user interfaces.

Another advantage of Meteor is its use of JavaScript, a widely used programming language that is easy to learn and use. It also comes with a vast library of packages and extensions that can be easily integrated into your application.

Overall, MET is an excellent choice for developers who want to build web applications quickly and efficiently, without sacrificing functionality or performance.

Companies That Use MeteorJS

Asana, Mixmax, Qualia, Hive, Rocket.Chat, Workpop, Telescope, Respondly, Apiko.

4. Koa

Koa.js is a lightweight Node.js web framework that provides a minimalistic and expressive middleware foundation for building web applications and APIs. It is designed to be more flexible and modular than its predecessor, Express.js, allowing developers to create custom middleware and handle errors in a more streamlined way.

Koa utilizes modern JS features, such as generators and async/await, to enable more readable and efficient code. It also provides a clean and intuitive API that allows developers to easily handle HTTP requests and responses, as well as other common web development tasks.

Overall, KOA is a powerful tool for building scalable and maintainable web applications with NodeJS and its focus on simplicity and flexibility make it a popular choice among developers in the Node.js community.

Companies That Use KoaJS

Tencent, Alibaba, PubNub, Fiverr, Glovo, NearForm, ZEIT, AutoTrader.

5. Sails

Sails.js is a framework for building web applications using Node.js. It is designed to make it easy for developers to create scalable, real-time applications.

With Sails.js, developers can easily create RESTful APIs, web sockets, and server-side rendered pages. The framework is built on top of Express, a popular Node.js web framework, and adds a layer of abstraction to simplify common tasks like data modeling and routing. It also includes built-in support for popular databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. SAILS is a great choice for developers who want to quickly build and deploy web applications that can handle a large number of concurrent users.

Companies That Use SailsJS

Verizon, Microsoft, Nielsen.

6. Fastify

Fastify.js is a popular web application framework for Node.js that aims to provide excellent performance and low overhead. It’s designed to be highly extensible and customizable, allowing developers to build APIs and web applications with ease.

One of the key features of Fastify is its speed. It’s built on top of NodeJS and uses some of the latest and most performant technologies available, such as the V8 JavaScript engine and HTTP/2. This makes it ideal for building high-performance applications that can handle large volumes of traffic.

Fastify is also very lightweight, with a minimal overhead and a small footprint. This means that it’s easy to deploy and scale, and can run efficiently even on low-end hardware or in resource-constrained environments.

Another great thing about Fastify is its extensibility. It comes with a rich set of plugins and middleware that can be used to add functionality to your application, and it’s easy to create your own custom plugins as well.

Overall, FASTIFY is a powerful and flexible framework that’s well-suited to building fast, scalable, and reliable web applications.

Companies That Use FastifyJS

Webiny, Genesys, RemoteScout, Microsoft, Seznam.cz, Aasaam, NearForm, HarperDB.

7. Feathers

FeathersJS is an open-source, real-time web framework designed for building modern and efficient applications using Node.js.

It simplifies application development by providing a lightweight, flexible, and scalable structure. Feathers is known for its easy-to-use API, allowing developers to rapidly create RESTful services and real-time applications with minimal effort. The framework supports various databases and service-oriented architectures, making it a versatile choice for developers.

One key advantage of Feathers.js is its real-time functionality, which enables efficient communication between clients and servers. It also has a thriving ecosystem, including a plethora of plugins and integrations, allowing for seamless expansion and customization. FeathersJS is an excellent choice for developers looking to create high-performance, real-time applications with ease and efficiency.

Companies That Use FeathersJS

SystemSeed, Bitovi, ArangoDB, OpenCollective, Nuxt.js, HashiCorp, Chamaileon.io, Scaledrone, Bedrock.

8. Hapi

Hapi is a popular Node.js framework designed to help developers build web applications and APIs with ease.

Created by Walmart Labs, it offers a robust, modular approach to designing and maintaining web services. By providing a rich set of built-in features, Hapi streamlines the development process and enables the creation of scalable, secure, and maintainable applications. Its flexibility allows for easy customization, making it suitable for a wide range of projects, from simple websites to complex APIs. This open-source framework has garnered a strong community, ensuring ongoing support and development.

Companies That Use HapiJS

Walmart, Autodesk, Conde Nast, Cisco, Good Money, Paymo, Revolut, Peopledesign.

9. Loopback

LoopBack.js is an award-winning, highly extensible, open-source Node.js framework, designed for creating and developing scalable Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) quickly and efficiently. Developed by StrongLoop and later acquired by IBM, Loopback provides developers with a set of powerful tools, including an intuitive CLI, a flexible API explorer, and robust support for data modeling.

The framework simplifies the process of building APIs by automating repetitive tasks, such as setting up CRUD operations or handling authentication. With its extensible architecture, Loopback enables seamless integration with various databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB, among others.

Loopback’s thriving open-source community ensures its continuous improvement and growth, as developers contribute to its ongoing development. As a result, the framework remains a top choice for developers who need to build and maintain modern, efficient, and easily customizable APIs for their web and mobile applications.

Companies That Use LoopbackJS

IBM, GoDaddy, Symantec, SAP, Capital One, Fujitsu, Telefonica, Mozilla, KPMG, Philips.

10. Adonis

AdonisJS is a full-stack Node.js framework, designed to provide developers with a seamless and efficient way to create web applications.

Offering an elegant and developer-friendly syntax, it follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture pattern, which helps organize code and streamline the development process. Adonis brings a plethora of features, such as an ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) for database management, a built-in authentication system, and a powerful dependency injection container. Its comprehensive ecosystem, extensive documentation, and supportive community make Adonis.js a popular choice among developers seeking an end-to-end solution for building scalable, maintainable, and high-performance web applications.

Companies That Use AdonisJS

Boost, Uplift, Freepik, Hackages, Bagisto, X-Team, Pipedrive, SocialCops.

11. Restify

Restify is a lightweight Node.js framework designed specifically for creating RESTful APIs.

It provides developers with a simple, yet powerful set of tools to build scalable and maintainable web services. Restify is known for its focus on performance, and it offers built-in support for features like versioning, error handling, and plugins. The framework aims to streamline the development process, enabling developers to create efficient and robust APIs that adhere to best practices. As a result, Restify has gained popularity among developers seeking a no-frills, reliable solution for their web services.

Companies That Use RestifyJS

Netflix, Joyent, Bazaarvoice.

12. Moleculer

Moleculer is a progressive, microservices framework for Node.js, designed to simplify the development and deployment of scalable, high-performance applications.

It offers an intuitive, modular approach to building distributed systems, promoting code reusability and maintainability. Moleculer provides built-in support for service discovery, load balancing, fault tolerance, and real-time monitoring. This enables developers to focus on crafting their application logic, while the framework handles the underlying complexities of managing microservices. With a rich ecosystem of plugins, Moleculer ensures seamless integration with other popular technologies, fostering an enjoyable development experience.

13. Total

Total.js is a modern and versatile Node.js framework designed to help developers create scalable and efficient web applications with ease.

This open-source framework offers a diverse range of features, such as a modular architecture, a robust set of built-in tools, and support for various databases, making it highly customizable and adaptable. Notable for its lightweight and high-performance nature, TotalJS aims to simplify the development process by enabling rapid prototyping and deployment. In addition, its active community and comprehensive documentation ensure that developers have a wealth of resources available to build, optimize, and maintain their web applications effectively. Overall, Total.js serves as a reliable and powerful option for anyone looking to leverage the capabilities of NodeJS in their projects.

14. ActionHero

ActionheroJS is a versatile and user-friendly Node.js framework designed for building scalable APIs, web apps, and other network-based services. It is especially well-suited for developers who seek a powerful yet flexible solution for creating server-side applications. This framework is built on top of the Node platform, which provides excellent performance and efficiency due to its non-blocking I/O and event-driven architecture.

Some of the key features of ActionHero include its robust task management system, real-time communication support, and seamless integration with various data storage solutions. With its modular design, developers can easily create reusable components called “actions” that define the functionality of their application.

Additionally, AH boasts a strong community-driven ecosystem, with an extensive range of plugins and resources available to extend its capabilities. This framework is also known for its emphasis on thorough documentation, ensuring that developers have all the guidance they need to bring their projects to life.

In summary, ActionHero.js is a powerful Node.js framework that offers a comprehensive set of tools for building scalable and efficient server-side applications. Its user-friendly nature, coupled with its strong community support, makes it an ideal choice for developers of all skill levels.

15. TinyHTTP

tinyhttp is a modern Express-like web framework written in TypeScript and compiled to native ESM, that uses a bare minimum amount of dependencies trying to avoid legacy hell.

Despite its small size, TinyHTTP boasts essential features like routing, middleware support, and error handling. Due to its modular architecture, you can easily extend its functionality with plugins or custom components. The framework’s focus on simplicity and performance makes it a popular choice among developers seeking a streamlined alternative to more feature-heavy NodeJS frameworks.

👉 Hire a remote Javascript developer or even the entire UI dev team with Echo.

Typical Projects You Can Achieve with Echo

• React Native & JS, Node JS, AWS Dev for Service Management
• Node.js Development for Healthcare Startup App
• Node.js App Dev for Slack App Developers

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

All these frameworks and libraries provide quite similar features and tools. Choosing the best framework for your web application depends on various factors. Before you make your final choice do your own research and test the framework that fits your project and your dev team.

Tags: development, express, frameworks, javascript, libraries.